Whether you’re a novice or an experienced poker player — or if you just have an inquisitive mind — you’ve probably taken a careful look at poker chips and asked yourself how they are made.

Even though more and more players are opting to play poker online, many purists still enjoy the thrill and suspense of live poker, along with the opportunity to socialize with like-minded people. 

Regardless of whether you prefer online poker or live games, you may still wonder about poker chip values, how chips are made, why casinos use chips in the first place, how they prevent counterfeit chips from entering the floor, and many more related questions.

Read on to explore some of these queries.

The Evolution of Poker Chip Manufacturing

 The invention of casino chips dates back to the 1880s. Before then, there was no standard way to represent monetary value on the poker table. It was risky to stake real coins and bills, so players would use tokens instead. These could be made of bone, glass, ceramic, or even ivory (the most expensive historical casino tokens and the most collectible today).

From Handmade Tokens to Precision-Molded Chips

The problem with handmade casino poker tokens is that they were neither especially durable nor secure. The materials they were made of could easily break or chip, and players early in the history of poker chips thought nothing of tampering with opponents’ tokens. There was clearly a market for some standardized poker token. Recognizing this, casinos started using compression moulding technology to produce high-quality, durable clay chips that were all the same weight and size.

Materials Used To Make Poker Chips

So what are poker chips made from? The virtual chips you’ll find in online poker tournaments are made of pixels, but live games and tournaments use tokens made from poker chip materials such as clay composite, ceramic, and plastic.

Clay Composite Chips

One thing that the different types of poker players agree on is what manufacturing materials make a difference as far as chip feel is concerned. One of the most popular materials is clay composite, which is actually a high-tech plastic material specially designed to have the look and feel of clay. In terms of weight and texture, it’s pretty close to the genuine article.

Ceramic Chips

The finest poker chips are made from ceramic material forced into a mold at high pressure. Widely considered to have the perfect weight, these poker chips are the ultimate accessory for high-class poker games.

Plastic Chips

Plastic chips are cheap and convenient, but their light weight is off-putting to players who prefer the heft of genuine chips. As a compromise, some chips include metal inserts to give them extra weight, but experienced players can always tell the difference.

How Poker Chips Are Made

Store-bought items differ significantly from casino-grade poker chips — and for good reason. Casinos need to deter forgery, so they require different and highly secure (confidential) poker chip manufacturing methods. 

Here is a look at some of the different elements that go into different manufacturing processes.

Compression Molding

Clay composite chips, like those used in professional poker rooms, are made using compression molding. The process involves:

• Heating a mold cavity.
• Placing a base-colored material into the mold.
• Applying pressure with the top mold to ensure the material mix fits perfectly.
• Inserting an inlay (such as the casino’s logo or chip denomination) before compression to create a central design.

Injection Molding

Injection molding is a faster, less complex method typically used for ceramic chips. These chips have a single base color, and designs are digitally printed directly onto the surface through dye sublimation. This method allows for highly specialized custom poker chip production without the need for a separate inlay printing process.

If you’re interested in all types of chips you might encounter, a comprehensive guide to the different poker chips covers them in depth.

Steps in the Poker Chip Production Process

There are two main reasons why casinos use chips instead of cash. The most important element is providing players with the best possible gaming experience, based on the look and feel of the chips they are playing with. As a result, tremendous attention to detail goes into the poker chip manufacturing process.

Designing the Chip Mold

The first step in the journey of a poker chip is the design stage. This is when decisions are made concerning the composition, texture, and appearance of the chip. Typically, a design team will plan how the chips should look on the table in cash games or poker tournaments. The designs will then be used to create a precise mold, which functions as a blueprint dictating the size, shape, and weight of the poker chips.

Material Preparation and Coloring

The injection moulding process begins with selecting the right materials to create a composite material. This is then heated until molten, injected into a mold, and placed under intense pressure. To get the different colors, colorants are mixed into the material prior to melting.

Compression and Shaping

The use of high pressure ensures that the material fills the mold evenly. The result should be a robust, flawless chip. For added weight, some chips have a metal insert that’s placed in the mold before shaping takes place. Inserts add weight and improve the overall feel of a chip.

Adding Custom Graphics and Inlays

The next stage is printing, when the chips get their special custom look. This is typically done through one of three main processes.

UV printing applies ink to the chip and exposes it to UV light, which cures the ink immediately and creates a high-resolution finish. UV-printed chips stand out for their durability and sharp designs.

Foil hot stamping is a process used to create a more classic look. Gold or silver foil is pressed onto the chip, giving it an elegant, metallic imprint.

Inlay printing inserts a custom-printed label into a recessed center area. This allows for designs with more complex graphics and a broader range of colors.

Final Quality Testing and Finishing Touches

Rigorous quality control is applied to each batch of poker chips. These include weight checks, color consistency checks, and durability tests.

What Colors Do Poker Chips Come In?

When it comes to the colors of different value poker chips, there’s no strict universal standard.  Poker chip values and colors can differ, so it’s vital to understand the color schemes at any game you join.

That said, the following chip values are common to many tournaments:

• Green: $25
• Black: $100
• Purple (or sometimes Pink or Blue): $500
• Yellow: $1,000
• Orange: $5,000
• Dark green or another color: $25,000

Here are the most common cash game chip values:

• White or Blue: $1
• Red: $5
• Green: $25
• Black: $100

Are There Different Types of Poker Chips?

There are four different types of poker chips on the market currently. Plastic chips are cheap, lightweight, and come in many colors. Moving up a step in quality, there are composite plastic ones with metal inserts to give them weight. Composite chips are highly durable and have a good feel to them. 

Then there are clay composite chips, which mimic the feel of the original clay chips but have improved durability. Finally, the best poker chips are made of injection-molded ceramic with graphics directly printed on them. They are the most satisfying to play with, but also cost the most.

How Casino Chips and Home-Game Sets Are Different

The only real difference between home game poker chips and casino-grade chips is quality. Casinos typically use the highest quality chips, which are made of clay composite or ceramic and cost in excess of $1 per chip. When it comes to the poker chips needed for home games, plastic or composite plastic chips are just fine.

How Casino-Grade Chips Are Manufactured

In casinos, you’ll typically handle authentic poker chips made of clay composite or ceramic. These have the perfect heft and design features to enhance the gaming experience.

Anti-Counterfeit Features

There’s a lot of talk about the risks of using fake casino chips, so how do casinos prevent fraud? To beat the cheats, casino poker chips are equipped with a range of counter-measures. These include UV markings that can only be detected under ultraviolet light, and Radio Frequency Identification ( RFID) chips for tracking and monitoring.

Weight, Texture, and Sound Calibration

Further security features in chips include calibration for weight and sound. Casinos that use these security features will have equipment to test whether casino chips deviate from the correct weight or resonance. In addition, the edges of casino chips can be milled to create a specific texture. A practised cashier can rub the edge of a chip with their thumb and instantly know if it’s fake or authentic.

Serial Numbers and Security Layers

Casino chips are usually produced with unique serial numbers. This safety feature makes it super easy to verify whether a chip is genuine or not.

Casino Branding

Even casino branding can be used as a safety feature. This is done through color-shifting inks that change color when viewed from different angles. This type of ink can be applied to casino-specific patterns, and the chips can then be checked with special scanners. Never bring your own chips to a casino for this reason. If you’re concerned about what happens when you run out of poker chips, trust the dealer to sort things out.

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