Poker Chips - Tips and Designs

Poker chips, which are sometimes also called as poker tokens, are used to replace money while gambling and playing cards. Although they are known as Clay chips, they are not completely made out of clay. During the manufacturing process, clay is used as a filter, but it has to be mixed with other synthetic materials which make it more durable. In the early 1980s, clay composite chips were very famous, but today they are hardly used, since they are not very cost-effective and are not very durable as they break very easily.

Nowadays, the most commonly used poker chips are made from plastic, acrylic, and clay composite. It had become a trend from the 1930s to decorate the chips with metal oil which prevented their deterioration and also could provide more security. After a decade, printing on the center and also on the edges started on these chips.

From 1950s, poker chips were started to be manufactured according to the casinos’ likings. They were made as per the designs and logos given by each casino specially to cater the needs of that casino. These made each set different from one another and this is the reason why they came in the category of collectables.

In order to make them more secure and stop counterfeiting of the chips, the casinos started ordering for chips which were made of different materials that could make them look unique. Mostly, poker chips are a blend of polymer acrylic which is kept as a top secret in its manufacturing process and sometimes, even kaolin or clay is also added.

All casinos create colorful and unique designs and use their logo on the chip sets to make them distinct from others. These sets are produced by a handful of selected companies in the US that are trusted by these casinos. The designs are also kept reserved by taking copyrights for these designs.

When friends sit at home to play a game or two, mostly plastic chips or metallic poker chips are used. Obviously, the metal ones are heavy but they can be customized as per one’s likings and taste, since you can change the design and the color scheme used which gives them a casino effect. Although the plastic poker chips are light in weight, they are not very durable as they get damaged quite easily. The plastic ones are the best for learning the game and so, they are generally used by beginners or by people who don’t play the game frequently. When you are through the beginner stage or have started playing on a regular basis, you should opt for the metallic ones that are more durable in nature.

You can easily purchase the poker chips on the Internet as well. Companies often send a sample when the order is placed. You can have a nice collection of different poker chip sets if you purchase the one-dollar sets available at the casinos. They will always be of a better quality and cheaper than the ones you will find at any offline store.

Chris Stephen.