Poker chips have been around for almost as long as the game of poker itself has been around. Although
these poker chips were definitely not what you or I would pick up for a gaming session with our buddies. During the 1800s
as poker and gaming in general was gaining popularity across the United States
particularly in the west
there was a need to keep track of the game play and of winnings and losses.
Not everybody had the same currency
and some people had no currency at all. Instead
perhaps they had small pieces of gold they were able to mine out or other expensive ores
gems or minerals. Maybe they just had a lot of supplies or even exotic or hard to grow foods. This was all most people had
so these were used by players as poker chips. However
there was also need for standardization and larger amount of chips.
Players wanted to play with more money than they always carried with them
or if they did have their money with them
they didn’t want to leave it on a table with a bunch of angry
edgy guys getting drunk and losing their money. And who can blame them for that? So bars and gambling houses began providing poker chips to these players. They would hold on to the money
probably collect a fee for their efforts
and everybody would be on an equal playing ground and their money and valuables would be safe.
Of course
there was no such thing as plastic in these days
or any mass produced poker chips of any kind. In place of these items were stones
pieces of wood and even bones. These small gaming houses
which were also probably brothels as well
began the trend of taking people’s money or valuables and turning it into house poker chips that had the same value. But in fact
the history of poker chips can actually be extended much farther back and across the globe. Different civilizations loved to gamble and different kinds of games were played by all
all with their own “poker chips” to keep track of it all.
By the late 1800s
there were finally clay poker chips being made. As technology improved and new materials and production methods began appearing
plastic chips and acrylic chips also started to be made. Other materials include ivory and composites of stones and other materials.
The History of Poker Chips – Paying Dividends for Poker Players Today
By the middle of the 20th century
the massive casinos that have come to be the preferred destination for gamblers around the globe began to popularize. This meant two things
both of which have helped all poker players everywhere. First
there was a need to start producing literally millions of poker chips. These casinos are massive and they have thousands of people playing at any given time and there’s more casinos than one could count.
Secondly
there was a need to be able to separate and authenticate the multitudes of poker chips on the market. With today’s technology
that means that poker chips used by casinos have microchips implanted in them
weigh very specific amounts and come with different sizes and textures. Of course
a casino’s poker chips are also intricately designed and styled so they cannot be forged by a would be counterfeiter.
But because of the companies that now have the ability to mass produce millions of poker chips and because they also have the ability to customize these poker chips to every possible detail
the average poker player like you or I benefits the most. That’s because finally there are extremely high quality
affordable and customizable poker chips that we can use for our personal games.
A good set of poker chips used to set you back enough so that you probably couldn’t even play any poker for a while after you bought them! That’s not the case anymore
as you can buy a great set
that looks and feels great
and impresses your buddies
for extremely cheap prices.
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