Poker Chips: The Colors of Money
When taking up a game for the first time, in this case Poker, one should be familiar with all of its aspects. Aside from learning the rules of the game, the value of the cards, and all the different tricks and tips helpful in winning, one should also know what those little multi-colored chips on the poker table stand for.
Poker chips come in a diverse array of different colors and designs. They can be divided into three main classifications. In the first category are the cheap plastic chips that are normally used for playing poker at home. Their price ranges from 10 to 25 dollars.
The second type of poker chips come in round and square shapes and are made from mother-of-pearl. These chips are the most well-known among poker players and cost higher than the cheaper plastic chips.
The third class of poker chips are the professional or "real" poker chips that are in use in reputable casinos everywhere. Round and made of clay, they are quite expensive and a standard in casino poker games.
Each of the different colors of the poker chips denotes a specific value. The white chips are valued at 1, yellow are 2, red is 5, blue is 10, gray is 20, green is 25, and orange is 50. In the hundreds, the value of the black chips is 100; pink is 250, and purple 500. Valued at the thousands, burgundy is 1000, light blue is 2000, and brown carries a value of 5000. If one has trouble remembering all the values that each color corresponds to, there are chips available which have the numbers already printed on them.
For those who are looking to start up a collection of poker chips, one can avail of them from nearly every gambling website, from which they may also purchase various other gambling paraphernalia such as cards, dice and what have you. Probing through the Internet, one may be fortunate enough to come across very rare poker chip sets and might even be able to acquire them for a reasonable bargain. Of course, as in every purchase made on the net, one should exercise caution, lest they end up buying cheap poker chips of very poor quality.
In a word, the poker chips stand for money. That is, they stand in for the real thing in a home poker game, and they can be redeemed for the real thing in an actual casino poker game. And there's something about the sound of chips chinking on the surface of the poker table that makes one think of the money chinking their way on their impending win. To put it that way, poker chips aren't just mere tokens, they also add more excitement and color to this classic casino card game.