Oiling Poker Chips The Right Way

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.