Clay Poker Chips Add Class to Your Game
Over the centuries, poker has undergone several transitions in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. The modern variation of poker was developed in Mississippi in 1875, where it was unfortunately identified with the Wild West, game cheating and gunfights until it was finally outlawed in many states in North America towards the end of the 1900s. But love for the game has deeply taken root so much so that despite the prohibition, many still played poker under the auspices of organized crime syndicates where it was associated with dimly lit smoky gambling joints located in tough neighborhoods. With the legalization of gambling activities in America, poker was resurrected as a fashionable party game. And together with the new image, an industry was created catering to the demand for poker accessories. Lovers of the game are increasingly looking for clay poker chips that simulate the classy look and feel of authentic casino chips.
Sadly, the term "clay poker chips" is often used loosely to refer to almost every chip available commercially. In reality, no gaming chip is made out of pure clay, whose brittleness would not withstand ordinary wear and tear in a casino environment. While the real composition of authentic casino game chips is locked in secrecy for security reasons, the so-called clay poker chips available commercially is actually a composite of strong minerals like silica and synthetic binding materials to enhance durability. Game chips made out of metal embedded acrylic are being passed off by unscrupulous vendors to unsuspecting buyers as authentic clay poker chips.
It takes more than a keen eye to detect the subtle difference between imitation acrylic chips and clay poker chips. The looks, the feel, the weight, the price and even the sound of the gaming chips, taken together, will usually betray their true nature. Imitation chips are usually warped and do not stack evenly and their inlay design sometimes show discoloration. Casino habitués familiar with gaming chips will readily notice the different feel and weight of casino clay poker chips.
The weight of authentic chips normally does not exceed 10 grams and are 39 millimeters in diameter, while metal embedded acrylic chips that are offered by most vendors weight 11.5 grams and are a millimeter larger in diameter than clay poker chips. Even with their eyes closed, some seasoned poker players will notice authentic clay poker chips merely by the solid dull clicking sound that they make when they rifle through them unlike imitation chips that give off a high- pitched metallic sound. The final determinant of the authenticity of clay poker chips is the price. If the game chips are being offered to you at an unbelievably bargain price, chances are these are not the real thing.