New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

Anyone know why the Borgata, Bay 101 and a few other card rooms have switched to these new plastic/rubber+slug chips? They are horrible. They can't be shuffled (i.e. ease the boredom) and they stick together when you try to make a bet.

In a word, THEY SUCK. Is it cost? Someone told me they are trying to cut down on noise, could that be it?

I've basically stopped playing hold'em @ Bay 101 (in favor of Garden City since the games are basically comparable) because of the chips. I'm still forced to play Omaha there...but that's another discussion.

Any knowledgeable folks out there care to illuminate me?

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

Durability, as clay chips do eventually have their edges worn and chipped away. The bud jones chips, however, can be cracked in two and frequently end up cracking around the outer edge, but not for a very long time. They cost roughly the same as any other chip (within 25 cents of $1/chip).

Other people have mentioned that the paulsons and other clays tend to get too scummy [ie the taj].

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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Anyone know why the Borgata, Bay 101 and a few other card rooms have switched to these new plastic/rubber+slug chips? They are horrible. They can't be shuffled (i.e. ease the boredom) and they stick together when you try to make a bet.

In a word, THEY SUCK. Is it cost? Someone told me they are trying to cut down on noise, could that be it?

I've basically stopped playing hold'em @ Bay 101 (in favor of Garden City since the games are basically comparable) because of the chips. I'm still forced to play Omaha there...but that's another discussion.

Any knowledgeable folks out there care to illuminate me?

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The Bay 101 chips are way better than the Borgata chips--the magnets in the Borgata chips are miserable...

scrub

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

i don't really like the rubber chips but i wouldn't stop playing somewhere because i can't shuffle the chips.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

In AC I would, it doesn't hurt that much to play elsewhere and gosh darn it we're capitalists cater your customer with clay!

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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The Bay 101 chips are way better than the Borgata chips--the magnets in the Borgata chips are miserable...


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I'm pretty sure the Borgata chips do not contain magnets. I thought they did at first too, but someone told me I was wrong. After further investigation, I agree.

The reason the chips stick together is that the inset in the center is not flush with the outside. This causes a suction cup effect. If you place 2 chips together and slide one slowly off the other, they stick exactly until the edge of one chip passes the inset of the other.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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The Bay 101 chips are way better than the Borgata chips--the magnets in the Borgata chips are miserable...


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I'm pretty sure the Borgata chips do not contain magnets. I thought they did at first too, but someone told me I was wrong. After further investigation, I agree.

The reason the chips stick together is that the inset in the center is not flush with the outside. This causes a suction cup effect. If you place 2 chips together and slide one slowly off the other, they stick exactly until the edge of one chip passes the inset of the other.

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I thought that too until a floorperson broke one open and showed me the magnet.

scrub

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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The Bay 101 chips are way better than the Borgata chips--the magnets in the Borgata chips are miserable...


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure the Borgata chips do not contain magnets. I thought they did at first too, but someone told me I was wrong. After further investigation, I agree.

The reason the chips stick together is that the inset in the center is not flush with the outside. This causes a suction cup effect. If you place 2 chips together and slide one slowly off the other, they stick exactly until the edge of one chip passes the inset of the other.

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I thought that too until a floorperson broke one open and showed me the magnet.

scrub

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I've seen broken chips and chips with the white part in the center removed and they do have a magnet on the inside.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

I know that there's a metal slug inside, but I don't think it's a magnet. Actually, I have a Borgata chip right here. I can't feel any attractive force to my steel desk. Also, if they were magnets, they'd push the opposite way on other magnets when you flip them, and they don't.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

You win, you win.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

Umm...no. They are, in fact, magnetic.

Put one next to another casino's magnetic chip, and you will certainly notice magnetic attraction / repulsion when you fiddle around with them.

Re: Mark this day down in history.....
 

Scrub was actually wrong about something. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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you will certainly notice repulsion when you fiddle around with them.

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You still talking about those anal beads again aren't you?

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

I've seen more of these new chips broken or missing their labels (revealing the inner sluggo) than I've ever seen of clay.

But then, I guess it is pretty easy to calculate the expectation of moving to these cheaper chips over time...

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

There is something in the middle of these chips. Bud Jones also makes a "speed chip" that does not have this insert and is lighter. They are MUCH better to play with - and shuffle. Canterbury in Minnesota uses these.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

It's more the sticking together that gets me than the no-shuffling. You go to make a bet and you end up with extra chips stuck on the stack. VERY annoying.

I don't think they are actually magentic. I think it is either vacuum suction of static electricity. Either way it is a major pain in the a$$.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

They are the same brand and chip.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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Umm...no. They are, in fact, magnetic.

Put one next to another casino's magnetic chip, and you will certainly notice magnetic attraction / repulsion when you fiddle around with them.

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Are you sure you aren't talking about beads?

I've heard speculation that the chips are magnetized from being banged together so often. Doesn't make sense...

Re: Mark this day down in history.....
 

LOL I was thinking the same thing! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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Umm...no. They are, in fact, magnetic.

Put one next to another casino's magnetic chip, and you will certainly notice magnetic attraction / repulsion when you fiddle around with them.

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Are you sure you aren't talking about beads?

I've heard speculation that the chips are magnetized from being banged together so often. Doesn't make sense...

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I had a stack of cheap "dice" chips with a metal insert on me desk that I would fiddle with a lot. Since they weren't very flat, I could spin part of the stack on top of the other, and found myself doing this a lot. Anyway, after some time a bunch of them became magnetized.

I would guess that the Borg chips aren't magnetic on purpose, but that the metal inserts do actually pick it up over time.

I have a small rare earth magnet at home, so I purposefully magnetized a couple of them pretty well and could actually "levitate" one chip above the other.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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I know that there's a metal slug inside, but I don't think it's a magnet. Actually, I have a Borgata chip right here. I can't feel any attractive force to my steel desk. Also, if they were magnets, they'd push the opposite way on other magnets when you flip them, and they don't.

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I don't have any Borgata chips out here, but I was in the "it's suction" camp until December. Somebody complained about the chips while a floorperson was nearby, and I said that it wasn't a magnet, just suction. He said that no, it was actually a magnet, pulled a damaged chip out of the dealer's rack, broke it, and pulled out the slug, which he claimed was a weak magnet.

That being said, you guys are definitely right about the surface milling being responsible for most of the really irritating chip-clumping, especially since it's much worse if the chips get slightly wet.

My bad.

scrub

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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I've heard speculation that the chips are magnetized from being banged together so often. Doesn't make sense...

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I'm pretty sure that you can, in fact, magnetize a metal rod by banging it just so on the ground. It is very difficult to do. I doubt this is why these chips have some magnet-like tendencies.

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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I would guess that the Borg chips aren't magnetic on purpose, but that the metal inserts do actually pick it up over time.

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I asked the floor on my very first visit to the Borg. He said the magnets were to keep the chips lined up when bet. Take four chips in a stack and nock them over. They line up neatly thanks to the magnets.

I have however noticed that the magnetic properties of the chips are not as strong as they were last January (Red & White is all I have tried) when I first visited the Borg. Perhaps its just my imagination, perhaps not.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Re: New nasty plastic chips (Borgata, et al) WHY?
 

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But then, I guess it is pretty easy to calculate the expectation of moving to these cheaper chips over time...

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Who said they were cheaper? I managed to sell a few of them off for just as much as my scandia chips. I doubt the price difference, if it even favors these chips, is less than 20c/chip.