Poker Chips Weight Regulations

We don't know about you, but we prefer playing poker with chips rather than cash. Even putting aside the safety issues, chips feel better in your hand, look better stacked in front of you, and sound better clicking and clacking into the pot. But not all poker games are equal and neither are the poker chips they use. Before you buy a poker chip set, you're going to want to know a few things about them, as well as the game you're going to use them on.

13.5 gram Clay Poker Chips - Our 13.5 gram poker chips are what we consider our clay poker chips. 'Clay' is one of the most overly used terms used in the poker chip industry. Contrary to popular belief, no poker chip has been made of 100% clay since the 1950's because the material intself is too brittle and would not last very long with regular. Check out our large selection of bulk poker gaming chips available in 25 count rolls. Choose from clay, ceramic or ABS gaming chips in a number of different weights. Whether you like clay or ceramic, heavy or light weight chips, you will find a large selection of styles guaranteed to fit your game.

How Many Poker Chips to Buy

Depending on the size of your game, you're going to need to stock up on different amounts of chips. We recommend:

• 200 Chips for 3-4 players
• 400 Chips for 5-6 players
• 600 Chips for 7-8 players
• 800 Chips for 8-10+ players

You may end up with more than you need, but it's always better to have too many chips than too few.

What Denominations (Color)?

Most cheap chip sets have too many colors. Follow the casino's lead and only have four at the most. No matter what level you play at, this color scheme and worth will work:

• WHITE - 1 unit
• RED - 5 units
• GREEN - 25 units
• BLACK - 100 units

It's the same as most card room's color scheme, which makes it easy to remember, and makes the transition from the casino to the home game—or vice versa—easier as well.

Clay

There are three types of materials most poker chips are made of. The fanciest kind are known as clay poker chips, though truly they're made of a combo of clay and other materials, and are the standard casino diameter of 39 mm. They have a nice heft and weigh from 8 to 11.5 grams apiece. If you want to provide your players with a special experience, you're going to want to shell out the extra cash and get these chips. You can even go the extra mile and get custom designs on them. While this definitely starts to get expensive, it nearly completely negates the possibility of people introducing chips into your game.

Metal

The second kind of poker chips is made of a metal core surrounded by plastic and weigh either 8 or 11.5 grams. These metal-core composite poker chips are the closest match to what you'll find in most casinos these days and are a good, durable choice. If you're looking for your game to be professional in all ways, (except the rake, of course), then this is the choice.

Plastic

Finally, you'll find plastic poker chips. They aren't as substantial as the other two kinds of chips and are usually filled with more colors than are useful, but they are a lot cheaper and in the end, they do get the job done. You can find a kind of plastic chip that's better than the ones you can pick up at toy stores and department stores, but if you're just starting out, we'd recommend beginning with the cheapest ones and saving your money for when you can buy metal-core or clay chips.

There is a lot of confusion, and misinformation out there about the weight of real casino poker chips. When someone is looking to invest in a high quality set of poker chips, many times they want to try to get as close to the real thing as possible. Some like heavier chips, like some of the 14 gram sets, because they feel good and substantial and are readily available at good prices. Others, want to get true casino weight chips, although most of the time they don't really know what that is.

The answer will surprise most people. There is a general feeling out there that the 11.5 gram chips are the closest to true casino chip weight, but this is simply not true. The truth is that most Las Vegas casinos use chips that you would consider light. Would you be surprised if I said that many top-name casinos use chips that weigh about 10 grams? Well, it's true. Here's a quick breakdown from a few years ago:

There are a few things you may notice from this data. The first is that the weight is probably lighter than you expected. In many cases, when we talk to a customer about 10 gram chips, their first reaction is almost always 'They're too light!'. Well, as you can see, this is actually what the real casinos use.

Official Casino Chip Weight

OK, wait for it. The answer to the question 'What is the official casino poker chip weight?' is... There is none. That's right, there is no official weight. I know, you're probably devastated, but it will be alright. Many people have believed that 11.5 grams was the official weight. This is obviously not true. This myth was most likely started by the chip manufacturers and dealers years ago. The old home-quality poker chips were simply made of plastic with a metal slug. This metal slug brought the weight up to 11.5 grams. Coincidence? Probably not.

Poker Chips Weight Regulations Chart

The reality is that real casinos use whatever chips they want, and for whatever reasons they want. One consideration may be that the lighter the chips are, the easier they are to handle, store and transport. Another issue may be in manufacturing costs. Less weight = less material. Other reasons may be aesthetic, or simple tradition and preference.

So, What chips should I Buy?

Poker Chips Weight Regulations List

Poker Chips Weight Regulations 2020

You are most likely asking this question for a reason. You probably want to buy a set of high quality poker chips. What should you buy? Easy, buy what you like. There is no reason to get caught up in the whole 'official' weight controversy, unless that is truly important to you. Here are a few things to consider:

1. A lighter chip set is easier to carry, especially if you will be transporting them often.
2. High quality clay composite chips are available in a variety of weights. Look for a pleasing design and make sure the chips are of high quality and you will be happy.
3. Don't be afraid of ceramic chips. As you can see above, many casinos use ceramic poker chips.
4. Buy what you like, in the end that's all that matters anyway.

Poker Chips Weight Regulations 2019

If you are interested in buying a nice set of quality poker chips, here are some suggestions that we carry:

• If you want a lighter chip set, but high quality, look into the 10 gram sets we carry, either in clay composite or ceramic.
  • The Claysmith Milano Poker Chips are a great set of 10 gram clay composite chips that are beautiful, stylish and high quality.
  • The Nevada Jack 10g Poker Chips have been a favorite for years. These ceramic chips look great and feel great.
  • The Nile Club 10g Ceramic Poker Chips are a great set as well. High quality ceramic with a beautiful design.
• If you want a heavier set of chips, there are many to choose from. Here are a few of our favorites.
  • Claysmith's Bluff Canyon poker chips come in at 13.5 grams and are great quality. These chips feature an intricate molded design and look and feel great.
  • The Claysmith Desert Heat poker chips have the same intricate mold design and edge spots as the Bluff Canyon, but a more colorful desert themed design.

If you want to see more chips available, be sure to visit our Poker Chip Set page. We have a large selection of quality poker chip sets at great prices.