How to Select the Perfect Poker Chip Set

Once you start holding poker tournaments in your home, you need to purchase a good poker chip set. Even if you are just entertaining your friends on the weekend, a good poker set can add to the fun and create a sense of authenticity to your events. With the right set, you will have everyone in the neighborhood waiting for their invitation to your home on poker night.

How Many Chips Do You Need?

The first thing to consider is the number of chips you need in your poker set. Some people make this decision based on their budget, but the number of people typically playing with you has to factor in as well. Think of the maximum number of players that have shown up for any of your events to date, then plan for that number to increase in the future. Your poker chip set needs to last for a very long time, so you need enough chips to grow.

A good rule of thumb is to have at least forty chips per person on hand. If you are working on a tight budget you could get away with a smaller set that allows your players to have thirty chips each. If you can afford to invest a bit more, go with fifty to a seventy-five chips per person.

Once you have this number, you can start shopping for your poker chip set. Poker sets typically come in even hundreds, which means 200 chips and upwards. They can go up to 1,000 chips per set.  Always round up from the number of chips you decided you need. This means if you need about 250 chips, you should go with a 300 chip poker set. It is always better to have extra chips than to not have enough for everyone at the table.

Types of Poker Chips

There are three types of poker chips to choose from that you will encounter while shopping for poker chip sets:

1. Clay
2. Composite
3. Plastic

You should only consider plastic chips if you are on a very tight budget and cannot afford the other types in the quantity that you need. You may be able to find composite chips for just a little more, so definitely price shop before deciding this is all you can afford.

Clay chips are clearly the preferred choice, since they look and feel like authentic casino poker chips. Paulson poker chips are the most sought after because this is the brand that serves authentic chips to the biggest casinos around the world. It was once impossible for regular players to purchase from Paulson, but they are now releasing poker chip sets for individual buyers. Just expect to pay more for these poker sets.

If you can’t afford clay chips, then go for composite chip sets. These will include a metal insert along with a composite material around the insert. Clay chips are made of composite materials also, but they do not have the metal insert that you find in composite chips. If there is metal inside, then it is not a Paulson chip!

Some composite chips are nicer than others. The best will feel a lot like authentic casino chips, so they are a great option if you cannot afford clay chips right now.

Consider the Poker Chip Case

Once you decide what type of chip you want and how many chips you need, it’s time to consider the case that your poker chip set comes in. The more professional, higher quality cases tend to come with the higher priced clay poker chips, but you can find some nice cases with composite chips as well.

It is easy to overlook the case when shopping for a reasonably priced set of poker chips. It’s true that some of the cheaper sets do not come with cases or come with very flimsy, unattractive cases. You have to decide if this is a trade-off you are willing to make or if you want to go up in price a bit to get a very nice case.

Your budget is always important, but that cannot be the only factor guiding your decision. The perfect poker chip set will fit your budget, include more than enough chips for your largest events, and will be made of the best possible materials. If you can cover all of those bases, you will have a great poker set that serve you well for years to come.

After choosing a poker chip set, learn how to clean poker chips so you can get them shined up and ready for the first big night of play.

Everything You Need to Know about Oiling Poker Chips

You spend a lot of money purchasing high quality clay poker chips to get that authentic casino feel. It only makes sense that you also spend a lot of time cleaning and oiling poker chips so they have that authentic look to go with the feel. There is no standard or official method for oiling clay chips. This guide will tell you everything you need to know so you can create the perfect oiling system for your chips.

To start, it is not essential that you spend time oiling your chips. The process does take a long time, with many pros doing about a hundred chips per hour. The process will probably be even slower than that as you are just learning how to perfect the process. The main benefit is that oiled chips have brighter colors and a more attractive appearance. The feel of the chips and how easy they are to play with doesn’t change a lot after oiling.

The oil may reduce the amount of color that wears off over time as well. You only need to oil clay poker chips. Other materials do not absorb the oil, so you are only wasting your time oiling them.

Supplies for Oiling Poker Chips

The most important supply is the oil. Cooking oils will break down and go bad with time and that is never good for your chips. Always use mineral oil. It is commonly found in the health and beauty department of most stores and one small container will last for years.

You also need some type of cloth to rub the oil onto the chips and another cloth to set the chips on for drying and a cloth to dry the excess oil off. Some people like to use paper towels for this, but others go for a hand towel for oiling poker chips and a larger towel for drying poker chips. Still others just use their fingers to rub on the oil and a towel or paper towel for the chips to dry out.

The Oiling Process

Oiling poker chips involves putting a very thin film of oil around the outer edges of each chip. This is done one chip at a time, which is why the process takes such a long time. You don’t need to oil the inlay or center of the chip, especially with Paulson poker chips since they have a fabric inlay that doesn’t do well with oil. It isn’t a big deal if you get some oil in the center of a chip, but your goal is just to cover the outer areas of the chip, including the small grooves.

Lay out your towel or paper towels for drying and put a small amount of oil on your finger or oiling cloth. If using your fingers, just apply a small drop and spread it between your thumb and forefinger. If using a towel or paper towel, put a quarter sized drop of oil on the cloth.

Pick up your first chip and rub your fingers or the cloth around the edges. You can hold the chip inside the cloth with one hand and pull it around with the other hand. Then lay it out on the cloth to dry. Stop every now and then to dry the oiled chips off.

Don’t be alarmed if you see some color on the oiling towel. Oiling poker chips takes off the dust from production, especially if your chips are brand new.

If you don’t have time for oiling clay chips, just give your chips lots of play time. The natural finger oil will do the oiling for you.

Paulson Tophat and Cane Poker Chip Set: Casino Quality for the Rest of Us

Paulson poker chips were once exclusive to the best casinos, but the market is now opening up. Not only can you purchase a variety of individual Paulson chips online, but you can buy a complete set of Paulson Tophat and Cane chips. This particular set comes in a mahogany case that looks just as elegant on the outside as the chips look on the inside. With this set, you look like a professional poker dealer from the moment you arrive to the party or just bring your chips out of hiding.

This is not a cheap case that you could find at the dollar store with a few plastic chips. This is a very thick, heavy case with rich color and brass fixtures. It is the type of case a professional would bring when he intends to intimidate and win big.

The case holds the 500 piece Paulson Tophat and Cane poker chip set. Everything fits in an orderly fashion so the chips are never damaged and you are able to deal them out quickly.

Professionally Detailed Clay Chips

Quality is what makes Paulson poker chips the clear leader of the industry. This is the brand that has been supplying the world’s best casinos with their exclusive chips for many years and it is the brand that has opened the door to professional quality chips for the rest of us. The 500 piece Paulson Tophat and Cane chip set is made right along with those professional chips being used by casinos. The same clay materials are used and the same quality is put into every single chip produced.

That means your Paulson Tophat and Cane chips will be as high quality as the chips you play with at the casino. If you frequent smaller casinos with inferior chips, yours could be even better!

Each chip denomination comes in its own bright color with the same side dots of color that you see on casino chips. The center graphic displays the currency rate, but these are not stickers or ink engravings that will slowly wear away with time. These are fabric pieces that form as a part of the chip. You cannot peel them off and they do not rub away with thumb wear. Your chips will remain beautiful for years to come, especially if kept safe in your mahogany case when not in use.

What really stands out on the Paulson Tophat and Cane chips is the detail. The colors are rich and the smaller details of design make you want to look at them over and over again. Then when you pick them up they feel like professional chips, since they are designed to meet all regulations regarding their thickness and weight.

Playing with Paulson Tophat and Cane Chips

There is nothing like that clink on the table when a poker chip is dropped. You won’ t get that genuine clink with most poker chips because they aren’t designed with the unique clay material Paulson poker chips are designed with.

Cleaning Poker Chips the Right Way

Many people who own poker chips have no idea how to clean poker chips. That may seem unreal, but the truth is many people don’t own high quality chips that they would be heartbroken to lose. If a chip gets too dingy or the cheap inlay wears away, they simply toss it out because they can replace it at low cost. That isn’t what happens when you purchase high quality clay poker chips. You have to know all about cleaning poker chips to keep your valuable investment good as new.

The last thing you want to do is take your chips and immerse them in water. Whether you have pure clay chips or chips made from a ceramic/clay mixture, you could ruin them if they are immersed in water. This guide to cleaning poker chips will show you exactly how to clean poker chips so they maintain that new look no matter how much play time they get.

Before

Cleaning Poker Chips: The Inlay

The inlay is the center of the chip which is placed to produce the central image presented on the chip. On the best quality poker chips like Paulson chips, these inlays are made from a fabric material that isn’t easily scrubbed, rubbed or picked off. You still don’t want to risk damaging the inlay or interfering with the image, so don’t try to scrub it with anything that has sharp or stiff edges. That includes a toothbrush, which is often used for cleaning poker chips around the edges.

Use a soft cloth that is slightly damp for the inlay. Rub gently to brighten up the inlay and get rid of any dirt or grime that may have accumulated during playtime. This is not something you have to do every time you play a round with your friends. Just do it often enough that your chips don’t lose their vibrant color and rich detail.

Cleaning Poker Chips: The Outer Edges

You can use more tools when cleaning the surrounding edges of your poker chips. This is where you really need to know how to clean poker chips so you don’t damage the chips. The last thing you want to do is show up at the next big game with a cheap set of inferior chips because you couldn’t replace the nice ones you just ruined in the cleaning process!
In order to clean the outer edges of the chips, you need just two things:

•  Toothbrush
• Cleaning Liquid

Don’t just go into the bathroom and pick up your spouse’s brush. You need a baby toothbrush that you devote just to cleaning poker chips. If there isn’t an extra one lying in the bathroom closet, head out to the store and buy one. It shouldn’t cost you but a couple dollars. Make sure you shop in the baby department so the bristles will be super fine and soft. Harder bristles can damage your chips.

The cleanser needs to be something mild but strong enough to take off body oils and accumulated dirt. A mild dishwashing detergent works or you may find something else around the house to use.

After

Now that you have the supplies, it’s time to learn how to clean poker chips the right way:

1. Mix a small amount of the cleaner with water in a small cup or bowl.
2. Dip the toothbrush into the cleaner/water mixture, just enough to wet the ends of the bristles. You don’t need to soak it.
3. Gently go around the edges of the chips, one at a time. Take care to get top and bottom as well as around the outer edges. Keep your finger over the inlay (center) and do not touch that part of the chip with the toothbrush. See the section above to learn how to clean poker chip inlays.
4. Wipe the chip with a moist soft cloth to remove all of the cleaner.
5. Dry the chip completely with a soft, dry towel or rag.

That is the safest method for cleaning poker chips of very high quality. If you want to keep this task to a minimum, you can wipe down the face of your poker chips with a slightly moist cloth as you pack them away after playtime. This will remove a lot of the oil and dirt that was put on the chips during play and will delay the need for a full out poker chip cleaning session.

Paulson Clay Poker Chip Designs: What Can You Buy Today?

Paulson poker chips have a sense of exclusivity largely because they were traditionally unavailable on the open consumer market. For many, these clay poker chips were designed exclusively for major casinos and those rich enough to afford large bulk orders.

Each casino was given their own unique design with security features built in so others could not rip off the chips. Those who were able to purchase them had to order in large batches and have their own designs and molds made up.

Today, the Paulson brand has merged into a new business and there are more chips available to everyday people who want the best clay poker chips on the market. There is still a sense of exclusivity to the brand, which is why you will still pay more for these chips than you will for other brands.

Today, the problem is not finding Paulson poker chips available for open consumer purchases. You don’t even have to worry about purchasing huge bulk batches or having your own unique design made before you can place an order. There are some great designs already on the market and many websites sell them by the piece. The problem today is actually deciding which Paulson clay poker chips you want to bring home.

Poker Chips with Personality

For years, Paulson poker chips have been creating stylish clay poker chip designs that grab attention and envy in professional casinos. Today, you can get the same great style and all the envy when you find the Paulson clay chips that match your personality. Consider just a couple of the clay poker chips on the market from Paulson today:

Casino de Isthmus Paulson Chips: Think kiwi and strawberry with these Paulson poker chips. The background color is grass green but it is the lime green and pink accents along the edges that really make this poker chip design pop. This chip exemplifies how Paulson takes very simple design ideas and makes them stand out simply by getting creative with color selections. These chips have a more feminine touch that you won’t get with all designs from Paulson.

National Poker Series Paulson Chips: If you want a more professional look, these clay poker chips will give it to you. The background color is a rich black and the surrounding accent colors are red and blue. You don’t have the same splash as you get with the Casino de Isthmus chips, but you have a very professional look that brings a sense of legitimacy to your private poker game.

From these two designs you can see how creative designs from Paulson can be. You can go with something very professional and elegant or go in a more creative direction with unique color combinations that really make your chips stand out. Or, just by some of both and use them at different poker events.

You can have casual Paulson poker chips for those fun nights in with friends and then more professional clay poker chips for nights when you really want to make an impression.

Selecting Paulson Poker Chips

All poker chips from Paulson are designed with the same high quality, so you are free to base your buying decision on aesthetics alone. Purchase the chips that speak to your personality and which have the look you need to make an impression at your next poker game.

2 Reasons Paulson Poker Chips Top All Others

Paulson poker chips are the premier playing chips in many of the best casinos and can be found at some of the more exclusive poker parties around the world. If you have ever played with them before, you probably noticed that they have a different feel from other poker chips.

They are even quite different from other clay poker chips. There are a couple very good reasons they feel different and those happen to be the reasons they are preferred in the industry over all other brands.

#1: Paulson clay poker chips are designed from a unique, lighter weight ceramic material.

There are two common misconceptions about clay chips:
1. The heavier the chip, the higher quality of the chip.
2. Chips made entirely of clay are the best clay chips.

These two misconceptions go hand-in-hand because they mislead many people who want to purchase high quality poker chips but who don’t necessarily know how to tell a really great chip from the others.
They buy into the idea that the weight of the chip speaks to its quality and they are led to believe that “all clay” poker chips are the absolute best. What they don’t realize is that the higher quality chips aren’t made entirely of clay and are far from the heaviest to be found on the market today.

Paulson poker chips are made from a ceramic material that is very similar to clay, but not quite. Clay is extremely brittle and will crack and break apart easily on its own. This is why most “all clay” chips will include a metal insert designed to hold the clay together. This makes them heavier, leading into that misconception of weight and clay being best.

Yet, Paulson poker chips are superior to these clay chips because they are made from this unique material that is stronger than clay without that metal insert. They never include a metal insert, never weigh more than 10 grams, and have a unique feel. You could consider Paulson chips to be mid-weight in the market today and that weight makes them easier to play with than those heavier clay chips with metal inserts.

The unique feel that a Paulson chip has over other clay poker chips is what draws many professional players. They are very unique in the market today and that is why they have been loved by casinos as well as individual professional players.

#2: Paulson poker chips come in many colorful designs that are fun to play with.

These chips don’t just hit a single note with one really great design. Paulson designs many different chips so you can find something with virtually any color range that may interest you. Looking through the designs is part of the fun of purchasing Paulson poker chips!

Another good thing is that these colorful chips are typically sold by the chip, so you can mix and match them. You can take advantage of all the designs that catch your attention rather than just purchasing one set in a single design. These color options are one of the biggest appeals of the Paulson brand.

From the feel of the chip in your hand to the look of the chip when stacked and thrown in the center of a table, Paulson poker chips have secured their place at the top of the market for many years based on design.