Poker Chips - Design, Quality, Feel, etc.

[jojobinks]

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Consumers can't buy casino chips from Paulson

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Why not?

I've read a lot about chips recently, and I've seen this repeated several places. I guess its obvious why you can't buy, for example, the exact Bellagio or Mirage chips. But why can't the consumer buy the nearly exact chip (same composition, look, feel, etc.) and substitute a personalized label?

Is it really that easy for a consumer to turn the unlabeled "real" casino chip into something that passes off as a real Bellagio/Mirage etc. chip? Just curious.

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the answer is "b/c paulson doesn't feel like it." security is an issue; not b/c it's easy to counterfeit, but b/c paulson wants to be able to tell casinos "security is absolute."

it's clear, though, from ten's paulson group buy, that paulson isn't much interested in making sales to us. they'll do it, but only if a,b,c,d,e, and f. ten's thing is going to get done, but it aint easy. they (paulson) just aren't interested in selling to home buyers, for whatever reasons.

[tomb1]

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So, the Chipcos suits are like the chips at the Borgata, for example? Personally, I like the feel of this type of chip, but I've heard people complain that they slide and can be tough to stack.

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To follow up on the Borgatas -- are they Bud Jones or Chipco ceramics?

If these are the chips you used (the standard house chips at Borgata), they are definitely Bud Jones:
http://www.callzia.com/dghome/acchips/BOR-1.jpg
http://www.callzia.com/dghome/acchips/BOR-250.jpg
http://www.callzia.com/dghome/acchips/BOR-5.jpg
http://www.callzia.com/dghome/acchips/BOR-25.jpg

Feel good, don't they?!?

There have been some issues about whether the newer BJs have mainatined the quality and feel of the older BJs, but they're still damn fine chips.

[Mens Rea]

Tomb - great info - thanks.

Do you have a link to a place that sells the Bud Jones Borgata like chips?

Also, what is the difference between the Bud Jones ceramics and the Chipcos?

Thanks again.

[tomb1]

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Do you have a link to a place that sells the Bud Jones Borgata like chips?


Also, what is the difference between the Bud Jones ceramics and the Chipcos?

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Unfortunately, nobody sells (at retail) chips like Bud Jones, Matsui decals, or B&G decals. That's the problem! I think somebody is trying to work with Matsui for a group buy, but nothing yet.

So you need to keep checking eBay for Bud Jones chips, but they'll be expensive. You can buy lots of single collectible chips, and some times a few chips come available. Every once in a while (like recently) you see a nice set of Dodge City, Maxamillion, or some other real/retired Bud Jones chips. Some folks have quanitities of real casino $1 BJs or could get some for you from a casino like Borgata. So keep searching. And keep saving!

As far as your second question, Bud Jones does not make ceramics -- you might be thinking of Nevada Jacks vs. Chipcos. Those are really your only two choices for ceramics. Chipco has lots of different designs (let me know if you want some links), and Nevada Jack has Deadmans/Skulls, Desert Sands, and Mardi Gras lines (sold various places).

The major difference in these ceramic lines is the finish -- the Chipcos are smoother and the NJs are more textured.

My take:

(1) The smoother Chipcos have a little better printing quality but wear faster. They are a little more slick and don't stick & stack quite as well. But they feel really classy, and these are the exact chips you'd find in a casino.

(2) The cross-hatched NJs have good printing color and quality, but not quite as sharp as Chipcos. They would seem to wear much better and not "white out" the same. With their texture, they stack better and aren't as slippery.

Get some samples and feel for yourself, if you're interested in ceramics.

[tomb1]

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Do you have a link to a place that sells the Bud Jones Borgata like chips?

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I thought about this some more. If you want some chips like Bud Jones, here's another option.

A variety of these chips have been auctioned recently from a reputable seller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6166574776
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6167119711
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6161755386

They are casino-only chips made by RTP (from an old Wico mold design) as samples for a real casino in California. See the "Sample/prototype chips" section almost at the bottom of this page:
http://www.chipguide.com/cgi-bin/sea....cgi?id=cafrtm

If Bud Jones chips are an "A" or "A+" in terms of feel and sound, these are a solid "B+" or maybe an "A-" at a much lower price. Actually, I don't think they're worth his Buy-It-Now price, but several recent auctions have gone for a reasonable price of 50¢-65¢ each. These are really nice chips for that price, if the denoms in the set fit your needs.

Just my 2¢ worth....

[Mens Rea]

Oh - one other thing - in reading some other threads, I've heard people dumping on "the dice chips." Are these the chips I've seen that their outer edges marked with white dice? Are these the same as the chips with the cards on them?

What is to be avoided in buying a nice set? Other than the obvious cheapies, are their any brands that represent themselves as being of higher quality than they actually are? Brands to avoid no matter what?

[jojobinks]

most chips that are without brand are garbage. chips that aren't garbage: chipco, NJ composites, NJ clays, paulson clays, matsui clay or plastics, bud jones, and other blue chip clays (questionably).

check out homepokertourney's reviews that's the best set of info about chip quality you'll find.

good luck. what i recommend; figure out if you want clay or ceramic, and then get some samples. i spent nearly $100 on samples in the last few months, and that really simplified my choices.

[JoshuaMayes]

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most chips that are without brand are garbage. chips that aren't garbage: chipco, NJ composites, NJ clays, paulson clays, matsui clay or plastics, bud jones, and other blue chip clays (questionably).


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ASM clay chips, available from pokerchips.com and Kardwell.com, and TR King clays are also not "garbage."

[jojobinks]

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most chips that are without brand are garbage. chips that aren't garbage: chipco, NJ composites, NJ clays, paulson clays, matsui clay or plastics, bud jones, and other blue chip clays (questionably).


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ASM clay chips, available from pokerchips.com and Kardwell.com, and TR King clays are also not "garbage."

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oops. didn't mean to leave those out. i like asm chips. not a fan of tr king, but they certainly aren't trash.

[tomb1]

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Oh - one other thing - in reading some other threads, I've heard people dumping on "the dice chips." Are these the chips I've seen that their outer edges marked with white dice? Are these the same as the chips with the cards on them?

What is to be avoided in buying a nice set? Other than the obvious cheapies, are their any brands that represent themselves as being of higher quality than they actually are? Brands to avoid no matter what?

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Some of this is a snob thing (and I include myself in that group). I played a nice long game the night before last with folks using cheap Chinese "dice" chips (or suit or cards or whatever). We had crazy cards, lots of beer, and a few low necklines (on the girls, of course) so I enjoyed the hell out of it. Didn't matter what chips we used. I paid more for 5 collectible chips last weekend than that whole set of 300 "dice" chips cost!

Chips matter like cars matter -- depends if you're into it for status, quality, show-offs, or basic transporation so you can spend your money on other things.

So if you want a nice set that feels good, lasts long, and has some pizazz -- then buy the best you can afford and don't worry about it. Worry about whether to raise with pocket jacks!