A Word About Buying Poker Chips

Some advice from real poker players

We play a lot of poker and we've learned some things about what makes for a better poker game. Chances are, you'll end up with more people at your games than you might think, especially with the popularity of Texas Holdem. A Holdem game can be played with ten players at a table and sometimes we have two tables going on a poker night. That's a lot of players and a lot of chips.

So here are some things to think about when you order your chips.

1. The Guy With The Coolest Chips Gets Invited To The Most Games

   After everyone plays on your new chip set, they'll never go back to using the cheap plastic things we all had when we were kids. Great chips just make for a better poker experience. Period. You can never go back.
   



2. Quantity Counts

   So you order a set of 300 great chips in a nice case. Now you're ready for a 3 to 5 handed game. But what happens when you end up with 7 or 10 or more?
   
   Our suggestion is to buy at least a set of 500, or better yet, a set of 1000. Our first set was a full set of 1000. At the time, we thought that would be more than we ever needed and more money than we wanted to spend. But in reality, we use the full set every time we have a large game, which is almost every time we HAVE a game. And looking back, that investment was well worth it. Everyone LOVES our chips and if a game is happening in our neighborhood, we get the call, with a subtle "Bring your chips," thrown in.
   
   If you want to start out with a 500 set, think about doubling up at some point and ordering a second set later.
   



3. Colors and Denominations

   Experience has led us to some conclusions.
   
   Start out with four colors. We play with four denominations that are all multiples of each other. For instance, our games use 25, 50, 100, 200. It seems to be the best combination and the four colors are easier for people to remember. If you have more than four colors, you'll be answering "What are these worth?" over and over all night. There are nights when we even write up a sheet with the four colors and their denominations for those with a short attention span (or too many beers under their belt!)
   
   Most people use white for the lowest denomination and go up through the colors to black for the highest. You can do it any way you like, but it seems to make sense to most players.
   
   And a word about denominations. They can make the game easier, but not always. If always seem to play a different game with different people and different stakes, you may not want to be locked down to a set denomination. It just depends on what kind of games you play. These days, we play mostly Holdem tournaments where everyone has a set buyin and you play till you bust or win the night. That means our four denominations are perfect. But if you play unlimited buyin, you may want denominations. It's up to you, but think about the kinds of games you play the most.
   



4. Personalization

   No matter how you cut it, it's cool. We can put just about anything on a chip for you and it just makes the set that much nicer. There are also some safety issues that you may appreciate. Casino's go to a great deal of trouble and expense to have "protected" chips. That means, every design is used ONLY for that casino, since it becomes the same as real money. If you have a lot of games, especially with people you don't know, you're chips become like real money. The last thing you need is for someone to come to the table with some extra chips in their pocket.
   
   If they're personalized, you have the same protections as the casinos.
   
   And you rack up extra points for style at the same time.

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