[jojobinks]

11.5 Slug-weighted Plastic Chips

Manufacturer: Chinese Imports (varies greatly)
Retailer(s): Countless, including 5star ebay
Average Price: Around 10 cents
Material: Plastic with metal insert for weight
Member Review by: Jojobinks

These babies are the baseline. They're the cheapest and most common 11.5g chip there is. Although they are constantly bashed on forums like this, they aren't that bad.

Price

Fairly cheap. The tend to sell for about $50 per 500 in your standard ebay auction. Be careful when searching, by the way; many sellers sell for prices under $10, but will include a large shipping cost.

Feel

Not so good. They're slick and difficult to shuffle. This varies, however, by manufacturer. I’ve played with some of these that were slippery but reasonable; I’ve played with some that were nearly impossible to handle too. They have good heft to them (11.5 g, dood!), which is a good point.

Stacking

This is the dices' weakest point. If you play on a padded table, 20 high is dangerous with these babies. If you play on a hard table, they still wobble more than any other chip you'll ever own, and stacks of 40 or more are, while not impossible, not functional.

Sound

Metallic. Not good. They clink, in a pitch way higher than clay/ceramic.

Looks

I don't find them to be so bad. They have edgespots, although all white. The colors are fine and plentiful at ten choices, and they don't get dirty. In fact, over time these chips should look exactly the same unlike high end chips, which will wear over time. The bad news is that if you ever add to your collection of these, it’s very possible the chips you add-on won’t look the same. They’re made by several manufacturers, and word is that color and quality vary greatly.

Security/Originality

The worst. These are the absolutely most common chip in America (the world?). If security is an issue for you, get better, more expensive chips. They can be hotstamped, if you like that sort of thing. Of course that will bump the price, which is probably the reason you would decide to go with these in the first place. I've heard and seen that people have done custom labels with dice chips, but the centers are not recessed. The lifespan on the labels can't be good, and it would make them stack in unevenly and not fit in tight racks.

Durability

Superior. I’ve played these a lot (not the use a casino chip might get; more like play twice a week) for two years, and they show no wear at all. They don’t get dirty, they don’t soften up, they don’t lose color, they don’t break, they don’t warp. They don’t do anything but look and feel exactly how they did when you got them. And that’s not so bad. As cheap as these chips are, one might expect to hear some much worse things.

Reviewers Comments

Bottom line: I'm realistic; you're on this site because you like chips. Otherwise you'd be elsewhere reading about someone's bad beats, or asking for the release date of HOH2. Therefore, you probably are thinking about buying some nice chips. These chips are the gateway, however, and I recommend them to anyone that's just getting started with their home game. There's a reason why all the noobs that buy these love them; they're pretty cool. Just not as cool, by a long shot, as any chip that's in the 50 cent-$1+ range.

1/17/2006 edit: I don't recommend these chips anymore, and haven't since I figured out how sweet the faux clays are. There's really no reason to pay $50 for dice when you can get better chips for less. The faux's won't be around for ever (or even in a year from now, b/c they've been discontinued). But the more samples I got this year, the harder it is for me to make even the qualified recommendation I made in this review last spring. .

Chip Pictures

[vrecksler]

11.5g Weighted Composite Chips
Purchased from: http://www.ebay.com
Price Paid: 17¢ each

I think these chips are utilitarian and little else since there are many other affordable chip options these days...they are now somewhat obsolete. While the colours and designs will vary greatly, the feel and sound are less appealing and overall they do not enhance the poker playing experience very well. However, they are chips and if there is no other alternative it is still fun to play a round of poker with friends using an 11.5g metal slugged poker chip.

Pros:

• Price: They are now very inexpensive, making them an option for large games
• Structure: They are virtually indestructible and can handle a lot of abuse
• Variety: They are available in so many designs and colours you can usually find something you are happy with

Cons:

• Sound: The metal slug is all you hear when these chips are splashed
• Feel: They are made of ABS, so they are slippery (horrible stacking chips) and feel as cheap as they are

[jbones]

11.5g Weighted Composite chips
Purchased from: Target
Price Paid: $ .067 ea

To many ChipTalk.net members, these chips are totally unacceptable. But to most poker players, these chips are actually pretty nice. They make great gifts. I purchased a 300 chip set for just $20 plus tax at Target, and it wasn't even on sale. They had plenty at that price, so when I was looking for a gift for a friend it didn't take much thought, especially since I've heard him say he liked these chips before when we played with them at a home game. Like many CT'ers I started with a set of these myself, as a gift. When I got them I thought they were great, but as soon as I started playing with other chips I realized that they weren't anything amazing. Still, to someone who hasn't and won't experience other chips, these should be just fine.

Pros:

• As mentioned, these chips are amazing. You really can't beat a 300 chip set for $20, even if you're going Faux Clays. Most people who don't have much experience with higher end chips will actually prefer dice chips to Faux Clays because of how plain the FC design is, at least in my experience.
• If you lose any of these or damage them (which you won't), they are extremely easy to replace.
• Although their extremely low price as well as relative ease to find they aren't very secure, you can find enough different colors, patterns that you can make them secure.
• If you have a set of nice chips that you don't like to break out for impromptu games, you can use these to avoid harm to your expensive chips.

Cons:

• They aren't very stable in large stacks, and are very slippery
• The design is very bland
• The metal slug produces what we, as bona fide chip snobs think of as a disgusting sound when stacked/ splashed in the pot.
• They aren't very secure at all if you buy the regular black/red/blue/white set at your local retailer.

Still, to someone without extensive experience with nice chips, these are unbeatable for the value.

[KingZilla]

11.5g Weighted Composite Chips
Purchased from: www.5stardeal.com
Price Paid: 10¢ each including hot stamps

Awful, awful chips. These were the first chips I bought and I soon sold them on ebay (thankfully). If you need cheap, consider 9g diamonds or faux clays: save your money and your sanity.

Pros:

• Better than using match sticks or pennies for chips.

Cons:

• Material: Hard, slick ABS with metal inserts. slippery, hard and sound like coins.
• Inconsistency of manufacture: These are made in many different versions, evidently by different manufacturers in China.
• Value: Waste of money! Save a little more and apply that money to something else, ANYTHING else.

[BCR_9er]

11.5g Weighted Composite Chips
Purchased from: Discount Casino Gear
Price Paid: $.0588 each

The 11.5g weighted composite chips are perfect for those who are seeking a cheap home game set. I feal these chip are bashed too much in forums. They aren't that bad. They are much much better than those 100% plastic chips you buy at dollar stores. I believe they are the best deal on poker chips.

Pros:

• Durability: They are nearly indestructable!
• Very inexpensive: $.05-$.07 each.
• Color availability: Many colors allow you to build a set with many denominations.

Cons:

• Resale value: If you get a set, plan on having it forever!
• Inconsistency: I've bought from Discount Casino Gear twice about a year apart. There was a huge color difference. Don't plan on adding on to a set once you get one.
• Feel: The slick feel is why many people dislike these chips.
• Sound: High pitch clinking. Another reason why people dislike these chips.
• Security: These chips can be purchased almost anywhere. Someone can very easily buy some to import.