How to Be a Good Poker Host: Part 4 -- Cards and Chips

Welcome to part four of our series on how to be a good poker host. If you missed parts one, two, or three, you may as well go catch up. Don't worry we'll wait.

There.. all set now? Great, now follow the jump as we discuss what you need to know about the part of poker that you need to have in order for there to be any poker at all, cards and chips.

Cards and Chips

Obviously, if you want to host a poker game, you won't get far without a deck of cards, and some poker chips. While you could use grandma's old deck of bicycle cards, and you could simply dump out the penny jar to act as chips, that's just no way to host a proper poker gathering. Lets take a look at what you SHOULD be doing, and we can start with the cards.

Cards
First off, we demand that you host with more than one deck of cards. This allows the dealer to deal, while the last dealer can shuffle the second deck for the next dealer. This will keep the game moving along, and there is no need to waste money (and effort) on a card shuffler that is noisy, and probably wont do as good a job anyway (7 riffles through is an efficient shuffle!)

Now, as for the cards themselves, we feel there is really only one way to go. Expensive though they may be, nothing beats Kem Cards. These cards are extremely durable, and that means they will keep the game flowing, even when your friend spills their martini all over them. You may spend a bit more, but it will likely be the last pack of cards you will buy for a very long time.

Chips
Hmm.. as you can imagine, we could go on and on ...and on... about chips. Lets first start with our dont's. Don't think that you can use pennies, or other spare change. Kids do that, you're an adult. Don't even remotely think that using those little plastic chips will do either. They are too light, they are flimsy, and they usually don't have enough denominations.

There are so many chip sets out there, for such a variety of prices, that you simply have no excuse to not get a decent set of chips. Now.. what chips? Well, in our opinion, if you are looking for a cheap entry, we recommend a set of these bargain chips. They are decent weight, and the fact that they are clay and plastic composites means that will hold up for a long time.

If on the other hand, you are willing to go a little further, than we say you should shop around for a set that has the look and feel you want. Of course, real clay chips are the ultimate, but you will play top dollar. One chip we are currently reviewing that we are loving is the Protege chips from Sidepot. You can expect a review up soon, but in the meantime trust us that these are TOP notch.

In the end, we feel that the key factors are weight and durability. After those factors are metget a chip set that matches your personality. You can find anything from Family Guy, to Strip Poker Chips. And if none of those fit you, just customize your own! Visit our Chip Sets and Chip categories for more ideas.

Conclusion
Its pretty simple: the cards and chips are the tools of the trade so play with quality tools. And remember that quality doesn't always mean expensive, it just means its good!

Next time in our series... Food and Drink!

Part 1 - The Playing Space
Part 2 - The Table
Part 3 - The Chairs

May 30, 2007

How to Be a Good Poker Host: Part 4 -- Cards and Chips

Cards and Chips