There are so many poker chip sets to choose from out there in the market. Like any other things, it is important to know and to examine the details before actually buying something. You have to know exactly what you are looking for to get the best out of your purchase. Such factors may be arbitrary, but it is still ultimately a subjective matter. You may consider the price, the quality, and the label, but whatever your basis is for buying just be sure that you are really comfortable when you have finally decided on what to select and what to buy.
There may be times that you get stumped and totally clueless on matters of selecting and buying. Much of this can be due to the lack of knowledge and information regarding a particular product. In such cases, research becomes a very handy tool. Although there are so many sources out there that can be used for the purpose of extracting information, it can’t be denied that most of us are not really up to it. So for the purpose of providing information regarding the subject at hand, here are the things that a game player has to consider when buying poker chips.
Poker Chip Sets – The Numbers
The first and foremost question that has to be answered when buying poker chip sets does not require a special mathematical equation. Just ask yourself how many players will be actually playing and how many chips are needed by these players during certain games. The popular options would be 300 chips and 500 chips. These are very much available in the market. In addition, there are also other sets available, such as 200 chips, 400 chips, 750 chips and even 1000 poker chip sets.
To help you make your decision, you really have to get a number of players in mind. The following is a viable suggestion that would work and suffice for any number of games: 300 chips for 3 to 4 players, 400 to 500 poker chips for 4 to 6 players, 500 to 650 pokerchips for 6 to 8 players, and 1000 poker chip sets are advisable for 8 or more players.
Poker Chips – The Types
The materials used in making a chip determine its type. For poker chip sets, there are three popular types that you can choose from. These are clay poker chips, composite poker chips, and plastic poker chips. Clay poker chips are perhaps the most luxurious of the three. These are not totally made of clay, for they are actually a combination of clay and other materials. These ships also have the standard diameter of casinos, which is 39 millimeters. They usually weigh from 8 to 11.5 grams. For the second type, composite poker chips, as the name implies, is made of metal insert (to provide the weight) and is surrounded by some plastic material. They also have the same weight as clay poker chips. These chips are durable, and they are also to close to what they use in most casinos these days. For the third type, there are plastic poker chips. These chips have nothing much to offer compared with the clay chips and composite poker chips but can we a good way to start if you are on a tight budget.
Poker Chips – The Test
Now that you have a choice in mind on the matter of poker chips set, it is time to subject the chips to quality control and assurance. The first and most important test is to check the label. Try scratching them off with your fingernails and verify if the designs are centered. For hot-stamped chips, rub two chips against each other and see if the gold texts wear off. The next test would be to check the edges. Some chips have sharp and square edges; others such as the clay type are rounded. Another test is to stack the chips. Poker chips are supposed to be stacked, so try stacking at least 15 chips. Clay types have no problem with this, unlike the plastic-type chips which easily slide off from each other. The final test would be to scratch the chip itself. Again, use your fingernail or a knife. Examine if there are any marks left on the surface, then ask yourself if it was easy to or not to do so. This must be the very deciding factor of quality because this can spell the difference between a durable and a short-lived poker chip.
