Poker Chips
If you only play poker online, the importance of poker chips being used in the games might not be all that obvious to you, but you should know, that besides being an integral part of the whole casino atmosphere and environment, there are a few very solid reasons why these tokens are being used instead of real money.
They are much more convenient to use, counterfeiting them is almost impossible for several reasons: real casino chips are specifically made in a way that makes counterfeiting very difficult. The markings and prints on the chips are quite difficult to reproduce, and the trained eyes of the casino employees mean nothing short of a perfect copy will slip past their vigilance. Even if someone does manage to come up with perfect copies, casinos have other ways to catch counterfeiters red-handed too. One Canadian casino replaced all its chips and replaced them with alternative ones, when they suspected counterfeiters were around. That allowed them to catch the crooks in the act and have them arrested.
Chips are also much easier to count when they’re stacked up, and the dealer has a much easier time paying out players. The possibility of errors slipping into the payout is also much reduced. Last, but certainly not least, it’s been proven that people find it much easier to gamble on chips than on actual money.
Most authentic and/or quality poker and casino chips are called “clay chips”. Make no mistake though, these chips are not 100% clay by any means. If they were made of pure clay, they just wouldn’t be resistant-enough to withstand the wear and tear they’re subjected to, every day. This is the reason why – when making these chips – manufacturers use a combination of clay and resin, plus sand or chalk. The actual manufacturing process is a secret, but there are a few things, common to all quality poker chips: The inserts, (aka edge spots) are not painted on. The maker punches bits and pieces of the actual material the chips are made of, out, and then fills the space with a different color, same consistency material which is then molded together with the rest of the chip through thermal compression. The extreme heat and pressure, the chip is subjected to, means the spots will mold into it perfectly, and they will look like they’re painted on, but if you break the chip, you’ll see the cross-section of it exhibiting the different materials it’s made of.
Poker chips also have “inlays”, which bear the graphics and artwork unique for every single casino and poker room. Inlays are usually made of paper and/or plastic, and they’re applied to the chip surface before compression, so once the chip’s done, they become impossible to detach without breaking the chip first.
The fact that “clay” chips are the most popular with casinos, doesn’t mean there are no chips made out of all sorts of exotic materials. There are ceramic chips, wooden chips, leather chips, aluminum chips, and let’s not forget about cheap old plastic chips. For these, injection molding technology is used, and ABS plastic. Sometimes, you’ll find a metal disk at the core of a plastic chip like this, which is there to lend it weight.
With home poker games gaining in popularity, poker chips manufacturers are also seeing a boom in business. If you host poker games yourself, you should know that purchasing such chips (and other home-poker accessories for that matter) is no longer a challenge. You can find just about any quality and price-range online, what’s more, you don’t even have to settle for what manufacturers have on stock, just place an order and have your chips custom made.
Custom poker chips are not only great to have around to play with, they make excellent gifts, too.
"Download some poker videos (there are plenty around on poker torrents) and see how the pros deal with certain situations. Don't forget to sign up for a rakeback deal to further increase your odds."
