Gift for Poker Players
By: CHRONO STOCK

One thing that is a must for playing poker is a good set of Poker Chips. For the real poker enthusiast is important that the chips have a quality feel like that of clay poker chips. If you are looking for a gift for poker players, you can’t go wrong with a good set of poker chips.

When it comes to buying chips as a gift for poker players, especially on the web, the term “Clay poker chips” is sometime very misleading.. While only a handful of companies in the world offer true clay poker chips, almost every poker chip vendor out there claims to sell them, often using intentionally vague marketing such as “clay composite”, “casino-grade”, or “casino-style” poker chips. In reality, they are not true clay chips and are nothing close to the actual chips they are using in Las Vegas casinos today. When buying a gift for poker players it’s important to note that most chips are nothing more than injection-molded plastic poker chips. You can find different varieties of these chips pretty much everywhere online and in regular retail stores. Some have metal inserts. Some do not. Some weigh 8 grams. Some weigh 11.5 grams. Some weigh more and some weigh less. All of them claim to be “just like the casinos”, yet almost none are.

To avoid the disappointment of buying an inferior product, when buying a gift for poker players, it’s necessary to learn to tell the true clay poker chips from all the imitators. The price of the chip can be the first tip off. Authentic casino chips cost around $1.00 to $1.50 per chip, some more, some less, depending on the style and quality. If a chip is for sale for less than 75 cents per chip, it’s not likely an authentic casino chip. Usually, the price difference is much more distinct as most low end chips sell for less than 25 cents per chip, and the really cheaply made ones sell for closer to 10 cents per chip.

Weight is the second tip off. The standard weight of authentic casino chips is between 8.5 and 10 grams. Every chip you’ll find in Las Vegas is in this weight range. Unfortunately, there is an overwhelming amount of conflicting and confusing information about the weight of poker chips on the web.

Authentic poker chips have a standardized diameter of 39mm. Low-end poker chips, although there is no standard, are typically 40mm. There are Inlays (on true clay poker chips) which means the center sticker with printed graphics, which typically includes the chip denomination. It’s not a sticker, as it is compression-molded into the chip and is not removable.

So as you can see, when you decide to buy chips as a gift for poker players there is a lot to know. Other than learning all about the chip business, your best bet is to go with a trusted vendor as it's often difficult for a novice to tell what a true clay poker chip is and what is not unless they can compare it directly to a chip brought home from a casino. Unfortunately, the poker chip retail industry is full of unscrupulous vendors who sell low-end plastic chips and call them "clay composite".

Dennis B. is a writer for Nostalgia Art . com where you can find accurate information about a Gift for Poker Players and other related information.

10 Tips on Finding a Good Online Poker Room

Many factors have to be considered when playing poker on online poker rooms. Not only will you be entering monetary transactions on the Web where hackers and intruders loom but you are also entrusting your money and some personal information to these companies. So how do you choose the poker room that will suit you and how will you know if it is any good? Try looking up some of these online poker rooms using these guidelines: 1. Does the poker room prioritize safety and privacy?. . .

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