Now that we‘ve covered a bit of poker chip history, let‘s move on to their colorful meaning… Standard Chip Colors and Values One 2005 World Series of Poker event alone used over 30 million chips! Custom molds and secure facilities are used to create unique chip sets weighing anywhere from 8 to 14 grams. These days, casinos spare no expense when it comes to their poker chips. Security features like edge spots and RFID chips were later innovations to thwart cheaters and counterfeiters. It wasn‘t until the 1950s and 60s as Las Vegas boomed that thin, plastic molded chips replaced carved clay as the new casino standard. Poker legends like Doyle Brunson have reminisced about the old days of unmarked clay chips being used for all values. The use of chip colors to denote values began emerging in the early 1900s as well. Chips made from ivory, bone, and wood were also popular.īy World War 1, new mass production methods helped simplify the creation of clay chips. Riverboat casinos and saloons started sourcing specialty clay chips in the 1880s. Clay chips provided a durable, uniform alternative to coins and paper money. Was that chipped gold coin really worth a full $20? Did you sneak a lower value bill into the pot? As poker grew in popularity during the 1800s, casinos needed a more standardized solution.Īccording to poker historian James McManus, one of the first reference to clay poker chips comes from a 1829 Ohio riverboat gambling ledger. Using such random objects for wagering led to inevitable disputes. In early poker games, anything handy served as a betting token – coins, gold nuggets, paper, or whatever else players had in their pockets. While poker has origins dating back hundreds of years, specialized poker chips are a relatively modern invention. Let‘s start from the beginning – a brief history of how poker chips came to be… From Bones to Clay: A Brief History of Poker Chips But what‘s behind the rainbow of colors that makes up a poker chip set? As an avid poker player and chip enthusiast myself, I‘m excited to provide some insights into the fascinating world of poker chip colors and values! If you‘ve ever stepped foot in a casino or card room, you‘ve likely seen stacks of multi-colored clay chips passed back and forth across the felt.

Colors wooden aa poker chips