Can anyone recommend a website where I can buy casino chips that match up 100% to the chips used at casino blackjack tables? Alternatively, if you know the exact size and weight of the chips being used, that would be helpful as well. I've found a few websites, but they all call their chips "poker" chips, and I can't be sure if they match up 100%. I need to practice counting chips (not cards) prior to my first live EBT. Thanks for your help!
Great question. I purchased actual chips and have a set that I use to practice with. However when I was at the GN recently they use "play" NCV chips that were thinner and without markings. UBT uses real chips that are much easier to count but I don't know what they will use at The Palms or Barona. It would be nice if these BJT places would get a STANDARD BJT chip and colors - boy I do a lot of wishing lately don't I?
Checkout this store... I get lots of my gambling supplies at: www.gamblersgeneralstore.com They have a large selection of chips, cards, shoes, holders, layouts, books and ant and everything else you may need. As far as the most popular casino chips, that would be the Cane and Hat chips from Paulson's, but they only sell to the casinos now days. You might be able to find some from a closed casino on e-bay. Hope this helps you out.
Chip Counting Practice For the best practice get solid black ones. They're the hardest to count because you can't see the shadows and cracks between them and it forces you to go by height. Also, solid lime green pastel ones or some other color that dazzles the eyes. That problem might just be peculiar to monkeys, though. :joker: Don't forget that just being able to count the number of chips in a stack isn't enough. You have to be able to quickly calculate what that stack is worth, add it to the values of the other color stacks, and then remember that figure after you've performed this operation on a second opponent's chips.
Chips with everything Is there a standard chip size? I was browsing in a local discount shop and stumbled upon trays of 100 'gambling chips' being sold for £2.99. I couldn't resist purchasing one. They are not too disimilar to the ones I've seen in UK casinos. I presume they are made of a cheaper (plastic) material, but the difference isn't striking. They perhaps weigh a little less, and have the odd imperfection. The dimensions aren't specified, but after measuring a stack with a tape measure I reckon each chip is 1/8th of an inch thick. Colours are solid black, blue, red, green and white. I'm not sure whether it would be worth my while to grab a couple more.
Chips Hi London I look for old chips (non-plastic) with unusual designs because chip collectors will sometimes pay high prices for new items to add to their collection. Beware though, as with any collectible, you shouldn't make a large purchase unless you have some knowledge about what you are buying. I seldom pay more than a dollar or two for a chip.
Hi Pine Tree I had no idea people collected chips, although it stands to reason; people seem to collect just about anything! Like TedInNaples, my main interest is to practice counting chips (in case I ever do play in a live tournament). I'm just not sure whether these plastic things would be useful in that regard. In case there's any confusion, I purchase one tray for £2.99, not one chip!
From what I can determine, the most commonly used casino chips are: Diameter = 39mm Weight = 11.5 grams A stack of 25 chips = 3.25 inches (you make the metric conversion ) (you are pretty close, London Colin) Standard colors: White = $1, Red = $5, Green = $25, Black = $100, Purple = $500 (most casinos), Yellow = $1,000 (again, most casinos) Size and weights can vary. I would say 2% of casinos (primarily Indian) use heavier chips and their edges can be rounded instead of square. But don't be concerned about that. Once you become proficient at counting chips you can easily adjust. If you want authentic chips (without casino logos or unique strips which you cannot buy anyway) they'll cost a lot. The average person will pay over $1 per chip. Less expensive chips that meet the size and weight requirement will cost $0.15 to $0.30 each and are more than adequate for non-casino use. For the purpose of counting chips: Size is important, weight is not important. Also, composition is not important. Buy the cheapest chips you can find that meet the standard size. After all, you're not weighing or handling chips, you're counting them without touching them. I recommend solid color chips as opposed to stripes on the edges. This makes it more difficult to count which hones your counting skills. I think Monkeysystem has a point about using black chips for practice. You can find suppliers on-line by simply doing a search using the key words "poker chips".
Thanks Toolman Those dimensions seem to match what I've got, which was my main concern. At £2.99 for 100, that's about $0.06 per chip. (with a nice tray to keep them in included.) I think I might grab some more. I can always organise a poker night, if I get bored counting the things! The only potential issue with what they are made of is that, even though they are solid colour, it doesn't seem that difficult to distinguish the gaps between them. There may be a problem with 'build quality'.
In live tournament play, having an estimate of your opponents chips is all that is normally needed until the last few hands. So what you want to do is practice estimating chips by the size of the stack and your "cheep chips " should be fine for that. Once you get that skill under control, you can size up all the real competitors in a few seconds as the game proceeds. However, to practice exact counting which is often needed in the end game, having the "gaps" in the chips make them less than desirable. Personally, I would spend a little more to get better chips. The idea is to practice under very hard conditions so that in actual play it will seem easier.
Thanks! Wow! The information exchange on this site is awesome. Thanks for all your tips and great info. I really appreciate it. And thanks, Ken, for creating and managing this site! - Ted
