[Jestyr]

Ok,

I am new here, but have wanted nice chips for a number of years. I never wanted to spend the money (still don't!, but oh well), but I figure the sooner I get them the sooner I can enjoy them...

So...

I ordered a few different sample sets of different chips:
Pharoh's
Egyptian
Tiki Kings

From that, I decided to go with clay over ceramic. Although I know Chipco are used in Vegas, clay just feels more real to me. Hard to explain, but even though my head says "they are both legit", my heart says that clay is legit.

Also, I want the set to work for tourneys and cash games (low stakes).

So what clay is best for me?

I have contacted a few chiptalk members about sets they have offered on the M2M area, as well as looking on ebay.

My 2 front runners:

Mixed set of James Bond Blue Chip and some old Paulson
This is being offered at a good deal (so if I don't get it, someone should). It is like 1200 or so chips of mixed denominations. I am concerned that I have read the chips are as light as 8 grams.
Upside: Good deal on a good chip
Downside: I don't LOVE the design of the chip; I am VERY concerned that the weight will bother me; I'd have to get a few more $1 and $5 chips, as the set doesnt have a lot of them.

President New Yorker
I would have to get this in a few different places. I'd get a set of low denoms on chip talk and then fill in the 25s, 100s and maybe 500s on ebay.
Upside: Real top hat and cane paulsons; good design; should maintain value
Downside: Cost; availability of the high denom chips; no .25 chip so I would have to use a different style chip to play cash games

So basically, it would be cheaper for me to get 1250 James Bond chips over 750 PNY. But I am concerned with the weight and that I don't love the design.

I would love some advice...

[Stevo]

My advice would be - get samples and decide for yourself.

There are a ton of options out there. I have a bunch of sets of cheap chips, some labelled nexgens, and finally, a bunch of hot-stamped casino paulsons that i labelled to make my own.

I think if I could have done it all over again and gotten clay, and I think a lot of people will tell you, get a custom ASM set. I have never touched one, but the ability to really personalize the set probably did it for most.

Today, if I were to get a set, I'd probably go with one of the ceramic group-buys (cheap), some hotstamped Blue Chips (the weight never bothered me and I actually like em as much a Paulson due to their hardness), or some custom chips from ABC. I know you want clays, but you should really check out what some people have done with the aligned edge-spots in the custon chip gallery section. Some of those chips are simply unreal.

Ok, I don't know if that helped, but it kind of puts it out there.

[hachkc]

1. How much do you want to spend or better yet how much can you afford.

2. Is this a cash set, tourney set or both. If both will you reuse denoms across the cash and tourney or do you want separate denoms for the cash and tourney chips.

3. Do you prefer a used, retired casino set (expensive, distinctive) or brand new generally available chip set (cheaper, easier to addon to).

There are a number of new sets on their way out that might be worth looking into like the Proteges, Speakeasy's, HS Paulsons. You can also buy the BC James Bonds from http://www.bluechipcasinochips.com/. Dice702 carries the newer Paulson-based James Bonds also (not the old, valuable THC versions).

[JM]

I would say that if you like the pharaohs and think they feel right, that you'd probably be disappointed with the blue chip version. They are much lighter, look/feel/sound much different than the paulson version. I think the paulson 2005 version is very nice, it was my first real set. Definitely check out the new paulson suits mold chips that just came out. There's a version with shaped inlays and one with hotstamps that you could label yourself. If you want the hotstamp version, its only available now through apachepokerchips.com, the inlay version will be available from virtually any trademark/5star reseller and several vendors here have them (palm imports, epokerdeals, etc).

[Mike Sears]

Don't forget that if you get a mixed set of JB's (BC & Paulson) you may have chips of different weights, so be careful.

[tri-lam]

That mixed set is mine (the $1's and $5s are Paulson and the rest are BC) The weight difference never bothered me one bit. But that's me. I liked the look of the Paulson 1 & 5 as opposed to the BC version of those JB chips, so that's why the set is mixed. But, even though the entire set is reasonably priced, I wouldn't suggest anyone spend several hundred dollars on something that they are not going to comfortable with. My advice. . . get a few samples (say 5 of both types - enough to make a little stack of each and see what you think - then decide.) Thats what I did.

[Troutman]

Originally Posted by JM

I would say that if you like the pharaohs and think they feel right, that you'd probably be disappointed with the blue chip version. They are much lighter, look/feel/sound much different than the paulson version. I think the paulson 2005 version is very nice, it was my first real set. Definitely check out the new paulson suits mold chips that just came out. There's a version with shaped inlays and one with hotstamps that you could label yourself. If you want the hotstamp version, its only available now through apachepokerchips.com, the inlay version will be available from virtually any trademark/5star reseller and several vendors here have them (palm imports, epokerdeals, etc).

I' m w/JM on this one. I would get the paulson private card room chips at apachepokerchips.com. They are still cheap...i think they are about .85 a piece now. Too bad you missed the group guy...I can't wait. Also, fellow member ramses has some very cool Rounders movie replica ASM chips for sale right now....for a great price! If i wasn't broke i would buy them.

[Jestyr]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Now I am even more undecided than before!!!

I do know that I want clay. I actually like the way Chipcos feel (I noticed this when I played at the Luxor) and I thought for the longest time that I would get them. Then, I got the Pharohs and there was no way I could get a set of ceramics! It isn't that I fell in love with the Pharohs -- I don't love the design -- I just felt like I was back in Vegas. I did not feel that way with the Egyptians.

But Steveo said that most people here, if they had to do over, would get a set of custom ASM. In fact, many of the posts on the M2M area are of people that say they got their customs so they want to sell their old chips. Well, shoot!!!

I will say that everyone I have spoken to about their sets for sale have been awesome. Tri-Lam even offered to send me a sample set!

I really appreciate everyone's help and patience with such a chip noob!

-Jestyr

[hachkc]

Clay is the way.

Just find what works best for you: stock, custom, retired casino.

[DarrenB]

Originally Posted by Jestyr

Thank you everyone for your advice. Now I am even more undecided than before!!!

I do know that I want clay. I actually like the way Chipcos feel (I noticed this when I played at the Luxor) and I thought for the longest time that I would get them. Then, I got the Pharohs and there was no way I could get a set of ceramics! It isn't that I fell in love with the Pharohs -- I don't love the design -- I just felt like I was back in Vegas. I did not feel that way with the Egyptians.

But Steveo said that most people here, if they had to do over, would get a set of custom ASM. In fact, many of the posts on the M2M area are of people that say they got their customs so they want to sell their old chips. Well, shoot!!!

I will say that everyone I have spoken to about their sets for sale have been awesome. Tri-Lam even offered to send me a sample set!

I really appreciate everyone's help and patience with such a chip noob!

-Jestyr

When I was new to chips and Chiptalk.net I also asked on the forum which chips to buy. I couldn't decide between Ceramics and Clays. Everybody kept telling me to buy both if I couldn't decide (of course with alot of smiley figures)...
...about 6 months later I own full sets of Paulson Pharaoh's, Egyptians, Grand Havanas (ChipCos) and now recently I bought set of Bud Jones Wyndhams! Plus I've ordered hundreds of sample chips just to play around with.

What I've noticed is that my Pharaoh's are absolutely top notch, they are GREAT! I do alot of chip tricks and they are my favourit chips for doing tricks cause they have such great feeling, sound, stackability etc.

I would say start with Paulson chips and after a while add a ChipCo set... maybe customized?

//D