What are casino chips made of? How old are they? Is there a standard size for a casino chip? And what did they have for breakfast?
You probably have lots of questions about them. Maybe they are subconscious questions you didn’t even realize you had a burning need to answer.
But we’ve got some good news. We’re here to clear up any casino chip confusion you might have and give you all the casino trivia you might want to know.
What are casino chips made of?
What are casino chips made of? Cat litter. No, seriously. The clay used to make traditional chips is extremely similar to the type you’d find in your cats’ litter trays.
However, that’s not the end of the story. You see, even though many high quality chips feel like clay, they aren’t 100% clay. Unless you’re looking at an antique chip made in the 1950s or before then, basically every single chip on the market is made of a number of materials.
Modern chips are injection molded and compressed, made of layers of plastic, clay and/or resin. Graphics are often printed on paper and coated in plastic, then set into the chip.
These chips are super durable and long-lasting. Unlike 100% clay chips, which are often easy to chip or even break. Not what you want during a vigorous casino session.
How much does a casino chip weigh?
Casino chips vary fairly widely in weight, even in casinos. However, in the United States, they tend to come in at around 10g. But if you find yourself elsewhere, say on an exotic poker vacation, you could find chips as dainty as 8g or as weighty as 16g on your travels.
What casino games use chips?
So many casino games use chips. Not so much slots, but certainly table games and card games. For example, Roulette, Baccarat and Blackjack all use chips.
And when it comes to poker, chips are extremely useful to have to keep track of betting. Particularly if you’re playing tournaments, whether it’s Texas Hold’em, Six Plus or PLO.
Do I need a set if I’m hosting a casino party?
It’s not like you need a set of casino chips, but trust us, they’ll make your life easier if you’re hosting a casino party. Especially because all the top casino home games involve betting with chips.
Hell, even if you’re home alone and just playing online (bet365 bonus code here for new players), it can be nice to handle some nice chips while you play.
How old are they?
Casino chips have a long history that stretches back to 1752 in France. The first time chips were used to play a game was for Quadrille. However, in that game, different shapes denoted amounts and there were different colours to say who owned what.
The need for a chip as we know it, transferable during the game, really became apparent when poker emerged in the 1800s. However, in the early days of the game, many different things were used as chips including gold particles and bits of paper.
Then by the 1880s, factories started mass producing chips to make life easier for everyone involved!
