1. Poker Chips Sets
2. Different Types Of Poker Chips
3. What Are The Best Types Of Poker Chips
4. What Type Of Poker Chips Are Used In Casinos

Every poker game relies on three things: a table, a deck of cards, and some chips. When it comes to finding a poker table and a deck of cards, there isn't too much you need to know. Casino chips have come a long way since the time they had first been introduced. Over the years as technology has advanced and new production methods have been introduced, the process of chips manufacturing has changed a lot. When it comes to gambling and chips most people tend to get confused between poker chips and the Casino Grade chips.These are two different chips types. Clay poker chips are the most respected type of chips available on the market because of the touch and feel of thee chips. Almost all clay chips made today are not actually 100% clay. They are actually made from a composition of clay mixed with other materials, such as chalk, or sand because pure clay would be too soft and the chips. Early poker players sometimes used jagged gold pieces, gold nuggets, gold dust, or coins as well as 'chips' primarily made of ivory, bone, wood, paper, and a composition made from clay and shellac. Several companies between the 1880s and the late 1930s made clay composition poker chips.

Casino chips have come a long way since the time they had first been introduced. Over the years as technology has advanced and new production methods have been introduced, the process of chips manufacturing has changed a lot.

Poker Chips Sets

When it comes to gambling and chips most people tend to get confused between poker chips and the Casino Grade chips. These are two different chips types but both are equally popular. Basically there are different chips which are used by real land based casinos and the ones which are used by players at home.

Casinos usually use chips which are made from either clay composite or clay. The specifications like the weight, size, color and designs are all specific and every casino has its own brand of chips which can only be found in that particular casino. This is done so as to be able to differentiate chips from different casinos and to eliminate the chance of any type of fraud. Chips which are used at home are generally made from plastic and are less sophisticated in comparison to those used in casinos, however, they are still equally popular.

Alist of different types of casino chips is given below:

Casino Chips Types

• Clay chips - Clay chips are considered to be the most sophisticated chips. These chips are compression molded and are used by a majority of casinos all over the world. The composition of the material used in these chips and the process of manufacturing them is quite highly guarded. Though many people might not know, production of clay casino chips is in fact quite a labor intensive job. It is for this reason that the cost of these chips is very high. On an average one clay chip will cost more than $1.
• Composite chips - Composite chips are also very widely used in casinos. These chips are, in fact, clay composite and are injection molded. The two main manufacturers for composite chips are Kardwell and Chipco. The style of the chips manufactured by them is quite different and both of these firms are based in US. The biggest benefit with the composite chips is that they can easily accept graphics.
  Though clay chips have been more popular with casinos for years, the popularity of composite chips has also grown. There is actually not much difference in the quality of these chips and in fact the cost of composite chips is lower than the clay version because of which it is slowly gaining popularity with casinos all over the world.
• Plastic chips - The third most used type of chips are the plastic or the poker chips which are made for home use. These chips are generally manufactured in China and are very low cost. These chips are made with PVC injected plastic over a metal core and are available in different color. The plastic chips are the heaviest chips in the market and are not used in casinos.

These were the main three types of chips that are used today in casinos and home games.

Poker chips come in all shapes and sizes and are an essential part of any poker game, be it Texas Hold'em, Omaha or 5 Card Draw. Understanding the different types of poker chips will help you determine which chips land-based casinos prefer as well as which chips to purchase for poker games at home. Let’s start by looking at the different types of poker chips available:

Plastic Poker Chips

Plastic chips are the most inexpensive poker chips available. Although there are many different types of plastic chips on the market, “dice chips” are quite easily the most popular and have a ring of card suits or dice around the edges. In most cases, plastic chips will contain a metal insert in the middle to give them added weight and will often have a slippery plastic feel and have a slight metallic clink compared to quality poker chips. Plastic poker chips are additionally available in a variety of colors than what’s needed and, although they are much cheaper than other poker chips, they do get the job done, especially when used as home poker chips. For the more discerning poker player, however, nothing but the best will do, such as ceramic or clay chips.

Ceramic Poker Chips

Ceramic poker chips are casino grade poker chips and are 8 to 11.5 grams in weight and about 39mm in diameter. These chips are often made from a special resin similar to ceramic or porcelain using injection moulding. The most basic characteristic of ceramic poker chips is their designs, which are printed directly to the ceramic to prevent peeling or fading. As a result, ceramic chips are fully customizable to suit the needs of the land-based casino. What’s more, land-based casinos often prefer ceramic chips to clay chips because of their durability. It’s worth mentioning that ceramic chips are available to the home poker market, offering discerning poker players a much more sophisticated alternative to plastic sets.

Clay Poker Chips

Clay chips are the most esteemed of all poker chips and are synonymous with professional casino quality and texture. The basic design of clay poker chips includes a depressed round middle, or inlay, while the outside comprises of special mould designs. Clay poker chips can sometimes be striped around the edges with contrasting colors to the colors to the main colors of the chip. The clay poker chips used at land-based casinos generally are not pure clay anymore; they are made from a composition of clay and other materials, including chalk and sand, which are manufactured under extreme heat to bind the materials together. Why, you ask? Traditional clay poker chips are rather expensive to manufacture and are more likely to develop dents and other disfigurements.

Different Types Of Poker Chips

Colors and Variations

There is no universal or standard color scheme for poker chips, nor will you find two land-based casinos with the same designs and variations. The colors found in the typical home set include white, black, red, green and blue, while other lower cost plastic sets have included pink, yellow, orange and gray. Some land-based casinos, especially those located in Las Vegas, embed their poker chips with ID tags to better keep track of them while making chips harder to counterfeit. Also, it is not uncommon for casinos to introduce “limited edition” poker chips, including metal poker chips, in order to encourage poker players to keep them as souvenirs, at a profit to the casino of course.

Poker Chips at the WSOP

The WSOP uses Paulson chips, amongst others. These are unslugged clay chips that weigh around 10 grams. During the 2016 main event, the yellow 1,000,000 poker was introduced, which was about 5mm larger in diameter.

What Are The Best Types Of Poker Chips

Will poker chips from Paulson be used again at the 2017 World Series of Poker? More importantly, who will win the 2017 main event?

According to the WSOP website, the $10,000 buy in No-Limit Hold’em WSOP Main Event World Championship will kick-off on 8 July. The Main Event will play down to a final table of nine on 17 July, when a new champion will be decided. Check out the odds of winning as well as the odds of popular poker players at this year’s Main Event.

What Type Of Poker Chips Are Used In Casinos

In 2016, the WSOP Main Event was won by Qui Nguyen, which earned him his first WSOP bracelet and $8,005,310 in winnings. At the time, very few expected Nguyen, a Las Vegas resident, to outplay his opponents, especially considering that he had had only one previous WSOP cash-in, while his biggest live tournament cash before the 2016 WSOP was for $9,029. In comparison to his final table opponents, most notably Cliff Josephy, with two WSOP bracelets and 17 previous WSOP cashes, Nguyen did what no-one expected: he became the champion after an intense eight-hour heads up match against second place runner-up, Gordon Vayo. Will Qui Nguyen be able to repeat his 2016 success? Only the cards (and chips) will tell!