why do people deride those 11.5 g clay "dice" chips?

Rhone · #1 03-01-2005, 09:12 PM

I've seen several posts where people are almost apologetic for having these chips...As someone who's completely new to playing live, I'm wondering what the big deal is? is it just a snob thing to have "special" chips, or are there legit reasons why these are no good?

SamIAm · #2 03-01-2005, 09:39 PM

I agree: They're dramatically better than those cheap interlocking chips. They're colorful and cheap, and both those are good adjectives.

On the other hand, they're pretty slippery; they're hard to stack well. When they're in your hand they feel like plastic and when they hit the table they sound like metal.

If you're spending the whole night holding chips (I leave my CARDS on the table. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ) it's nice to hold nicer chips.
-Sam

PinataUT · #3 03-01-2005, 09:41 PM

Order a stack of Paulsons, a stack of TR King, a stack of thepokerchipcompany.com 1006, a stack of Nexgens, a stack of $5 Egyptians from holdempokerchips.com and standard dice chips from 5Star.

Things I look for: aesthetics, feel, sound. I'm less price sensitive than some and way more price sensitive than some on these boards.

Think car: what's the big deal with a car anyhow?

My tastes changed with age, income and experience. From 440 New Yorker to sport ute to bigger sport ute and a sports sedan. I miss that old '72 New Yorker but not the clunkers in between. They all took me from point A to point B in varying degrees of style, comfort and passenger capacity...

msb · #4 03-01-2005, 09:53 PM

Somtimes, I think some people here don't even play poker... they just collect chips. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

But, having played with the dice chips for a while, I can say that while they play just fine and are tons better than those plastic chips... I'm ready to move up.

And for perspective... when I bought the dice chips and introduced them to our regular game, everyone was blown away... they loved them.

At the time I bought mine, they were the best ones for the money I wanted to spend on chips... so that's what I went with. But now, you have lots of choices at that price level, and if you're just starting and have been using the plastic ones, you can't really go wrong with any of the chips at that price level.

You'll hear lots of reasons why people don't like them, including the "sound" when they hit the pot and the fact that they are too slippery to stack very high. I enjoyed mine, but I'm ready for something a little more like the real casino chips and that are more unique.

toots · #5 03-01-2005, 10:39 PM

Guilty as charged.

But what's your point?

TenPercenter · #6 03-01-2005, 10:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I've seen several posts where people are almost apologetic for having these chips...As someone who's completely new to playing live, I'm wondering what the big deal is? is it just a snob thing to have "special" chips, or are there legit reasons why these are no good?

[/ QUOTE ]

There's nothing at all wrong with owning them. They are very affordable, and they do the job that the buyer buys them for. And considereing the price level, most are "high quality" for that level.

And you're right about the "snob" part. Once a person is "in the know" regarding chips, it's just so AGGRAVATING when you run into a dice chip owner that thinks they are the best poker chip made. And they REALLY think it! The only reason they think so is that the auction page said so, or the web page, or the Walmart placard, or whatever. Almost everywhere you see them, they are touted as "casino quality (lie)", "clay (lie)", "clay composite (most likely lie)", etc. They have this notion that "11.5g" is some "official" weight put out by the Nevada Gaming Commission or something.

One of my best friends said to me the first time he hefted one of my Egyptians. "Are these the full eleven and a half grams?" He is a proud dice chip owner, hotstamped and everything. Carries those chips everywhere he goes. Trys to bring them into every game, to do the other guy a "favor" by letting him use the Official Casino Dice chips.

Ten

msb · #7 03-01-2005, 11:13 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Guilty as charged.

But what's your point?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not sure what you mean, but I guess I was trying to point out that some folks, in a poker forum seem to be more obsessed with the type of chips they use than poker.

Sorry if I offended you.

toots · #8 03-01-2005, 11:16 PM

You didn't offend me at all.

I am obsessed with chips. Half the reason I play poker is to play with the chips. Really.

The dice chips suck. I have a set of them. They suck most vociferously.

I like the chips.

No offense taken at all, but what was your point again?

msb · #9 03-01-2005, 11:24 PM

[ QUOTE ]
No offense taken at all, but what was your point again?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think I have the ability to explain it to your satsfaction, so I won't try.

Enjoy your chips.

Accident · #10 03-02-2005, 12:31 AM

All the expensive chipcos/paulsons I have have increased in value or held at what I paid originally. I get more people in my home game with nicer cards/chips/tables to play with. I'm half way to paying for my 4000+ chip collection with my winnings. I am a chip snob in that I hate playing with crappy chips. My chips are nicer than the $1 chips at the Imperial Palace poker room. Don't care for playing there that much because of it. I think its the whole experience which includes the table, chips, cards and people, etc. It's just a natural progression from pennies. I moved up from pennies to quarters to cheap plastic chips, to better plastic, to paulsons/chipcos. I may not play at the $100/200 HE tables, but I have the same damn chips and my friends love to pay for them every week!
Accident [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]