New from Raleigh (1 Viewer)

[Alan]

Hi Everyone.
I am new to the chip market as I have been comfortable with my Ultimate Poker Chip set(the older good ones) But I am actively looking to upgrade ahead of Milano quality. I like the Ravenor Polyclay, almost bought China Pharoahs clay composite.....and wonder if I should bypass all of this to get Paulson.....also, is Paulson ever going to make chips for civilians again? Does this matter? Are there better choices now that I am not aware of? Thank you all in advance for your chip wisdom...I am but a rookie right now. Alan

 

[David O]

Paulsons are the way to go but you should get samples before buying sets. It doesn't look like they will ever sell to non casino purchasers although you can find some great racks and sets in this forum. Keep checking the classifieds and you may find your first Paulson set at a good price. You can also price together mixed casino sets for cash games. Let us know what you are looking for in the classifieds and I am sure someone will be willing to help.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Welcome aboard Alan! My wife and I were considering an eventual move/settling down in NC, how do you like it there?

As far as your chip questions go, GET SAMPLES! There's a huge variety of chip types and your personal tastes for sound, colors, feel, etc. will vary from others. I don't see Paulson entering the home market anytime soon. You've got an economy that is meh, coupled with a significant decrease in poker-related coverage on tv and access to online poker for most in the U.S. and thus there just isn't a large enough market at this point for them to justify it as far as I can see.

Doesn't mean things won't change in the future, but for the foreseeable future I don't see it happening unfortunately. Still, there are plenty of great options still available to you, including custom clays from CPC as well as buying up casino paulsons and going on a relabel project (or keeping them as-is).

 

[CdnBeerLover]

Welcome aboard! Everyone has different tastes regarding chips they like/dislike. Get a few samples of what you think you might like, then go from there. As for the question of Paulson and the home market, that depends on if they see profit in it. If they do, they'll re-enter the market. If they don't, they won't.

 

[Tommy]

Welcome Alan. Pretty much what everyone else has said. Get samples before making a big purchase. I replied to your post about the Ravenor chips in the other thread. They are one of my favorite ceramics.

 

[Alan]

Welcome aboard Alan! My wife and I were considering an eventual move/settling down in NC, how do you like it there?

As far as your chip questions go, GET SAMPLES! There's a huge variety of chip types and your personal tastes for sound, colors, feel, etc. will vary from others. I don't see Paulson entering the home market anytime soon. You've got an economy that is meh, coupled with a significant decrease in poker-related coverage on tv and access to online poker for most in the U.S. and thus there just isn't a large enough market at this point for them to justify it as far as I can see.

Doesn't mean things won't change in the future, but for the foreseeable future I don't see it happening unfortunately. Still, there are plenty of great options still available to you, including custom clays from CPC as well as buying up casino paulsons and going on a relabel project (or keeping them as-is).

Tommy, CNDBeerlover, Anthony, David O. Thank you all for your information. It seems I am on the right track with the Ravenor, but I will familiarize myself with the classifieds to see what is available. On living in NC, I like it. I have been here 31 years now...25 in Raleigh area. But, you can have fairly different experiences from mountains, piedmont, to beach. So it would depend on where you are targeting and your tastes. The economy in the triangle is relatively solid as is charlotte. Beach prices are down some and this is apparently one of the best places for breweries in the USA. It's a bubble. I'll call it a Pubble. Overgrowth of craft beer places in addition to breweries. That is wonderful. Good universities and research triangle park provides many jobs. Lots of people retire here. In Raleigh, it does sometimes get really hot for long times in summer with no breeze for much of it. The winters are short and snow around here is twice a year or so. The beaches around here are no where near as nice as Florida....My parents had a place in Destin Fl. in the 1970s early 1980s and I guess I was spoiled...but the beaches are just average here, just meh. But the people who havent seen the Florida beaches think these beaches around here are the best. LOL. Let me know if you have any specific questions....I Have most knowledge of Wilmington and Raleigh.

 

[slisk250]

Hi, wander around here long and you will get all kinds of advice on how to spend your money!

 

[MikesDad]

Welcome Alan... hold on to your wallet

My wife and I are also considering a move to NC, probably in the Chapel Hill area... any insight into the home game situation?

Cheers

 

[Anthony Martino]

My wife and I were actually looking at the Wilmington NC area for an eventual move. And yes, how is the home poker game situation around NC?

 

[Alan]

Regarding home game situations: I have never had an issue finding games. My problem is occasionally which game to play in. Heck, I host Monday nights sometimes. We have played 3 nights a week in good weeks. But I don't branch out due to not needing to and also because it feels a bit like cheating on my main group. I am pretty sure each big neighborhood has a game somewhere for each stake level. I am sure chapel hill has plenty of play. I've seen some nice poker stuff for sale on Craigslist in chapel hill. But Raleigh or Cary are short drives if required. Wilmington would be similar. I grew up in Wilmington so let me know what questions you have. Or what you want to be near.

 

[detroitdad]

Hi, wander around here long and you will get all kinds of advice on how to spend your money!

Amen

Welcome to the forum Alan. Not only is it a wealth of poker chip, poker strategy, and chip designing creativity. Its just simply a great place to hang out.

 

[Anthony Martino]

I honestly don't know, we drove through NC on our way to FL, but didn't really stop and check stuff out. My wife is in love with the Wilmington area because Dawson's Creek was filmed there and she thinks it's beautiful. We don't really care about beach access though. We'd like to settle somewhere where you can have some land and space between your neighbors. Here in FL homes are built on top of one another with only a few feet between your walls, can't stand it.

 

[Alan]

The river is nice. There are older neighborhoods near the hospital with good access to river. Also south of the big bridge in Leland is becoming more populate so keep that in mind. Cheaper too. Not sure price range but traffic is bad in Wilmington like most places that people want to be.

 

[pltrgyst]

Politically, NC is the new MS. Only you know if that's right for you. :

It's a split state, much like Virginia, in that the Research Triangle shares modern attitudes with northern VA, while the rest of the state is residing comfortably in the 19th century. Even my military friends residing in NC are not really happy to be raising their kids there. Ymmv...

 

[Alan]

Politically, NC is the new MS. Only you know if that's right for you. :

It's a split state, much like Virginia, in that the Research Triangle shares modern attitudes with northern VA, while the rest of the state is residing comfortably in the 19th century. Even my military friends residing in NC are not really happy to be raising their kids there. Ymmv...

Yes, there are many places to avoid including Durham and Fayetteville. Durham is good for visiting. Many smaller rural areas should be avoided in general.

 

[Alan]

Met a guy last night at casino charity event that plays regularly with Greg raymer and some other poker champ I hadn't heard of. They play all the time around here apparently. Seems a casino charity event is a great way to meet people for games as you can connect with half a dozen games or more at each table.