A Review of Las Vegas Casino Poker Chips

Las Vegas casino poker chips are the best chips, but not all are created equal. It is rumored that there is an official weight limit for the chips, which is not true. When shopping for chips online, you will see that they offer chips weighing up to 12 grams, at higher prices, but the simple fact is that the average weight in grams of a casino chip is less than ten.

The variation in the weight of the chip depends on the material from which it is made, the design that is used and the amount of ink required for it. No two casinos use the exact same composition to mold chips, and they are only produced by a very small number of companies, all from the United States, that are related. The mix used is well protected to prevent chip counterfeiting.

Using their own compounding formula, Las Vegas casino poker chips are injected into a mold that has a design that has been copied, in a manufacturing setup that is as safe as mint. The formula uses a synthetic polymer acrylic material, with a laminated center. Although it weighs close to ten grams, the size is the same in all casinos, measuring around an inch and a half in diameter, or thirty-nine millimeters.

The three manufacturers typically used by Las Vegas casinos are Paul-Son, Chipco, and Bud Jones. They all use different manufacturing processes. The technique used by Paul-son is a compression molding system, using extreme pressure to fuse colors into a solid piece. with irregular stripes of color on the edge of each tile (if you play poker in Las Vegas, you’ve no doubt seen players trying to stack their chips by matching the stripes on the edges of each tile).

Bud Jones uses injection molding. The patterns, the preformed letter and the denominations are joined and solidified by injecting plastic material around them. Sometimes they also use metal inlay chips.

Chipco is the newest of the three major manufacturers. They use ceramic material injection molded in one piece. You can recognize these chips by their full-color graphics and border designs. They are the only one of the three that prints numbers and letters on the actual edge of the chip.

Recently, casinos began issuing commemorative chips for certain events. The MGM Grand put out a token for the George Foreman fight, the Tropicana issued one for the Kentucky Derby, and Caesars Palace celebrated George Burns’ 100th birthday with one. These chips are just as valuable and play just like any other Las Vegas casino poker chip at the tables, but most people who purchase them take them home as collectors’ items. If you see one and want it, grab it fast!

Since poker became the “big game” in Las Vegas, many people buy chips to play at home. An interesting way to do this is to literally buy them at the casino and take them home with you. Use them for your games at home, and if you ever stop playing or need the money, exchange them at the casino where you got them for full value. Don’t worry about any changes a casino might make, or even the possibility of a casino being sold or closed. This would only make your Las Vegas casino poker chips even more valuable!