i’ve been doing some research recently into poker chips. there apparently are several different grades of poker chips for the discerning poker player. i think it can be broken down into 4 distinct categories.

the first category of chips are the plastic chips. these are probably the most common and the cheapest poker chips you can find. they usually are made out of cheap plastic and can be found as interlocking, stackable chips. they have a very unsatisfying clinking sound when thrown into the pot. the benefit of these chips are that they usually are found very cheaply for about $5 per 100 chips.

the next category of chips are the plastic composite chips. these usually weigh in at about 4 grams or so and are also usually found pretty cheap. though they have a more solid feel to them, they still don’t quite have the right weight that one sees in the casino.

the third category of chips are the 8 gram poker chips, usually found in many game and hobby stores. these chips used to be the closest approximation to casino chips that you could buy on the market. they are usually molded from some composite of materials, clay being one of them. these are pretty decent chips and can usually be found for $15-20 per 100.

but the holy grail of poker chips for the consumer are the 11.5 gram poker chips. these are casino quality and weight poker chips. they usually come in at about $35-50 per 100 and they can be custom stamped or logo’d for more. these are the chips to have the closest weight and feel to casino chips that you can get. simply delicious.

i am thinking about getting some more chips, but i’m not sure which ones to get just yet. i think that i’m leaning towards the 8 gram chips. the 11.5 gram chips look very tempting, but i just don’t think that i can justify spending that much on those chips just yet. it’s not like i’m a hardcore poker player or anything.