Best Clay Poker Chips

1. Best Custom Clay Poker Chips
2. Best Clay Poker Chips To Buy
3. Best Clay Poker Chips 2019

Best selling all clay pharaoh poker chips with a classic design for only $0.42 each. Get casino quality for your home poker game. Shipping for European and Western nations.

Table Of Contents

The age-old saying goes something like this: 'The guy who invented gambling was brilliant, but the guy who invented chips was a genius.'

1. Clay Chips – This type of poker chip is considered the best quality there is and is the type most often used in casinos. Clay poker chips are easy to stack, do chip tricks with, and are the easiest to handle as well. They are the most expensive traditionally as well.
2. A 300-chip set of high-end poker chips (same manufacturers as Vegas casinos) go for between $300 and $400. A 1000-chip set is in the range of $1,000 to about $1500. This is for the best chips money can buy. You can get a decent set of 500 mid-range poker chips for between $200 and $300.

The reason behind this saying is that chips remove from gambling the real world of money.

Gamblers tend to have very short memories. Once they purchase chips, they easily forget their real world value, making losses on the green felt seem relatively painless — at least until they go to cash out.

Home poker has largely embraced this concept.

Games that used to be played with silver change and paper money are now often played with the best poker chips.

If you're hosting a home game, you may well be considering the purchase of a cool poker chip set.

The best poker chip sets contain:

• A set of 500 poker chips
• Poker chips in three or four colors for different denominations
• A deal button
• A Big Blind button
• A Small Blind button
• Two decks of French cards

A poker chip set for home like this should be enough for your typical game of one to two tables.

Finding the best poker chips for your home games depends on your tastes and your budget.

Here's a summary of what's out there to help you find just the right chips for your game. To get a really good sense of all of your options, I suggest that you check out the online stores that specialize in poker supplies.

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Cheap Poker Chips: Plastic Chips

At the very lowest end of the chip market are the very lightweight, 2 gram or so, thin plastic poker chips that many of us played with as kids or in high school and college.

They are typically sold in packs of 100, often in red, white, and blue.

These are the chips available for purchase in nearly every large pharmacy and in groceries, right in the same area as the packs of playing cards.

They'll run you $2.50 to $3.95 or so. If you look around you might find a really inexpensive version of them in the dollar stores — selling for $1.00.

You can buy plastic poker chips online, too. In these case, these are your best options:

• 100 Poker Chips by RINCO(Red and Blue)
• 600 Poker Chips by U.S. Toy Co.(Red, White, Blue)

These cheap plastic poker chips are fine in a pinch, or with young or inexperienced players who have never been to a public poker room or casino.

But they feel and sound so much cheaper than what you'll find in a casino or other public poker room, that they may be inadequate for your more serious players.

Imitation Clay Poker Chips

One step up, and what I first purchased back in the early '90s when I started playing in casinos around the United States, are solidly colored, imitation clay poker chips.

These poker chips for home games are made of heavy plastic weighing 8 grams a chip or so.

Cool imitation clay poker chips for home games are generally marketed as 'super diamond chips.'

They can be purchased online for between $.06 and $.10 per chip, and sell in 'sleeves' of 25 single color chips.

These are the best poker chips of this kind:

These imitation clay poker chips are perfectly adequate for your home game, especially if you are running multi-table tournaments and want to be able to afford a lot of chips for a relatively little amount of money.

Since they lack any striping, spotting or design, some players might not prefer them.

But I've used mine in large tournaments and in home games for 25 years and never had a complaint (at least not to my face).

Clay Composite Chips

Slightly more expensive, and by far the most common chips that are sold to poker players today, are the metal filled, clay composite chips, with a myriad of different designs, strips, and spots.

Clay poker chips are usually sold as part of chip set, including an inexpensive aluminium carrying case.

These can also be purchased in sleeves of 25 from some companies, but are more typically sold in units of 500 or 1,000 as part of a poker chip set for home games.

These clay composite chips come in a large range of prices.

The 500-chip sets, for example, can be purchased online for anywhere from $39 or so up to $300 (not including shipping), based on the quality, design, and weight of the chip. Each chip weighs anywhere from 11 to 14 grams.

If you are looking for the best poker chips and you want to top chip set for home games, pick one of these. You can't go wrong with any of them.

I've noticed that at the very bottom of that price range, the clay composite chips tend to be of unacceptably poor quality.

I once purchased a 1,000-chip set for $90 and paid $45 to ship them (they're heavy, and shipping is generally expensive). The chips arrived with 20 red chips equaling the height of only 19 white chips.

They had many other defects in them as well.

I had to send them back for a refund — and got stuck with one way of the shipping.

If you are ordering these metal-filled chips, then, I recommend you order no cheaper chip than the ones selling for about $150 for 1,000.

Customized Ceramic Poker Chips

The next step up are the Ceramic poker chips that sell for about $.40-$.75 or so each.

Nevada Jacks is the most popular brand of these chips. These also come in sets of 500 or 1,000.

A nice poker set of the best home poker chips in ceramic is known for their brilliant colors and sharp detail.

These are the best poker chips to buy. They are not metal filled, and they don't make the metal clanging sound when they bump together.

Players rave about them.

The most expensive, regularly produced variety of chips are the casino-quality clay chips made by the Paulson company, typified by the Top Hat and Cane design.

These chips cost roughly $1.25 a chip, or from $1,100 to $1,400 for a set of 1,000.

If you want your home poker chips to be just like those in a casino and you don't mind paying for them, these are the ones for you.

The best ceramic poker chips for home games are:

• Brybelly 500 Count Nevada Jack Poker Set - 10 Gram Premium Casino Grade Ceramic Chips with Aluminum Case

There is another option to consider.

Some chip manufacturers will customize your chips with your own design.

These can come as a 'hot stamped' imprint, as a printed label that is permanently affixed to the chip, or in the case ceramic chips the design can be built into the chip itself.

Prices for this option vary widely, so shop around if this interests you.

Poker Chip Cases

Keep in mind that you'll almost certainly want a case in which to store and transport your poker chip ser. There are a few options in this department as well.

The most common are these thin aluminium or vinyl attaché cases.

These are most frequently made with room for 500 chips, and a few extra spaces for cards. There are also chip cases that accommodate 250, 350, 750, and 1,000 chips.

They sell for between $20-$50 and can vary some in quality, though it's usually next to impossible to tell from the pictures which ones are more sturdily made. Look for reinforcements in the corners.

Also, the 1,000 capacity chip case, when filled with chips, will be too heavy for some to easily carry around.

You might be better off ordering two 500s instead. There is also, now, a 2,000-chip case that comes with wheels for easier transportation.

If you run tournaments or move your game from place to place, you might be tempted to get it, but I don't recommend it.

From everything I've read and heard, it is not built with sufficient sturdiness to survive much use. Tales of handles and wheels falling off upon first use are a legend.

There are a few other chip case options. One is a clear lucite chip case. It is built for 1,000 chips, stacked in chip racks of 100 each, and sells for about $50.

This is very useful if you run tournaments and want to easily have your chips organized for simple distribution to a large group of people.

It's also extremely sturdy, easy to stack, and doesn't dent, scratch, or otherwise deteriorate from regular use (unlike the aluminium and vinyl cases described above). It's what I use, and I recommend it highly.

Finally, for those who care about how your chip cases look, there are some very nice wooden storage boxes. They tend to be cube-shaped, come in a dark finish, and have shiny, small metal handles, one on each side of the box.

They aren't easy to carry, and so would be awkward and inappropriate if you transported your chips regularly.

But they do look nice sitting on a shelf. They sell for about $50 separately, but like all other chip cases, they are often included in the price of a chip set.

Other Recommendations

I would immediately rule out the very cheap plastic poker chips and the very cheapest of the metal filled chips.

Beyond that, however, I don't think there is really much of a difference in how your poker-playing guests will react to the chips.

I've played in home games with the best ceramic poker chips and with Paulson's. They were beautiful to behold.

But I noticed no one really seemed to care.

I've found that poker players are typically so completely engaged in how much they were up or down that the look of their chips was the last thing they cared about.

That being said, you might care about that, and might take great pride in having a truly beautiful set or chips that remind you of what you play with at the nearest casino.

One last item to consider — there are very few brick-and-mortar stores that sell a wide variety of poker chips (The Gambler's General Store in Las Vegas is a great exception).

Amazon, Target, Walmart and a few other retail chains may have boxed sets for sale, but the chips themselves will still be hidden.

That means for the most part, you'll probably be looking online at an image of a chip — not the real thing — when you contemplate a purchase.

For that reason, I recommend that before you buy a complete set of chips, especially an expensive one, that you either purchase or ask the company to send you for free some sample chips.

Catalogs, computer screens, and the like don't really do a chip justice. For that you'll need to see, hold, and use the chip itself.

Sure, it may cost you $5 or $10 to get a small sample set of chips from the manufacturer. But that's a much less costly option than ordering chips you don't want and having to return them.

About the Author

Ashley Adams has been playing poker for 50 years and writing about it since 2000. He is the author of hundreds of articles as well as Winning 7-Card Stud (Kensington 2003). He is also the host of poker radio show House of Cards. See www.houseofcardsradio.com for broadcast times, stations, and podcasts.

_{This article was originally written by Ashley Adams in August 2016. Last update: December 2019.}

^{Photos: 'Ready for poker,' Laura, CC BY 2.0; 'Poker Chips,' Indi Samarajiva, CC BY 2.0; 'Poker XII,' Bastian Greshake, CC BY-SA 2.0; 'New custom ceramic chip set,' BigMikeSndTch, CC BY 2.0; 'Poker anyone?' uzi978, CC BY-SA 2.0;.}

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We spent over 30 hours researching and testing more than 15 different types and brands of poker chips and found that quality, materials, and amount of chips included in the set were the most important factors for consumers who were shopping for poker chips. Poker Chip Set by Trademark Poker scored high marks in all categories and is our overall top pick. This complete set of poker chips includes everything needed to have a great poker game. There are 500 chips in this set along with two decks of cards, and poker buttons so you can play Texas Hold’em as well as other games. These quality chips are made from composite resin with an insert to give it the feel of casino-quality clay poker chips.

Poker Chips Reviews

Playing poker with poker chips rather than cash is a preference many card players have. Quality poker chips provide a more authentic poker feel to your game that you just can’t get with cash. Not all poker chips are made the same. There are high quality chips that have a heftier weight, lightweight plastic chips, and everything in between.

With so many different styles and choices on the market it can be really overwhelming to figure out which poker chips are the best for your needs. We have provided you with a few tools that will make the whole process much easier. First, we have added reviews of the three top-rated poker chip sets on the market below. These reviews will share the features and benefits of these sets and why they are so good.

We have also included a buying guide that will give you much more detailed information on what to look for when you are shopping for poker chips, what features are available, and what you can look at and consider ensuring you choose a quality set of chips that will enhance your poker games.

Jump to

12 mins to read
19 products considered
15 products reviewed
30 hours reviewing

1. Trademark Poker

Best Overall Poker Chips

Trademark Poker offers players of all skill levels a set of quality poker chips that will take your weekly poker games to the next level.

There are four different colored chips representing four different values, 2 decks of standard-sized cards, and poker buttons too.

The pattern around the edge of each chip feature dice and stripes, alternating and are made from composite resin with an insert that provides that casino style weight and feel.

This set comes in an aluminum carrying case so you can keep your chips and other poker supplies safe and protected from damage.

The tray inserts that are included are covered with soft, velvety velour in black that is dust resistant. The purpose of this velour is to keep the chips and other parts of this set looking just like new. This is the perfect set of poker chips for adults and kids.

In addition to poker, you can host Blackjack games, Texas Hold’em, and others as well. Included in this set are 150 white chips, 200 red chips, 100 green chips, 50 black chips, 2 decks of standard-sized cards, 1 little blind, 1 dealer , and 1 big blind button.

– Jonathan Maxwell

2. Cardinal

Best Overall Poker Chips – Runner Up

This great set of poker chips and cards by Cardinal sets you up for a great night of poker that your friends will enjoy too.

Included are 300 poker chips that feature the professional weight and feel card players love. There is also a dealer button and one deck of poker cards included in this set.

The aluminum case is sturdy and provides a convenient, easy to transport place to keep all your poker chips safe.

Each poker chip weighs 11 ½ grams for the ultimate poker experience. Colors included are black with white, blue with white, green with white, red with white and white with blue; each chip represents a different amount. You’ll be ready for a great night of poker when you get this set; makes a great gift for any card lover as well.

– Jonathan Maxwell

3. Pro Poker Clay

Best Custom Clay Poker Chips

This deluxe set of poker chips and cards offer you and your friends the chance to feel like you’re playing in a casino for real.

Best Clay Poker Chips To Buy

The 14 gram, clay poker chips have that popular, heavy weight to them that feel good in your hands while you’re playing. They are perfect for regular, weekly poker games, tournaments, or just the occasional game too.

Included in this great set are 320 chips, 2 decks of plastic playing cards, 2 cutting cards, Jumbo index and more. These cards are washable as well as long lasting and durable.

You will also get a free poker felt, dealer buttons, and a sturdy, synthetic leather case reinforced with metal. This set makes a great gift for the poker lover in your life.

– Jonathan Maxwell

Summary of Our Top Picks

These three top-rated poker chip sets contain high quality poker chips that offer the weight and feel of professional casino-style chips. All three selections provide you with plenty of chips for your games and come in convenient, durable cases that will keep the chips safe and contained.

Taking the time to sort through the numerous poker chips styles and sets available and find the ones that are high quality, heavy weight, and durable is a great way to end up with a set of chips that you and your family and friends love playing with every time you play poker or other betting games.

Best Clay Poker Chips 2019

The right kind of quality poker chips will make playing poker and other card games much more enjoyable and authentic feeling. Once you are ready to purchase poker chips, considering one of the top three selections featured above is a great place to start. If you do not see the poker chips you are looking for in any of the top-rated selections above we have added 7 more choices for you to consider.

5. Da Vinci

7. Da Vinci 200

9. Fat Cat

Poker Chips Comparison

Trademark Poker	Cardinal	Pro Poker Clay	Cardinal 100	Da Vinci	Da Vinci Professional	Da Vinci 200	Da Vinci Premium	Fat Cat	Versa
Casino Chips	500	300	320	100	100	500	200	500	500	500
Chip Weight (gms)	11.50	11.50	14.00	11.50	11.50	11.50	11.50	11.50	11.50	13.50
White Chips	150	100	75	20	25	0	50	150	150	150
Red Chips	200	50	75	20	25	150	50	150	150	150
Green Chips	100	50	50	20	25	100	0	50	50	100
Blue Chips	0	50	50	20	0	150	50	100	100	50
Black Chips	50	50	25	20	25	50	50	50	50	50
Purple Chips	0	0	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yellow Chips	0	0	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gray Chips	0	0	0	0	0	50	0	0	0	0
Decks	2	1	2	0	0	2	2	2	2	2
Dealer Button	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1
Little Blind Button	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	0
Big Blind Button	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	0
Missed Blind Button	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Kill Button	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Reserved Button	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Case Material	Aluminum	Aluminum	Leather	NA	NA	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum
Card Cuts	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0
Poker Felt
Dice	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	5
Warranty (months)	1	4	1	4	Limited Lifetime	Limited Lifetime	Limited Lifetime	Limited Lifetime	3	1

Poker Chips Buying Guide

There are four basic types of poker chips that you can purchase. We have listed all four types below along with some information about each so you can tell the difference between them and decide which type you are looking for.

• Cheap Plastic Chips – There are two styles of plastic poker chips to choose from. The first set is the cheapest of all poker chips. They are very cheaply made and can be purchased anywhere for only a couple of dollars in some places which is why they have the nickname of “supermarket chips”. These chips usually come in red, white, blue, and do not have denominations on the chips themselves. These are great for kids that enjoy playing card games. But should not ever be used for adult poker games.
• Less-Cheap Plastic Chips – these super diamond chips are better than the supermarket chips. They are not flimsy like the above chips are and have a normal size and weight. They do not have any metal inserts so there is no clang when they are used. These chips are inexpensive and customizable. They do look like budget chips so if you are trying to make an impression and offer people serious poker games you won’t really accomplish that with these chips.
• ABS Plastic Chips – These chips are one of the most popular chips on the market. They are also sometimes called Dice chips since all of the chips have a ring of dice or card suits around the edges. The majority of these chips contain metal slugs that add weight to the chip. They have a slick, plastic feel and if they have the metal inserts will have a slight metallic sound to them. These can be used for home games and are not too bad to use. Although they are usually marketed as true casino style chips they are not. Most serious players won’t mind playing with these although you certainly won’t win any “wow” points.
• Composite Chips – The most common style of poker chip purchased for home games is the composite poker chip. They typically come in a set with cuts, a cut card, and dealer buttons. Depending on the brand, composite chips often have diamonds, card suits, or dice on the edges. The colors available match up with the industry standard and contain a metal insert inside each chip that gives it some weight. These chips are fine for casual, small stakes poker games. The composite chips with metal inserts are probably the most often purchased for serious home players that have regular weekly games. Many players feel they are a little too slippery to use and some players don’t like the ring these metal-inserted chips have as they are moved around.
• Ceramic Chips – Ceramic poker chips feature a porcelain feel that is smooth and are found in many casinos. They are very durable and long lasting and cost more than other types of poker chips. One popular feature of these ceramic chips is that they can have graphic designs put on the chips that others are not capable of.
• Clay Chips – This type of poker chip is considered the best quality there is and is the type most often used in casinos. Clay poker chips are easy to stack, do chip tricks with, and are the easiest to handle as well. They are the most expensive traditionally as well. Despite the common thought process that clay is the heaviest, the clay casino chips are usually only 8 or 9 grams per chip. There are some fake clay chips on the market that feel pretty good but they are not as expensive as real clay. If you are looking for some budget choices you can opt for the fake clay style but you may want to check out some customer comments to see what other players are saying about them before you commit to a purchase. Customer comments are a great way to see what people think that are actually handling the chips.

Poker Chip Weight

The weight of the poker chips you choose to purchase is largely a personal preference choice but there are some points that we can share with you that will give you some insight into the different weights and which ones are commonly used in poker games. Lightweight poker chips are going to be cheaper overall but if you are looking for chips that are durable and longer lasting, the heavier weight is the way to go. Heavier chips are also easier to riffle which makes them more popular. Common poker chip weights run anywhere from 7 ½ grams up to 14 grams and will vary according to brand, the casino’s preference, and style.

There are several different designs of poker chips that are commonly used in casinos and private play. We have listed them below.

• Standard – Many poker chip manufacturers offer different designs that can be imprinted on any poker chip. You can buy the ones already printed or for an additional cost you can provide your own graphic artwork so you can get customized chip designs.
• Stickers – Rounds stickers for the face of your poker chips can be purchased from different companies. You can choose stickers with designs or choose blank stickers and customize them on your computer. If you are going to choose stickers for your chips, purchase poker chips that have a recess in the center so the stickers are easier to apply and so they don’t get damaged by the players. Stickers are a great choice for chips that have battered faces. They are just stickers so there will be some wear and tear that will go on but make sure that you stick to the common colors and denominations instead of getting one color with different stickers to mark the differences. This prevents any dishonesty from occurring by anyone who gets ahold of stickers and can change the denominations and sneak them into the pile.
• Silver & gold foil stamping – Poker chips can be stamped with silver or gold lettering. This can usually just be done on chips that have solid color centers. Most people stamp the chips with initials or money denominations. If you have the denominations stamped on the face of the chip keep in mind that you won’t be able to change the value of those chips later on. Sometimes gold or silver stamping will flake off with wear, especially if the chips are lower in quality.
• Engraved chips – Having your poker chips engraved is a great way to make it possible to sneak chips into a game or counterfeit your poker chips. You can engrave anything you want on the chips for an additional cost that is usually configured per chip. Many people will have their place of business, name or initials engraved on the chip face. If you want both sides of the chip engraved this will cost double the amount.

How Many Poker Chips do You Need?

How many poker chips you will need for your games will depend on how big your poker game is going to be. It is a good idea to stock up on your poker chips so you will have enough for many different sized games without running short. You may end up with more chips than you need but it is better to have more than you need than not enough. The following amounts are recommended.

• 3 to 4 players – 200 chips
• 5 to 6 players – 400 chips
• 7 to 8 players – 600 chips
• 8 to 10 players – 800 chips

Conclusion

When it comes to choosing the right poker chips there are several things you will want to consider and think about. There are many different kinds of chips made from many types of materials which can make choosing one really overwhelming.

The purpose of this guide and the reviews we have included above is to make the process less confusing and provide the information you need to understand all the choices and narrow those down so you can purchase the right poker chips for your specific needs.

The three top-rated poker chip choices we have featured above are all good examples of quality poker chips that will enhance your games and provide a casino-style feel. All three selections are perfect for serious poker players and regular games, tournaments, and home games.

The knowledge you have gotten from the included buying guide has provided information about all the different types of poker chips, how much you should get for different sized games, what to look for when you start shopping, and other helpful pieces of information.

You can use this information to sort through the available choices and make a confident decision on the right set of poker chips that will last, be durable, and give you the authentic casino-style card games you and the other players want and enjoy.