Which Poker Chip Set to Choose?

Which Poker Chip Set to Choose? - With so many out there how can you tell them apart?

Only five years ago, buying poker chips was a difficult feat as poker chip sets were only available from a handful of suppliers. Nowadays the market is flooded with a multitude of cheap and clueless poker chip retailers and while this means that there is more choice when it comes to selecting your perfect poker chip set, this can also be quite baffling. This article is for those of you looking to buy a poker chip set but are confused by what you should be looking for in terms of quality and quantity.
First of all, let’s go through some of the basics. Your typical poker chip set will normally come with two decks of cards, a dealer button and five dice. Buy a poker chipset from us and you will receive 2 packs of 100% plastic quality playing cards, dice, a large pro dealer button and often also blind buttons and a blind timer as well! As a poker chip set, rather than just buying poker chips on their own, your poker chip set should also come with a free case. Now, the question you should probably ask yourself here is whether you intend to use your poker chips at home, or do you intend to transport your poker chips regularly to a friend’s house. The reason I say this is that poker chip sets generally come in two types of cases, metallic or wooden; if you intend on regularly transporting your poker chip set, however, a metallic case would be the preferred recommendation as wooden cases are easily chipped and damaged. Wooden cases do, on the other hand, provide a classic appeal.

Now onto the types of poker chips available. At this point, I am instantly going to exclude a discussion of the cheap plastic poker chips that you might find in a supermarket or toy shop. The poker chips which come in red, white and blue and don’t resemble anything near like the kind of poker chips you might find in a casino. I am assuming that you are already familiar with these kinds of poker chip sets and are looking for something a bit more upmarket. These poker chips often weigh just a few grams and are really no better than the bag of old buttons that your nan probably has in a draw somewhere!

There are definitely some ok quality plastic poker chips out there. Plastic poker chips, generally referred to as ABS poker chips are made of compressed hard plastic and are fairly durable as well as inexpensive. Because they are made of plastic, these poker chips can also be hot stamped directly and are therefore ideal for customisation. On the downside, the slickness and lightness of the plastic means that these poker chips don’t stack very well and are liable to topple over if you try and slide a stack of them across a table. ABS poker chips are, however, only a good choice of poker chip set if you are a beginner poker player or perhaps just simply looking to buy a really basic set of poker chips. ABS poker chips are also ideal for large poker tournaments or charity poker events due to their low cost. 

A step up from the ABS poker chip is the clay composite poker chip. These poker chips are made from a mixture of clay and plastic. Heavier than the ABS poker chips, these poker chips stack better but are still liable to spill over if you try and slide them across the table. These poker chips also cannot be hot stamped directly; instead all graphic images must first be printed on a label and then stuck onto the poker chips - labels are problematic as they peel and get damaged easily and so if you go for these you must take into account that the look of your composite poker chip set may be spoiled relatively easily. 

If you are serious about your poker and it is a game that you sincerely and thoroughly enjoy, however, I would strongly recommend that you choose a “real clay” poker chip set rather than an ABS or composite poker chip set. Also sold under the names “all clay” poker chip sets and “pure clay” poker chip sets, I think a better designation for this type of poker chip set is actually “casino grade” poker chips. The weight of real clay poker chips is consistent with that of real casino poker chips and they sound and feel like real casino poker chips. Here, I must note that it is impossible to buy real casino poker chips in the retail market as casinos specifically customise their poker chips to avoid any cheating. As well as sounding and feeling authentic, clay poker chips also stack exceptionally well and you will be able to slide a stack of these poker chips across the table without them spilling over. Clay poker chips unlike composite poker chips also do not use stick on labels and so there is no issue with labels being peeled or scratched and appearance being compromised.

One disadvantage with clay poker chips, however, is that they can be expensive, at times ranging up to several hundred pounds in cost. However here at Freetime Direct we can supply you direct with great quality real clay poker chips at seriously affordable prices. Every serious poker player should own a quality poker chip set once in his lifetime. For richer or poorer till death do us part! As high grade chips generally last longer, just divide the price by how long you intend to use them and you’ll realise that “real clay” poker chips can actually be quite a cost effective as well as a classy choice.
Today, as I am sure that you are all aware, you can also get all kinds of interesting, bizarre and even humorous designs imprinted on your poker chips. While customised poker chips can indeed be a lot of fun, I do, however, believe that every serious poker player also needs to get at least one classic suit design poker chip set. Poker is, after all a card game and the classic suit design is definitely the Rolls Royce of poker chips. So, make sure you invest in a classic suit design chip set before going for that jazzy customised version. 

Then there is also the question of whether you should choose a blank poker chip set or a numbered poker chip set? This is entirely down to your own personal preferences. If you use blank poker chips, you will be able to set your own poker chip values and suit this to any number of players. The question you need to ask yourself here is do you want to play with poker chips with a given value or do you want to make your own rules?

Finally, what quantity of poker chips should you buy? A set of about 500 poker chips is a good place to start, bearing in mind that anywhere between 500-1000 poker chips is suitable for 4-8 players. Most poker chip sets come with a standard amount of poker chips, but you can always buy more. It is definitely worth having as many poker chips as you can on standby. Who knows when you might have that poker night emergency!

Now visit our poker chips and poker chipsets department and pick up your perfect set!