Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 12:22 am GMT by eyepoker
Hello... I'm looking to buy a set of nice poker chips for a christmas gift for my boyfriend and hoped to get an opinion or two. I want to spend around $100.
The first set I'm considering is from Sam's Club where I can get them right in town. They're $90 plus tax so about $98 and look pretty nice and it says they're clay. They're the same one's featured at this site for more.
http://www.bulkpoker.com/
The second set, I found on an online site, just looking around. They're also 400 chips and they say they're real clay. With shipping they come out to about $92.
http://www.pokernstuff.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=247&strVarSel=6791,6805,6817,6829,6843,6856,6869,6882&strCompare=
Which do you think are the best chips that he might like best? Thanks!
Also, the second set allows you to choose how many of each color. What colors and how many of each would be best for a 400 set? I've really only watched him play a couple times. Thanks.
-Sarah
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Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 12:32 am GMT by nails3
If your looking for a good deal and not wanting to spend alot of money. I suggest going to ebay theres somebody selling 1000 piece sets for $69.99 + shipping. You can choose what color you want for an additional $10.00. I think the total price was going to cost me about $140.00 so I think I'm going to get them after christmas.
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 1:19 am GMT by ashVID
Anything under $1 a chip is not real clay... Even nice composites are $0.30 to $1 a chip. Anything that is cheap will plastic. Still much better than the super cheap plastic chips but not casino quality or clay as they often claim...
ash =o)
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 2:00 am GMT by peter337
Yeah you'll find some pretty cheap on ebay but just make sure they are a premium seller so you wont get ripped off in case you have to return the items. Check out www.discountpokershop.com They have sets under $100 that are pretty decent
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:48 am GMT by twintowers
Of the two you mentioned, Id totally go with the chips from Sams Club. They are a decent "cheap" chip, and Im sure he'd be more than happy with World Poker Tour chips.
Plus, buying locally, its easier to return if it doest work out the way you might think.
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:21 am GMT by eyepoker
Thanks for the replies guys! I guess I might be leaning towards the WPT ones from Sam's Club. I still don't understand how the second site can say real clay chips if that's just lying. If you read the detailed description below on the link I gave, that's exactly what it says!
After just reading their site it says this... | Quote: | The difference between clay, clay composite and composite poker chips are the material used to make the outside layer of the chip.
Clay - Chip made of real clay with no metal insert (chips are usually 9 gram in weight). Chip has a rougher surface and makes the same sound as a casino chip when the chips hit each other. Clay poker chips usually last 6 to 7 years in the casinos.
Clay Composite - Chip made of real clay with a metal insert to adjust the weight accordingly. Chip has a rougher surface and makes the same sound as a casino chip when the chips hit each other. Clay composite poker chips usually last 6 to 7 years in the casinos.
Composite - Sometimes referred to as ABS or plastic. Although these chips are made of plastic material, the plastic is compressed so hard that it doesn't feel like plastic. (some people may refer these chips as clay composite also. But their ad is misleading. Composite chips has a smoother surface and usually last a lifetime. |
So maybe they mean clay composite when they say real clay. They have another set that looks identical for $59.95, those must be the ABS material they're talking about. The $79.95 ones that look exactly the same but claim real clay, I wonder if that's worth the extra?
The Sam's ones say clay too so maybe they're a similar kind of material?
-Sarah
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 11:05 am GMT by slowplayray
| eyepoker wrote: |
The Sam's ones say clay too so maybe they're a similar kind of material? |
Plastic...definitely plastic. Like Ashvid said, anything under $1 a chip is almost never clay, regardless of what they say. And yes, they are always INTENTIONALLY misleading. You really just have to do your research. I recommend checking www.pokerchipsreview.com and click on "injection molded" to get most of the information you need.
In my experience, these are the best of the "cheaper" chips I have used (i.e. feel most like a real casino chip):
http://www.pokernstuff.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=76
And they work well w/ custom labels, which your boyfriend could get a set of on eBay for $20 if he wanted.
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 12:18 pm GMT by MasterShake
Hey, they could take a box of cheap Hoyle poker ships, roll them around in a bag of dried clay and say that their 'made with real clay', but they're still cheap chips. I got 500 chips on ebay for under $100 and they're really nice, but they are plastic with an metal insert. DEFINITELY will make your boyfriend happy. If the Sam's are anything like that, he'll love them.
EDIT: This might help you out.
http://www.pokerchipreviews.com/
Posted Sat Nov 27, 2004 12:35 pm GMT by MSPatton
These Poker Chips sellers usually hide behind the word "composite".
As long as they use the word "composite" they are really not mis-leading
you. You read the buzz word "clay" and that's what they want!
Here are three definitions taken from Websters online.....
Clay....
: an earthy material that is plastic when moist but hard when fired, that is composed mainly of fine particles of hydrous aluminum silicates and other minerals, and that is used for brick, tile, and pottery; specifically : soil composed chiefly of this material having particles less than a specified size b : EARTH, MUD
Composite....
: a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole; especially : a structural material made of plastic within which a fibrous material (as silicon carbide) is embedded
Ceramic....
: of or relating to the manufacture of any product (as earthenware, porcelain, or brick) made essentially from a nonmetallic mineral (as clay) by firing at a high temperature; also : of or relating to such a product
So as long as there is some material defined as "clay" in these chips
they would fit the catagory of "clay composite"
"Composite" should be the buzz word here, not "Clay"
Posted Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:25 am GMT by Tangly Something
Search on eBay for a seller named 'spinettis'- they sell sets of the standard 11.5 gram "dice" and "suited" chips. These chips are looked down upon on this forum mainly because they're so commonplace, but for a home game and your budget, they're very good chips. I have a couple of the WPT chips from Sam's Club, and while they're okay, they're definitely not as nice as these dice chips I got off eBay.
There are tons of other sellers of these (some reliable, some not), and I'm not affiliated with Spinettis at all, but several friends and I have all had good experiences with them. Their sets of 500 chips w/a nice case go for anywhere between $30-60 + $20 shipping- and you can choose your colors. Honestly, for the money, you can't beat it. (they have several auctions each day, so don't get caught overbidding on one- there'll be another ending soon).
BTW, a standard breakdown for 500 is something like 150 white, 150 red, 100 green, 100 black (or maybe 50 black, 50 blue/yellow/purple/whatever other color you like).
Posted Sun Nov 28, 2004 1:11 am GMT by money for poker
Thanks tangly for you comments. Why would you want to spend a butt load of money on poker chips when you can use the extra money you save on chips to actually play a real game of poker with?
Posted Sun Nov 28, 2004 1:43 am GMT by money for work
Probably the same reason someone would spend a butt load of money
on a Caddy when they could buy a Geo and use the extra money they save and actually work less......
Posted Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:42 pm GMT by mindgame
Word of caution when buying from Spinettis. You will need to confirm with them the thickness of the chip. I bought a couple hundred from them and these turned out to be non-standard in thickness. You may think that's not a big deal, but believe me, it's a royal pain. When I emailed them to complain and request a refund I was totally ignored....so their customer service may be fine when you're happy, but when you have a problem....let's just say they couldn't care less.
There are two reasons the thickness is an issue: 1) if you mix these with chips with others, the stacks are diffent heights for the same number of chips--and the whole reason casinos use chips instead of money (psychology aside) is that you can measure chips and you have to count money. Same thing in a poker game. 2) If you use chip racks to store, count, or distribute your chips, it's COMPLETELY annoying when you have 22 chips in a row, 110 in a rack, when there are supposed to be 100!
Now...the "clay" issue. Nobody makes them of 100% clay, if indeed they ever did. (Chip makers, for entirely valid security reasons, will NEVER disclose the exact composition.) There are basically clay-composite and ceramic chips in the casinos today, and a few metal-inlay/ABS plastic ones (made buy Bud Jones), plus a few other brass-core with plastic color edging (some Harrah's casinos still use these--the heaviest chips on the market. The Spinnetti's tangiers would be a beautiful copy if the idiots there had made them the right THICKNESS!!!!). Any chips like this are going to cost $.90-1.25 ea. Those Wal-mart chips aren't bad, I checked them out. And the return possibility is a good thing.
On the other hand...geez, walk into Sam's (where they are CHEAPER than in Walmart) and plunk down $75 and you've taken care of Christmas for your b/f. Is that the best you can do? I say spend a few hours on the internet and on ebay at least so when he starts thinking about getting more chips (and if you only buy him 500 chips he'll need more) you'll know something about them.
Posted Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:31 pm GMT by eyepoker
Thanks guys. That helps... I think.  Actually I'm a little worried I'm going to get something that he won't like now. omg, there's so many different types out there. But right now, him and his friends play with the real cheap plastic ones so maybe about anything will be better. I just want to give something he'll be proud of with his friends. Probably what I should of asked is, what would you guys want to receive for xmas if you had no chips and your gf wanted to spend $100 or possibly up to $120. :D Also his group is usually like 5 or 6 and he does have a felt poker table top cover they use. I think it used to be his dad's, its pretty nice. I guess like someone said, he could take the WPT ones from Sam's back if he didn't like them. That would make me feel bad though.
Can anyone tell me the difference between these sets?
http://www.pokernstuff.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=82
http://www.pokernstuff.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=46
-Sarah (who knows not much about poker stuff, sorry!)
Posted Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:15 pm GMT by MasterShake
Neither one of them is clay, but the one labled clay may have a less slick feel to it. You should see if he'll send you a sample of each to see for yourself.
Posted Mon Nov 29, 2004 9:13 pm GMT by jalsing
The ones listed as being clay actually aren't that bad for the price. I have samples and they don't have the traditional 'clink' sound associated with normal 11.5g insert chips. Not terribly slippery either, nice weight and sound and feel to them. I just don't like dice on my poker chips. Perhaps the suited flavor of the same chip would be more appropriate.
Posted Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:33 pm GMT by eyepoker
Thanks for the info. I also found a discount code for that poker 'n stuff site, if you enter FIVEOFF for a discount code you get an extra 5% off your order.
-Sarah
Posted Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:40 am GMT by pokerchipreviews
I would definitely get samples.
Overall, the 'clay' chips you refer to with your links are pretty good for the $$$$. The only downside I really found with them is that the light colored chips can get marked up by the darker colored chips. If you're carefull with them and use them, say, couple times a month, then no problems at all. But if you're hosting a 4+ games a month, then I'd look at a more robust chip.
Good luck,
John
www.pokerchipreviews.com
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