How to distinguish a real casino chip from a fake one
If you have ever played poker in a real casino, the appearance of real poker chips is not a secret to you. It is about poker chips – a mandatory attribute of every game that we would like to tell you in this short article.
The fact is that many professional and novice players quite often want to buy themselves a few chips for home use – to organize tournaments with friends and family. It is quite natural that when choosing chips for such cases, they strive to purchase high-quality goods that will most fully convey the atmosphere of a real casino.
Unfortunately, almost all the chips that can be found on the open market today are not an authentic product – their production violates the production technology or even the composition of the materials from which the chips themselves are made. If you believe the statistics, then the number of real poker chips, the quality, and manufacturing standards of which are 100% the same as those sent to the casinos in Las Vegas, is about one percent of the total mass sold. Naturally, you can use cheap chips, for example, made of plastic, for the game, however, only real chips can provide you with the most complete gaming experience.
So, we have already decided that there are quite a few real chips on the market. Now it’s time to learn how to distinguish them from fakes and cheap counterparts. The first thing to look for when choosing chips is the material from which they are made. Real chips, which any self-respecting casino can boast of, are made of clay. At the same time, you should not allow yourself to be deceived by purchasing chips, the material of which is something else. In particular, if you see composite clay chips on the counter or the window of an Internet store, feel free to turn around – this is just a fake, striving to resemble the original. The same should be done in cases where you are promised “casino-style” or “casino-level” chips – at best, this means that these chips meet the standards of weight and size.
In order not to drag out the argument, we offer you four main points that must be observed when choosing real chips. They will be especially useful for online poker players who have never seen real chips.
Rule #1
The first thing to pay attention to is the cost of one chip. Today you cannot find a real clay chip for less than 75 cents. If you are offered options for 50 or 25 cents, be sure that the seller is simply tired of his plastic chips lying on the counter.
Rule #2
The second rule is that the weight of the chips must meet the standards. There is no document indicating the correct weight of poker chips, however, in all major casinos there is one unspoken poker rule – a chip should not be lighter than 8.5 grams and not heavier than 10. However, even if the chip fully matches this requirement, do not forget that you can “correct” the weight by melting a piece of heavy material, for example, metal, into the chip. On the other hand, if the weight exceeds 10 grams, this automatically allows you to conclude that this is a fake casino chip.
Rule #3
Hear how the gambling chips sound. Surprisingly, this criterion is very important. A good clay sample sounds soft and melodic when you move the stack – all pros are familiar with this. Ceramic chips appeared later, their tonality is slightly higher than clay ones. Cheap options with metal inserts make an unnatural, sharp ringing that can be annoying. If your goal is to buy real professional chips, you should listen to their sound in a casino, and then check the potential purchase.
Rule #4
Pay attention to the logo. Admirers of logos should pay attention to the quality of such symbols. If this is an ordinary sticker, which the artisanal Chinese manufacturers love so much, it should not lag behind the surface – try to peel it back with your fingernail. Of course, this is not the best option; over time, such a drawing will lose its attractiveness or disappear altogether. Very often, all kinds of inscriptions are applied to the chip. Naturally, they should not be erased at the slightest touch-swipe over such a chip with a sharp object.
Other nuances
Design and color are personal preferences of everyone. Chips indicating the denomination are very convenient, but this property is also not for everybody. In terms of numbers, a reasonable amount of chips per player is between 50 and 100. Pay attention that all poker chip denominations have their own casino chips value.
Casino chips for sale can be bought at a specialty store or ordered online. In the first case, everything is simpler – the product is available. As for online sellers, they often value their reputation and provide buyers with the opportunity to get a trial. You should take advantage of this advantage. In a word, it is important to hold the chip in your hands to draw conclusions about the quality and not be disappointed in the purchase.
