[MeridianFC]

.......is secure enough for you?

Let me ramble a bit.

I've asked this question in other fora but thought I throw it out here amongst my fellow chip hounds. Obviously folks here love their cheques and like to represent at their personal gaming tables. We are however often caught in a bind as far as 1. what we really want and 2. what the manufacturers will let us order. Seems like in many cases the better the manufacturer the less choice you have, and outside of the aesthetics it's these choices that lend security to your gaming tokens.

Now I'm not worried about RFID, infrared marking, etc. since none of us have access to or really need these things (and if you do you're operating at a level well above what I perceive this board is about). That said I think all of know about, have heard about, or have experienced someone running chips into a game, this might have been the inspiration for getting custom (or customizing) chips in the first place.

So how secure is secure enough for you? Do you figure the high cost of new Paulsons will keep anyone from loading up on $25 chips? Are you running mostly tournies where this is mitigated? Custom ASMs got you sorted? Are you only worried about high value chips? Contained smaller group buys have you comfortable with the number of your kind of chip out there?

My game is certainly no "back room vegas everyone must be tooled up this is for real" kind of thing, but even at our modest stakes ($50 buy in un limited rebuy, big bet $5; tournies anywhere from $10-25) we can still end up with over a grand on the table. My core group is pretty tight but we do have "strangers" (the friend of a friend or internet foundling) from time to time.

I've played in some games around town with bigger buy ins and they're still using dice chips, which both amazes and worries me. But I digress. How exclusive do you think your chips need to be to make you feel ok? I'm curious to hear what folks say.

[tomb1]

The old saying is, "Play the players, not the cards." In the case of home/local games with your own chips I say "trust the players, not the chips." (Or maybe, "worry about the players, not the chips"!)

If you play with regulars and don't experience any problems, then I wouldn't worry too much. But if you have a wide open game with lots of new people, then you might want to be more secure.

Of course, there are many other reasons to want/get custom chips, but security would be lower on my list....

[warewulf]

There are games 7 days a week in my area, I'm the only one that uses secure chips (Custom tr kings). I haven't heard of anyone sneaking chips in to any of the games. Some are multi table tournies that have lots of strangers/new people. Most use dice or other mass produced cheap chips. I figure that people would be reluctant because if they are caught, they wouldn't likely make it out in one piece.

I still wouldn't use chips in my game that were not secure. One set I use in cash games is of valid $1 Binions chips. If someone wants to sneak them in, I don't think I would really mind.

[Donny Baker]

The games that I play in are usually $20 buy-in no limit games mostly with people we all trust, but you never know when someone might bring a friend and try to sneak in a chip.

I figure someday the stakes may go up and more money will be in play, but just to make sure I can play and not worry about anything, I have hotstamped chips from pc.com on the way.

Do I think someone would try anything, no, but I am sure they won't now.

I mainly got hotstamped chips to have chips that no one else has and the security feature is just an added bonus.

[Fins]

Originally Posted by Donny Baker

I have hotstamped chips from pc.com on the way.

Pics & a review plz... w/n they come in of course.

[Matthew]

I think the custom is more for the looks than security....definately at my game. In over 5 years there has never been a case of extra chips. We're all neighbors, the wives know each other and the kids go to school together. Every so often we get a friend of a friend kind of thing and if extra came in - it would be a real short list of who the culprit was.

We're going for the nice chip to play with and coolness factor not security concerns.

Matthew

[dad604]

In games held at my place, I am not worry about security as the group are all well know friends. Any chips I buy will be more for WOW factor than for security.

[Annorax]

The highest game I play in is $5 buyin 0.05/0.10 NL, not at my place, and I provide Copags and the infamous dice chips for it. I don't see the point in making these secure or buying customs for this game when anyone sneaking a chip in is going to get caught and not make more than a buck for their trouble. These guys run through cards like no other, and I'm tempted to just start buying the Empire cards from 5Star.

When I convince them to move up to meaningful stakes, I'll label up Nexgen Lucky Bees for a cash set and either dice chips or Las Vegas 9g blanks for a tourney set.

[tripod22]

I use custom labels on a composite chip for an economical solution.

As others have noted, I'm amazed to see $50 buy in games where I live that are using cheap dice chips!

[Wylecoyo]

Concur with most of the above, my OCD regarding chips is pride of ownership rather than concern for security.