There are many variations of poker chips
in terms of style, weight and size on
the market, but generally the ones that
you see and use in the casinos are all
made out of clay. Clay gives the poker
chips certain feel and structure that
adds a real presence, class and durability
to the game of poker. 9 gram and 13.5
gram clay poker chips represent the high
quality of poker chips that are available
on the market today. Let’s examine these
clay poker chips a little further in this
article.
The clay poker chips that are used in
casinos have certain requirements such
as size, weight and quality. Manufacturers
that sell chips to the general public
make these chips of a very similar quality
and upon the same guidelines as the authentic
chips that are played on actual casino
tables. This enables amateur and social
players to have quality chips made by
the best manufacturers, right in their
own homes.
The normal clay chip size is 39 millimeters
in diameter and weighs 11.5 grams. These
are exact specifications so that each
chip will be identical (unless of different
color). The majority of Casinos, including
those based in Vegas, tend to use chips
between 9 gram and 13.5 grams according
to their own needs. This keeps the chips
uniform and easier to control and when
different colors are used it helps players
to differentiate their chips form their
opponents.
There are many reasons that 13.5 gram
clay is the substance preferred when it
comes to poker chips. First of all, it
gives the chips a solid and evenly spread
weight. These chips feel smooth but heavy,
and usually help players to remember the
value of each chip. Clay can be imprinted
to give a certain design or signature
of owner which is usually what happens
in Casinos – Casino branding is popular.
9g clay poker chips are professional
grade poker chips that are perfectly and
specifically designed to be exactly the
same in style, texture, size and weight.
Casinos pay a lot of money for the highest
quality poker chips. These chips are custom
made to have the design and look of that
given casino. This is very important to
all casinos; irrespective of their location.
Clay poker chips are special because
they are all uniform and they look terrific.
This means that they are exactly the same
size and weight and the design and decorations
are perfect. Abnormal chips are usually
a sign of counterfeiting and fake chips
from Casinos; therefore the manufacturers
must be precise in their manufacturing
processes. There is a lot of money riding
on the quality of the chips and the level
of difficulty that is applied to eradicating
counterfeit practices.
Along with the size and weight, the outer
coating of the poker chips is also quite
important because this will prevent the
decal from coming off if it is fiddled
or deliberately tampered with. With high
quality manufactured chips when the decal
is removed, the chip should be ruined
beyond repair. Therefore all clay poker
chips are either played with when they
are in their original state or they are
removed from play altogether. It is neither
easy nor cheap to produce such high quality
chips but they really are a necessity
for Casinos. Casinos must be confident
with the quality and preservation of their
chips which means that they are willing
to put a lot into them.
But do not despair. Just because you
are not a Casino does not mean that you
cannot have casino quality 9 gram, 11
gram or 13.5 gram clay poker chips too.
These chips are usually cheaper to the
public because they do not have to pass
through such stringent security guidelines.
They will generally be made out of the
same materials and taken through the same
production process. And of course if you
really want to, you can customize them
to your liking, even with your own brand.
Copyright 2005 Jake Johnson
This article was posted on November
27, 2005
