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To Play or Not to Play, That is the Question. (2 Viewers)

Windwalker said:
I'm even thinking of putting together a Southern California PCFer game that I am happy to host!
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In. And I don't want to speak for @WhiteMamba1646, @Gianvillante or @horseshoez but I'd bet they'd be interested as well.

And if you are up for a drive down to Orange County for a game, we have a good group down here that plays pretty regularly. And we can introduce you to the world of custom labelled murdered chips... see, e.g.:
3FB28A99-89A7-4734-B873-C9B0DABC7623.jpeg
C3B744E3-FE99-42ED-BB52-0CCD479E7ACD.jpeg
BDE61194-F70E-4434-9F20-5AE4F9B27E41.jpeg
8646F234-BBC3-4542-9571-051289EF793D.jpeg
9939F9C4-D326-4584-9780-0FCA2BC73EC7.jpeg
AFE3A902-2A69-49D3-A6D2-D57D7EB872C4.jpeg


PM me if interested and I'll keep you posted on the next game.
 
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wonderpuddle said:
In. And I don't want to speak for @WhiteMamba1646, @Gianvillante or @horseshoez but I'd bet they'd be interested as well.

And if you are up for a drive down to Orange County for a game, we have a good group down here that plays pretty regularly. And we can introduce you to the world of custom labelled murdered chips... see, e.g.:
View attachment 516706View attachment 516707View attachment 516708View attachment 516710View attachment 516711View attachment 516712

PM me if interested and I'll keep you posted on the next game.
Click to expand...
Yes! I hit up windwalker to come join... we need to convert him to mixed games tho.... hes a “holdem only” guy :ROFL: :ROFLMAO: Just playing, but in all seriousness you should come join in on some of our games. We play non stop so alot of opportunity to join in:tup:
 
wonderpuddle said:
In. And I don't want to speak for @WhiteMamba1646, @Gianvillante or @horseshoez but I'd bet they'd be interested as well.

And if you are up for a drive down to Orange County for a game, we have a good group down here that plays pretty regularly. And we can introduce you to the world of custom labelled murdered chips... see, e.g.:
Click to expand...

Next time I come to LA, if possible I will come and will give you my money :D
You will see a french degenerate gambler in action :eek::p ... let's gamble!
 
I'm only through one page of this, so if this has been addressed already I apologize. But I think there is a huge contradiction in this forum. I see most everyone on here encouraging you to felt YOUR mint chips. And yet almost every one of these grail sets that I see up for sale in the classifieds are being sold as "mint". Like you @Windwalker I too have been involved in collectibles most of my life. Numismatics, sports cards, toys and games. In these other areas of collectibles, anyone spending significant money is both a hobbyist AND an investor. For example, a collectible action figure is only mint if it's still in the unopened packaging. The second you take it out of that packaging, it is no longer mint. As an investor, only a fool would "play" with a mint collectible without understanding that they are destroying value.

So when I first joined here, I sorta looked at all those "mint" sets and thought, nah, I want chips I can use in a poker game. I'm not interested in "mint" chips! Because like you, I assumed the first time a set is played in a game, it's AUTOMATICALLY no longer mint. And significant value has been lost. Why would anyone buy a mint set if they planned on playing with the chips in a poker game???

Just like any other hobby, it takes time to learn the terminology. The simple fact is that "mint" here on PCF doesn't mean the same thing as mint in most other collectible hobbies. So for that nugget alone, this thread is valuable. Primarily for us n00bs, but also so the experienced members here who haven't been involved in other collectible hobbies can understand where those of us who have are coming from.
 
Imo I have always preferred to play with my chips.
It's nice to look some new chips tidy in a rack, but we're not stamp collectors.
We are ourselves a subculture of chips collectors, which collects only singles.
For most of us here were are only sets collectors (I never collect single chips in 15years).
We love to play poker and I'm ballin & gamblin outta control with my chips :D
 
I just can't understand why one collector/user/investor gives any kind of a shit what the next guy is doing with his or her chips. Who buys chips and how many or for how much.

Personally, can't see why is this even a subject up for debate? Lol!!! Maybe I've missed something in the grand scheme of things.

Who gives a rats ass if chips get out in play or not? If I don't play my chips, it's my loss. No harm, no foul!

No, chips cannot be sad or experience grief or happiness. They are just chips. It's ridiculous to read that chips experience emotions.

I've got chips that haven't been used. Some I have used. It's a matter of desire and doing whatever I want to do with them, whenever I want.
 
Jeevansluck said:
I just can't understand why one collector/user/investor gives any kind of a shit what the next guy is doing with his or her chips. Who buys chips and how many or for how much.

Personally, can't see why is this even a subject up for debate? Lol!!! Maybe I've missed something in the grand scheme of things.

Who gives a rats ass if chips get out in play or not? If I don't play my chips, it's my loss. No harm, no foul!

No, chips cannot be sad or experience grief or happiness. They are just chips. It's ridiculous to read that chips experience emotions.

I've got chips that haven't been used. Some I have used. It's a matter of desire and doing whatever I want to do with them, whenever I want.
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I think it's that many of us were chipping long before chips became so expensive that people considered leaving them unplayed on a shelf.

I don't host as much as i would like, so I've definitely owned a few sets that I've sold before I got them on the felt, but that wasn't by choice. So to me personally it seems odd to buy chips that you don't intend to use. I couldn't wait to get my PCA $500s in play.

That being said, I don't particularly care if someone buys chips to look at. They certainly make a nice ornament. But they were made to be played with, so I don't see why you wouldn't.
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I'm only through one page of this, so if this has been addressed already I apologize. But I think there is a huge contradiction in this forum. I see most everyone on here encouraging you to felt YOUR mint chips. And yet almost every one of these grail sets that I see up for sale in the classifieds are being sold as "mint". Like you @Windwalker
Just like any other hobby, it takes time to learn the terminology. The simple fact is that "mint" here on PCF doesn't mean the same thing as mint in most other collectible hobbies. So for that nugget alone, this thread is valuable. Primarily for us n00bs, but also so the experienced members here who haven't been involved in other collectible hobbies can understand where those of us who have are coming from.
Click to expand...

This is great advice. The term mint doesn’t really translate to chipping and is typically used instead of “uncirculated” when from a casino or “sharp edges” more in general.

Most of the chips you’ll see advertised as Mint have been boxed, racked, stacked, photo’d, maybe even washed and oiled. You may even see some chips advertised as mint who have had their inlays ripped off.

I think when most people seek mint or uncirculated chips it’s so the stack evenly or mix with the rest of their set and less about an official grade.
 
ssanel54 said:
I think there is still a large contingent out there that prefers inlays over stickers. Inlay removal certainly makes the stickers look a lot better though.
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100% with you there on inlay over sticker.

But laminated stickers come very close to gloss inlays (in appeal)

Old school textured inlays ftw.
 
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Perthmike said:
100% with you there on inlay over sticker.

But laminated stickers come very close to gloss inlays.

Old school textured inlays ftw.
Click to expand...

100% laminated texture is the only way to go, unless you are trying to mix with an original set

Has anyone put a labeled set through heavy use yet? Like a regular casino or couple times a week with shuffling etc.... to the point where the chips start to show wear. I’m very curious how they hold up over time.
 
For a playable set, old school casino used >> faux casino chips all day long.

Real history >> fake.

I prefer to see used Mapes, Dunes, Tropicana or Stardust, just to name a few, sets at a game. Also the Binion's, Riverside's, Nevada Clubs ... can't name them all, but all are so much more interesting.

Obvious answer is obvious, obtain both types of sets; for your collection and for use. Enjoy your chips!
 
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Windwalker said:
Learning about a new hobby, Lesson #238:

A well-intentioned PCF'er had been advocating caution about selling to me in private messages and groups, and how I never intended to felt some of the grail sets (grail to the community, I’m new enough where I don’t know enough to call them “grail”) I recently acquired, based on comments I specifically made to him. Turns out, he was just cautioning against something that is a big no-no in chipping, but completely non-intuitive to a serial collector like myself. This morning, said PCF'er and I finally realized why we had been talking at each other, and not "to", and attempted (and somewhat succeeded) to see each other's point of view.

I thought the lesson learned is a good one to remind anyone in the space, and for those newbie lurkers, it might alleviate some future angst.

So, in the traditional world of collecting, especially when it comes to things that have utility (classic cars, comic books, first edition books), it is a HUGE no-no to use them extensively, once bought for collection. In fact, in the comic book world, once a comic has been graded by the CGC (the definitive independent grading authority in the field), it goes into a sealed laminate container, and you can't open up that seal unless you're willing to risk the grade of the comic. The idea of reading, or even OPENING a grail comic book is sacrilege. For example -- an opened and read 7.0 versus 9.5 CGC graded Detective Comics #4 (first appearance of Batman) or perhaps the rarest to find in a high grade, Pep Comics #22 (first appearance of Archie Andrews) could mean differences in hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps even 1-2 million dollars. Classic cars are similar, in that you want them with lower mileages, and as less driven as possible. And the world of modern first editions -- it would be considered murder to crack open and read a first edition first printing of Catch 22, or Catcher in the Rye.

These are the collecting (mis)conceptions I entered this hobby with.

So, when I got my hands on a couple of grail sets (as denoted by the community), and when I was asked what I planned to do with them because it seemed like my games would not need fracs, I provided what I thought was the respectful answer to anything "grail" -- I planned to collect it, not use it. Turns out that is the worst thing you can say to a serious chipper, and NOT how Grail sets are to be used. What I thought was the appropriate sense of gravitas and respect, I was subsequently informed, was actually disrespectful. Sets are meant to be played. Singles are meant to be collected. This simple idea was something I realized until only AFTER I had acquired a couple of desirable sets.

So, when my formerly antagonistic PCFer friend and I shared each others' point of view, all was understood.

So -- now that I am aware of how grail sets are to be used, you can rest assured that you will see copious amounts of gentle felting of all the chips I have bought. I'm even thinking of putting together a Southern California PCFer game that I am happy to host!

So, that's it, in case you were wondering. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Click to expand...

100% agree. Poker chips need love ❤️, not a closet. They’re intended to bring joy to (primarily) yourself and those you are playing with.
 
wonderpuddle said:
In. And I don't want to speak for @WhiteMamba1646, @Gianvillante or @horseshoez but I'd bet they'd be interested as well.

And if you are up for a drive down to Orange County for a game, we have a good group down here that plays pretty regularly. And we can introduce you to the world of custom labelled murdered chips... see, e.g.:
View attachment 516706View attachment 516707View attachment 516708View attachment 516710View attachment 516711View attachment 516712

PM me if interested and I'll keep you posted on the next game.
Click to expand...
What are the yellow $5k’s in first pic?
 
Perthmike said:
But they were made to be played with, so I don't see why you wouldn't
Click to expand...

A fine point @Perthmike , and I couldn't agree more. For my part, being such a noob, I'm acquiring chips at a rapid rate. Maybe not so rapid anymore, but I accumulated too many sets for a monthly game.

I have full intention to peruse my stuff.

I already learned what it feels like to sell a set before even using it. Leaves a bad feeling and I was able to rebuy and now dream of using it.

When I got into this hobby, I had the genuine plan to get 1 cash set and 1 tourney set. Now...I'm lost. Lol!!!! I've got enough chips that make me hesitate to throw down the minty expensive ones. But sooner or later, I'll succumb.
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
I'm only through one page of this, so if this has been addressed already I apologize. But I think there is a huge contradiction in this forum. I see most everyone on here encouraging you to felt YOUR mint chips. And yet almost every one of these grail sets that I see up for sale in the classifieds are being sold as "mint". Like you @Windwalker I too have been involved in collectibles most of my life. Numismatics, sports cards, toys and games. In these other areas of collectibles, anyone spending significant money is both a hobbyist AND an investor. For example, a collectible action figure is only mint if it's still in the unopened packaging. The second you take it out of that packaging, it is no longer mint. As an investor, only a fool would "play" with a mint collectible without understanding that they are destroying value.

So when I first joined here, I sorta looked at all those "mint" sets and thought, nah, I want chips I can use in a poker game. I'm not interested in "mint" chips! Because like you, I assumed the first time a set is played in a game, it's AUTOMATICALLY no longer mint. And significant value has been lost. Why would anyone buy a mint set if they planned on playing with the chips in a poker game???

Just like any other hobby, it takes time to learn the terminology. The simple fact is that "mint" here on PCF doesn't mean the same thing as mint in most other collectible hobbies. So for that nugget alone, this thread is valuable. Primarily for us n00bs, but also so the experienced members here who haven't been involved in other collectible hobbies can understand where those of us who have are coming from.
Click to expand...
After 5 pages of posts, I think this is the first to truly get the gist of OP. Well played!
 
Changster said:
Personally, I hated putting my ultra grail (to me) in play, ie the sets that costed me $10K+. I did that once and never again.

Once I realized that, I sold those sets.

$6k-ish I’m fine with it. But not too often.

Again, it’s my personal mental barrier I guess.
Click to expand...

Same here...or they get played or they get sold
Wasn't comfy with almost 2K in fracs alone on the table so sold the ES quarters and don't regret it

Flipping is buying chips with the intent to sell them asap for profit, never having the intention to keep them, snatching up a steal from other members just to resell at much higher price to same members, buying up all the high denoms and sell them for premium, ...
 

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