Shopping for clay poker chips can seem daunting at first. There are seemingly hundreds of choices from the many Ebay listings and several online websites. Some clay poker chips are described and look one way, while other chips are described and look very different. How do you know which poker chips to choose? I've talked with tons of customers who are struggling to understand this market, just like you. So, I decided to take some time and try to separate the myths from reality.
First, and most importantly, you need to realize that there are in fact NO 100% clay poker chips made today. There are a couple of reasons for this: one is that a 100% clay poker chip simply does not last very long with regular use. Clay does not mix well with things like water, soda, or the oil on player's hands. If clay poker chips were actually made of 100% clay, they simply would not last very long. Second, 100% clay poker chips are very, very expensive to produce when compared with a slight resin-mixed clay poker chip.
Second, despite popular rumor, casinos do NOT use 100% clay poker chips for their poker games. Casinos are so concerned with security, and rightly so, that all major casinos use poker chips that have several security features built into them, including a very specific chip material mixture. This tightly guarded security feature is also the reason that authentic casino poker chips are not available to the public.
With that said, how do you shop for high quality, durable clay poker chips? It is fairly simple. Look for poker chips that have a weight of less than 10.5g per chip. Because of the density of materials used to produce poker chips, any chip that weighs more than this MUST contain a metal disk insert for added weight. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind if you desire to have poker chips that are close in look and feel to the chips you have used in a casino. After finding a chip below this weight range, contact the store or website and verify that the composition is primarily clay with a resin mixed in, not primarily plastic resin.
Taking these steps will ensure that you receive the feel you are shopping for when buying clay poker chips.
About the Author
Tom Riemersma is the webmaster for Elite Poker Chips, which carries a variety of poker chips, poker sets, and poker tables, including clay poker chips. Drop by and do some shopping at the elite, the best of the best. http://www.elitepokerchips.com