Custom poker chips are a great option for keen card players, and they can also make for an excellent gift for your poker-playing friends or family members.
There are so many different ways to customise poker chips, and you can opt for a whole host of designs, styles, and materials to create bespoke chips just for you. So, read on to find out what you need to know about custom poker chips and why they might just be the perfect gift for you (or a loved one) this year.
History of poker chips and the emergence of customisation
In the early days of poker, players would sit at the table with a whole host of tokens to place their bets.
When poker was extremely popular throughout the lawlessness of the Wild West era in America, players might join a table by tossing gold nuggets onto the canvas! By the turn of the century and during the first decade of the 20th century, poker chips became more prevalent at gambling houses.
The earliest poker chips were composite, made from materials like ivory, bone, wood, and paper, depending on what was available.
By the 1930s, clay composite poker chips became the norm, and it was around this time different coloured poker chips were standardised. Composite clay chips became a mainstay of Vegas casinos throughout the boom years, with casinos customising their chips to reflect their brand and identity.
By the 1980s, ceramic chips were introduced as an alternative to clay chips and were taken up by many big casinos. This is because ceramic chips are easier to personalise and can be mass-produced, which is advantageous for casinos looking for huge volumes of chips.
Today, most casinos use clay composite or ceramic poker chips that weigh between 8g and 16g – we've come a long way since it was accepted to join a poker game with a bag of golden nuggets fresh from the mine!
Where to find the best custom poker chips online?
If you've ever joined a game in a casino's poker room, you will be aware that most chips are customised, often with the casino's branding. In reality, many different ways to create custom poker chips today exist. You can choose from stock designs as a base or go with a design completely of your own creation.
You can also choose the style of poker chips you would like to personalise, choosing from the likes of multi-stripe, 8-stripe, solid, trio, and ceramic, depending on your preferences and budget. After all, there's a lot to think about when it comes to choosing the best poker chips set for your home games.
A quick Google search will help you find a number of online stores offering personalised poker chips, so it's certainly not difficult to kick-start the process. Of all the providers online, we highly recommend Pokerchips.com and Chip Lab as the best places to personalise poker chips. Be sure to browse through their collections and select the best custom poker chips to suit your budget.
Three types of custom poker chips to consider
If you're looking for custom poker chips online, it won't have escaped your attention that there are lots of different chips to consider. Specifically, the three types of poker chips that you can customise include:
Clay
As mentioned, clay poker chips have been used at casinos for generations and have long been popular with people who host poker games at home, too.
One of the best things about clay poker chips is that they're durable and they don't scratch or dent easily. They're also well weighted and feel great when you're playing at the table.
The main drawback to clay chips is that they're slightly brittle and aren't necessarily as robust as clay composite chips, as we introduce below.
Composite
Although they're a step down from their clay counterparts, clay composite chips are a great choice to consider for home poker players. They are manufactured using an injection/moulding process, which adds to their durability and robustness.
To the untrained touch, it's really difficult to tell the difference between clay and clay composite poker chips, and the fact that composite chips are cheaper and more durable makes them a great candidate for your home poker games.
You can also easily customise composite poker chips, which is another reason for their popularity.
Ceramic
Ceramic chips are widely seen as the pick of the bunch as far as quality poker chips are concerned. They're weighted, extremely smooth, and exceptionally durable.
What's more, the customisation process of ceramic chips is a breeze, and graphics can be printed directly onto the chips during their production, which is a classier option than a custom sticker being added to a clay composite chip, for instance.
The main drawback to custom ceramic poker chips is that they're the most expensive option, but as the old saying goes – you get what you pay for.
Using custom poker chips in home games and events
If you, a close friend, or a family member is a keen poker player, then a set of custom poker chips is just what you need in a poker chip set. The biggest advantage of opting for custom poker chips is that you can truly personalise every home poker game that you host, rather than playing the game with generic chips that you can find everywhere on the Internet.
You can also take your custom chips to other games when you're playing with your poker buddies, adding an extra dimension to the game.
But custom poker chips aren't necessarily for exclusive use at the card table, and there are various creative ways to use them. For instance, if you're hosting a party, custom poker chips make for great drinks tokens, offering your guests the chance to grab a cold one at the bar. Equally, many people use custom poker chips for their bachelor or bachelorette parties to play cards or participate in other games and activities.
So, although they're a great gift idea for the poker fan in your life, custom poker chips can also serve various other purposes and are a lovely keepsake for you, your family, and your friends.
Recap: Everything you need to know about custom poker chips
So, custom poker chips are a great gift for yourself or for any poker fan in your life! You can choose from clay, composite, or ceramic custom poker chips, though the latter is perhaps the best option.
You can personalise your chips in any way that you choose, which will impress all of your guests as you host a live poker game at your home this year.
