If you plan to host a home poker game with your buddies, you are going to need to make sure that you have a set of Texas Hold Em poker chips.

There are an unlimited number of options available since the poker explosion that has taken the world by storm.  You can get the plastic Bicycle poker chips from just about any superstore, or you can order novelty personalized poker chips online.

The choice is yours.

Here are the most common types of poker chips available:

Plastic Poker Chips

If you are concerned about price, cheap plastic poker chips are the way to go.  These can be found in most superstores or supermarkets.

The most common brand is Bicycle and the cost of plastic chips can range anywhere from $15 to $30 depending on if you get 300 chips or 500 chips.

The price is cheap, and as a result, these chips do look and feel cheap.

If the game is just for fun with the family, these poker chips are a good option.

Clay Composite Poker Chips

As their name suggests, these Texas Hold Em poker chips are made of a plastic and clay composite with a metal core.  They are noticeably heavier than the plastic poker chips and feel much more professional.

With the popularity of poker, these chips can now be found in a lot of superstores alongside the plastic option.  They can also be ordered online.  If you want to explore your options, checking around online is the way to go.

For the best mix of quality and price, a 300 piece set of 11.5g poker chips would be recommended and can be bought online for about $50.  If you want to spend some extra money to have something better, a set of 500 chips weighing 13.5g with a much cooler, more unique design can be found online for about $100 or more.

The heavier the poker chip is, the better the “feel” it has when being handled and they will also sound better when thrown around.  The difference in weight is definitely noticeable and you do get your money’s worth in “feel” and sound when you buy the heavier chips.

The prices, design, and quality can vary widely, and the options are unlimited, so check around.

Clay composite poker chips not only feel good, but they are built to last.  They are durable and are nearly impossible to break unintentionally, no matter how wild the game gets.

Clay Poker Chips

Clay poker chips are the high end option for your poker game and the best way to really impress everyone.

Clay chips are the professional chips that are found in most casinos and the ones that are seen being used on TV.

Clay poker chips have an even better “feel” and sound to them than their composite counterparts, making the deepest sound and it sure is noticeable.

They also feel better in your hands as they are less slippery than composite chips.

An authentic top of the line set of high quality Paulson Poker Chips can cost you over a dollar a chip, so get ready to spend some money.

Poker Chip Denominations

Once you have purchased your Texas Hold Em poker chips, you will need to know what their value is for your home poker game.  The standard accepted values in the casinos are:

White  – $1 chip

Red   –   $5 chip

Blue   -  $10 chip

Green -  $25 chip

Black   –   $100 chip

If you are hosting a game where you are playing for less money, feel free to change the values of the chips as you wish.

Poker Chip Design

You can find hundreds of designs online for poker chips in both the clay composite option and the clay option.

The standard designs normally are “suited” (the four card suits are imprinted around the chip), “diamond” (diamond imprints), and “dice” (dice imprints).  These will tend to be the cheaper options as they come standard.

If you want a cool design and have the money to spend, there are lots of cool ideas out there so don’t settle for the first design you see, shop around.

You can even design your own poker chip for your home game to impress your friends into thinking that you are running your very own casino!

Now that you know the options out there, it is time to look around and decide which chips are best for the type of game you want to have and for your budget.  There is no shortage of Texas Hold Em poker chips available, so take your time looking around and find the perfect chips for your game.

After all, poker chips can last a lifetime.