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New Members start here! (3 Viewers)

How many chips, what chip material, and what's your budget? These are just a couple of questions to get started with. It takes a while to wrap your head around the different materials/manufacturers. There are group buys for ceramic chips out of China for around $.35/chip up to spending $10+ per chip for highly sought after clay polson chips.
dannyz said:
Appreciate this thread. Looking for a budget denominated cash set. Useful tips here.
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I'm not sure this is where I should post. I used to collect poker chips before my son was born and now that he's 13, we've started playing poker with him. I was perusing the classifieds and saw that there was a Mario-themed set. I don't know the name of the set. I'd like to look it up. I'm sure these are coveted. Do they go up for sale very often? Thank you.
 
Heather said:
I'm not sure this is where I should post. I used to collect poker chips before my son was born and now that he's 13, we've started playing poker with him. I was perusing the classifieds and saw that there was a Mario-themed set. I don't know the name of the set. I'd like to look it up. I'm sure these are coveted. Do they go up for sale very often? Thank you.
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You’ll see them posted in the classifieds every now and then. Go to the classified and post a WANTED add. Say what you are looking for and someone is more than likely to help. Good bunch of people here.


Check this out.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ngular-topper-and-seating-dealer-chips.97401/
 
Is there a proper etiquette way of reaching the 10 post limit? I only signed up cause I wanted to jump in the classifieds sections ;)
 
richiela said:
Is there a proper etiquette way of reaching the 10 post limit? I only signed up cause I wanted to jump in the classifieds sections ;)
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The welcome PM suggests making an intro post in the PCF Introductions and Check Ins section. That would be a good start.
 
Machine said:
Is something missing that would be helpful? Please let us know by adding to the post!

Help me with syntax on any / all of it, for perspicuity :sneaky:
perspicuity - an overly wordy word synonymous with 'clarity'

New members, WELCOME! and a hardy hello to you!


This is meant as a quick FAQ, all of these topics are discussed in depths you can't image, please use the search tool to dig deeper. You can think of this as a guided tour, careful dipping your toe in, its deep and it may go further than you can handle!

Why can't I send PMs!? or post auctions or do X?!

We also have site info, and our admins/mods work hard to keep the site free of spam(ers).
Take a few minutes to read through the short and concise Community Guidelines and FAQ, don't worry, I'll remind you again at the end :)


First things first, GET SAMPLES prior to making any purchases!
GET SAMPLES - GET SAMPLES - GET SAMPLES
As a community we try to recycle the samples they hold the value, from auctions, for sale, and even wanted posts. We really mean it, get samples! You'll hear it so much you'll think it's a sport chant - ROLLTIDE!

I recently found this beautiful post by @k9dr

Index - In this post we'll discuss:
The types of chips and how they are made
General Cost per chip
Chip break downs (cash and tournament)
Nonstandard denominations
Standard Chip Colors
Demons Denoms vs Non denoms
Cards
Chip Storage
DIY!
Lingo
Shipping
Meetups
Group Buys
Random Questions
Poker Rules
Bonus
Don't forget CG(TOS) FAQs


Don't overlook the Resource area, it has things like the design tools (links below as well), color references, card info you never thought about!
Speaking of things you never thought about, but absolutely need to run a poker game, it's here

'Search' tutorial will go here

Types of chips:

I see so many different chips online, what is the difference, can I hot stamp dice chips?
Nope!

CrazyEddie other than being crazy (and awesome), has a three part post to get you started One, two, three (also the answer to that old Owl's question)
He also has posts about Bone and Ivory chips.


A brief highlight of 'molds'. There are quite a few, although some are significantly more popular than others, they ALL have a very intriguing and rich history. The mold refers to the outer edge of the chip and the recesses created during the chip making process. The nostalgia even makes it into ceramics as members want to honor the history!

Different molds have different feels, and sounds, you'll be surprised at level of passion and heated debates contained here in.

View attachment 854921
Photo Credit: @Eloe2000 Please check out the full images of these CSQ molds

View attachment 854927
A ceramic chip with a faux scrown honoring TRK! (and a Mapes legacy) label design by our members (@timinater)

We even have members celebrating dice chips molds :wtf:

This is a great resource for molds and spot patterns (inserts) - courtesy of our own @Jeff
Here is a post worth reading on categories of chips by @CrazyEddie

General cost per chip:

Low end plastics 0.05-0.15
Mid end plastic 0.35-0.45
Stock ceramic 0.50-0.75
Custom ceramic 0.30-1.00
Vintage clay 0.25-0.50+
High end plastic 0.75-2.50+
Stock/fantasy clay 2.00-4.00+
Casino clay 2.00-8.00 and up up up
Custom clay 3.00+ depending on complexity
(Thanks @allforcharity )

Chip break downs:

It is typically a security issue to run cash games and tournament games off of the same set. It could cost you significant money, or players.
I want to stress this point and discuss it further, but I'm trying not to overwhelm the post, Can someone find me a good post to link here please?

To adequately define what your chip break down should be, you ought to know how many people you want to be able to provide a bank for; how much bank you should have depends on how many people will be playing and the stakes of which you plan to play with.

You ought NOT say I want XXX chips what break down should I use? You can, are welcome to and members will try to assist.

I really like this chip break down thread by Quad Johnson
for tl;dr I think most would host a .25/.50 game, so here it is

The intricacies of tournament design can be overwhelming, the dream of a huge chip stacks at the table seems amazing until you look at the duration times. How do you balance a reasonable about of time, with buy-ins and a starting stack that doesn't feel like a turbo or a luck machine simulation? I don't know! :eek:

First, I'd like to introduce the guy that might seem a little scary, he can be a little blunt and seem grumpy, he's just been awake for a little too long.

View attachment 854896

BGinGA is very diligent and has contributed so much to the community, dare I say endless information for the quality our member's tournaments.

Here are a few (one, two) threads to get you started
The tl;dr to cover 10-person minimum chip count. I would prefer higher chip count, but the focus for this post is efficiency.

Beyond threads and discussion, we have chip break down tools.

Odd Denominations (2,10,50)

Non standard denominations would include $2, $10, $50
These denoms slow the game down and are typically considered vanity and should not be in small / starter sets.
* disclaimer this is a controversial statement, and I've been called names for posting this myopic view
** it was out of passion for you to have the best information and experience
*** the above is true, but all in jest
**** some members host games with .50 / 2 / 10, we've got some odd balls!

The Story of the big bad wolf; Little pig, little pig let me in!
(a short story of how one evening went sour)
Odd denominations can cause confusion, contention and be inefficient? All in one post? No WAY!

Standard Colors

While custom chips can be of any (base) color the two primary standards are Vegas and California.

Denom​
Vegas​
Cali​
1​
white​
blue​
5​
red​
yellow​
20​
yellow (orange)​
black​
25​
green​
purple​
100​
black​
white​
500​
purple​
grey (brown)​
1000​
orange (yellow)​
orange​

Quintessential Cali Set
Crown Plaza theme designed and commissioned by our members, offered in a group buy open to all members featuring casino quality plastics and that signature black 20 denom! - hubba hubba
photo by @RainmanTrail

While anyone can see the appeal of solid chip colors, you probably knew that edge marks/spots make it easier to see the quantity of chips in stacks.
These edge marks (inserts) have designations, here are a few of my favorites..

Inserts / edge marks can have flaws, its is part of the craftsmanship of a handmade chip

"Split Spots"
View attachment 1133888
photo by @Rhodeman77


Non-Perfect inserts CPC / Paulson

View attachment 1133889
photo by @krafticus ​


Denoms vs Non Denoms (its preference)

It is highly suggested to use denominations for sets, especially your first set, however non denomination chips can be useful in certain circumstances. One such situation would be for fracs (fractions of a dollar (or unit)). The case maybe you start with a .25 / .50 game, and later things change; with a non denom chip in use as a .25 chip you can now designate it as a .50 chip when the game grows / changes.

While denoms typically use currency as a unit type, we have members using other units! please don't judge us!

Cards
Poker or Bridge - Typically if you use a card shuffler Poker, if you hand shuffle Bridge. Holdem is Jumbo, 4+ cards some prefer standard. There are a ton of threads you can search for recommendations and in resources there is a card database with lots of info! Most people don't like 4 color pips on the table, only on the screen. Here is a visual size difference and here is another thread.

Chip Storage
We have dedicated sub forums for Poker Chip Racks, Cases and Storage. Solutions vary depending on your needs.

Members that travel for local games or across country to meetups typically use a more mobile solution, check out our @Ben8257's 'Luggage'

20210826_184107-jpg.820038

Another fan fav, okay MY favorite long term solution is @darthEez's Chip Vault (we do have member storing them in an actual safes hidden in basements too!)



DIY!
There are so many great posts on building tables, here is an index thread brought to us by @Irish!


Design Services
Looking for help on designing custom chips? Check the Mock up and Design subforum, or maybe commission a design from a current member.
Just want to play around with chips and colors? CPC Design tool or Paulson's tool or Matsui tool

Lingo:
What is scrown vs CSQ, and why is TRK's insert better than any IHC? Finding it hard to read? we've got a Glossary (actually 3, Chips, Forum, and Poker!)
I caught a fish and it was this :7c::2d: big!
I got caught by a fish and it was this :jc::4h: big! Do you even emoji bro?

Shipping advise:
As you become more seasoned you may look for help on shipping! we got that!

Meetups:
Want to meet up with people getting drunk and throwing axes? How about local celbs featured on streaming casino games? Middle of nowhere lodges, with giant lakes, or frozen oasis that take snowmobiles to get to in actual Alaska?! YOU CAN! right here! (for security there are restrictions due to tenure)

Group buys:
We try to take advantage of buying in bulk to lower costs for everyone, join us in some amazing chip or plaque purchases. We even have private group buys (referred to as NAGB), while not open to the public or all members they do end up bettering our experience and our overall chip agenda to get beautiful sets onto the table!

We also seem to have a growing community of 3D printer enthusiasts, with niche offerings and crazy ideals, here's one from @BearMetal

Random questions:
We seem to love random or not so random questions. How many shuffles does it take to randomize a spaded deck? @RainmanTrail has written a paper on it!

There are two magic numbers 7 and 12, read the post / paper for a more in-depth understanding

Poker Rules:
Where can I find comprehensive set of rules for poker?!

Learned behavior from other forums would prevent me from 'necroing' old threads, basically commenting on a post that is a year or two old, if you see something and want to add to it, we enjoy that here. Get involved, its a blast, our off topic threads will have you posting pictures of beer, whiskey, guns, and even your lawn! Here is my latest contribution to the Most Recent Purchase thread

Its been a long post, thinking of food? Getting hungry, what are you thinking about for dinner? :cool

Here's to you and flopping the nuts (unless you're playing PLO),
Cheers!
- Machine (DeusEx)


If you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further.
- @chipinla

There is an endless amount of information about poker chips (or so it seems), before taking another sip from the fire-hydrant take a few minutes on foundation we've used to have built such a great community.

This menu is often overlooked (top of the page) but houses important information,
like the 'Links' button's Community Guidelines

View attachment 1063714​
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This is so helpful and interesting. I bought a bunch of samples and I like them all so I'm not any closer to deciding on a particular one. Now I'm just fascinated with how much knowledge you all have on chips. I can see why people own multiple sets. .
 
Coyote said:
Nice effort and certainly commendable, but I 'm afraid you 're being too prescriptive.
"Odd" denominations can be fine if following the x4/5 rule, or even not.
Sure, everybody should know that maximum efficiency is achieved through the above rule, but there are niches in people's games - and/or pockets.
View attachment 854454
Click to expand...
I'm from Vancouver, and those are sweet Canucks Jersey colours.
 
Suggesting updates to some price brackets.

Machine said:
General cost per chip:

Low end plastics 0.05-0.15
Mid end plastic 0.35-0.45
Stock ceramic 0.50-0.75
Custom ceramic 0.30-1.00
Vintage clay 0.25-0.50+
High end plastic 0.75-2.50+
Stock/fantasy clay 2.00-4.00+
Casino clay 2.00-8.00 and up up up
Custom clay 3.00+ depending on complexity
(Thanks @allforcharity )
Click to expand...
600 custom edge-aligned ceramics from BR Pro are $1.15+shipping now, cards mold from Justin are $0.40-$0.50+shipping. Tina direct is a bit cheaper but shipping is substantial. Consider bumping the range up a little, suggesting $0.35-$1.15.

Fantasy clay upper range probably worth bumping, considering Tiger Palace. More if other NAGB. Suggesting $2-$8+.

China clay worth adding to list. $0.50+shipping from Apache. Suggesting $0.50.
 
Meowerdoom said:
What does "bump" mean though?
Click to expand...
Bump is a very common action for forums, Most forums have an activity page or in this case, PCF has a 'New Post' button, that gives you the latest updates on all the posts since you've last read the site.

Classifieds give a listing of something for sale, again in this case its typically Chips. When posts are off the front page, the author or other interested party can post to the thread and it will then update for it to circle back to the top of the listing. Another way to say this is ... As time goes on inactive posts fall off the first page, this is a way to get them back up to the top. PCF does have regulations on the frequency of 'bump' posts.
 

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