Understanding what you're buying is important with any purchase you make, and
this goes for poker chips as well. The following tutorial will help explain the different
poker chips available today, and more importantly, show you how to spot quality
poker supplies.

There are many websites out there selling cheaply manufactured poker chips and
poker chip cases, while trying to lure you with too good to be true prices. For legal
reasons, we can not disclose the names of these websites, but after reading the
information below, you'll be an informed consumer and know how to spot a
quality poker chip.

                                                                                                      There are three different classifications of poker chips available today:

  Plastic Chips - Composed entirely of plastic, these are
  the ones you've probably played with at one time in your
  life.

  Also known as "Supermarket Poker Chips", they weigh
  only a few grams, and are for those who are on a tight
  budget. Since these can be found in almost any store,
  we do not carry this grade of poker chip.

  Composite - Can be composed of a range of different
  materials, but most composite chips are made of a
  material called ABS (high impact strength plastic).

  Composite chips contain a metal insert that adds weight
  to the chip, and also gives it the ability to be custom hot
  stamped. This is the type of chip you see on most gaming
  supply websites.

Many times you'll hear unscrupulous internet retailers refer to an ABS composite
poker chip as "clay composite", when they know it has no clay content at all. We
emailed a company who was calling their chips clay composite, when we knew for a
fact the particular line of chips they were selling was ABS, with no clay content
whatsoever. Here was their response:

Dear David,

All of our chips are ABS composite (plastic). The word “Clay Composite” was
coined by many on the internet over a year ago for ABS composite (plastic)
chips and everybody went along. Most internet merchants call them clay
composite with or without knowing that the chips actually have little of no clay in
them. It is just a buzzword that has been created and now everybody wants
clay composite, so we are just following along. Hope this explains it.

Sincerely,
(name kept anonymous for legal reasons)

This is an example of what's going on out there, so be careful when you see a
chip called clay composite! It probably has no clay content at all. Just know
that most of the chips you see online are ABS composite chips.

ABS Composite chips have certain advantages. The first is price. ABS is a less
expensive material than clay. So a composite chip is always going to be
lower in price than a chip with actual clay content.  

Secondly, composite chips can yield sharper, more detailed designs than a
clay chip can (ABS plastic used in composites is harder than clay, and this
hardness creates sharper designs). Composite chips also have more
durability and lifespan. Poker chips with clay content can easily chip and
wear down much faster than ABS composite chips.

You may hear or have read a variety of complaints about composite chips. One
that we have heard is that it has a metal insert. We really don't see a problem
with a metal insert in a poker chip.

It gives the chip weight and ability to be hot stamped without cracking as much.
Some players don't like the pinging sound it makes when dropped into a pile
of chips, while others actually like the sound. So it's a matter of preference.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF THE POKER CHIP

Important! Our recommendation when shopping for any chip is to pay attention
to quality! There are a lot of low quality ABS composite chips out there. Many
are illegal knock off versions of copyrighted designs. On the following page, we
will show you how to recognize a quality poker chip.

All poker chips sold at Pokerchiplounge.com are from the manufacturer that holds
the original US copyright for that chip design. This ensures you are getting only
the best quality. To view our composite poker chip sets, first choose the type of
case you want, and then choose composite chips. Click here to start.

  Clay Composite Chips - Composed of clay plus some
  other material. Sometimes metal inserts are added for
  extra weight and hot stamping ability.

  There is no such thing as 100% pure clay poker chips.
  A pure clay chip would be so weak and brittle you would be
  able to snap it in half. That means that any clay chip is a
  clay composite, even a real Las Vegas casino chip, which is
  usually a clay-ceramic composite. 

Certain players prefer clay composite because the chips have a duller texture and
different feel than that of an ABS composite chip. One advantage to the dull surface of
a clay composite poker chip is its better stacking ability. ABS composite chips
have a slicker surface, and do not stack on top of each other as well as clay composite
does. Based on customer feedback, stacking ability is more of an issue to professional
and frequent players than it is to the average player.

A second advantage is one of nostalgia. For some players, just knowing that they are
playing with clay in their chips, the same material that original poker chips were
composed of, is important. Also since clay composites are used in casinos, knowing
you're playing with the same type of chip as they do in Las Vegas may mean
something to you.

Owning a set of clay composite poker chips does have its disadvantages as well.
Most importantly is the fact that they simply have less durability than that of
ABS composite. A clay composite chip is more fragile than an ABS composite, it can
chip and will show scuff marks much easier. Because they are clay composite, real casino
chips get beat up quite easily. But for those who really prefer clay, this is accepted and
actually adds character to the chip.

Price is another factor when considering a clay composite poker chip set. Clay is a much
more expensive material than ABS, and the price of the chip will reflect that. Clay chips
also have different sound when splashed against the pot than ABS chips. The clay gives
it more of a "thud" than the "ping" you get with a composite chip.

Pokerchiplounge.com clearly defines the difference between clay composite vs. standard composite. In other words, if it has clay in it, it will be simply identified as clay composite.
Now within the clay composite chip selections, different chips use varying amounts of clay.
Generally speaking, the more clay in a chip, the more you'll pay for the set. 

We have put together a fantastic selection of high quality clay composite poker chips that
are affordable in price. Click here to view our complete line of clay composite
poker chip sets.

Composite Poker Chip Advantages: Affordability, Sharper Detail, Better Durability

Clay Composite Poker Chips Advantages: Better Stacking, Nostalgic, Different Sound

Once you have decided which type of chip best fits what you're looking for, the next very
important step is finding a quality poker chip. There are hundreds of composite and
supposed clay poker chips found on online and at various department stores, many are
low in quality.

In part 2, we discuss how to recognize a quality poker chip. We will show photo
comparisons and actually identify counterfeit poker chips so you don't fall prey to
buying junk.

               Click Here to Learn How to Recognize Quality Poker Chips