Sidepot Gaming Poker Chip Reviews

These are a ceramic poker chip with a classy look and somewhat subdued colors - they look a bit like antiques. Each chip has a denomination in large, easy to read numerals. The denominations are also written in text across the top of the inlay and the word dollar is written across the bottom. There is a dollar currency symbol on each chip.

 There are four very narrow edge spots on the face of every chip. They are a bit hard to see and blend in with the other decorations on the chip. There are four very small orange edge spots on the rolling edge of each chip. The chips do not have any text on the rolling edge but they do have some graphics.

Like all ceramic chips, they are a bit slippery to the touch, but solid when stacked. They are slightly textured, but closely resemble the feel of a Chipco poker chip.

Sample sizes were 39.31, 39.30, 39.39, 39.29, 39.36, 39.35, 39.29, 39.36, 39.34, and 39.30mm . Sample weights were 10.09, 10.06, 10.13, 10.08, 10.07, 10.08, 9.93, 10.09, 9.85, and 9.94 grams. Ten chips stacked together was 33.44mm high (3.34mm per chip).

These chips are very well priced at 39 cents per chip and there is also a matching Venerati dealer button available.

This is a new Paulson home poker chip called the Le Paulson Noir, partly due to its black label which is rather unique for a poker chip. Both the mold and the label design of the poker chip were inspired by members of several poker chip forums, including the HPT Forums.

This is a Paulson poker chip with the typical Paulson look, feel, and sound - all rated number one amongst poker chips. The mold features a leafy design between pineapples, yes pineapples. The label design has the same sort of leafy design as what is found on the mold and matches nicely. The label has the denomination printed in both digits and letters and the background color matches the base color of the chip. The red (5) chip is much more of a "red" color than what is shown in the above image.

Each chip features a unique edge spot design. These chips have very sharp edges and no edges ridges. They stack very well and sound fantastic.

There is some color transfer from one chip to another, especially from the darker chips. Your chips will soon look a little scuffed up but that is part of the breaking in process and adds character to the chips.

Sample weights were 9.38, 8.74, 9.99, 9.59, 9.92, 10.00, 9.69, and 9.69 grams. Sample diameters were 39.23, 39.22, 39.15, 39.18, 39.15, 39.15, 39.12, and 39.09mm. Eight chips stacked together was 26.5mm high.

The cost of the Le Paulson Noir poker chips is $1.39 each or a set of 500 for $626.

These are Blue Chip poker chips that feature the Cigar & Snifter mold which is exclusive to Sidepot.com. They look and feel much like a Paulson Top Hat & Cane poker chip - the edges are a little sharper but other than that, they are very similar. Much like the Paulson poker chips, these chips have a very sturdy and substantial feel to them. They sound and feel like a true clay poker chip. The colors are a bit brighter than the Paulson home poker chips without being gaudy.

 The inlays are unique, some chips feature a "scalloped", "cog", or "gear" type of inlay. The inlays are recessed into the chip and could not be peeled off using a fingernail. The paper inlay is covered by a plastic film for protection. After removing the film, the paper inlay could not be peeled off, even when using a knife.  I could pry up little chunks of the label using a knife but the label appears to be glued onto the poker chip and cannot be removed. Denominations are printed on the label, both in numbers and in letters. The denominations are very easy to read. The design is quite simple but elegant - the most prominent feature is the denomination written in numbers. These are one of the few poker chips that I have reviewed where the denominations can be easily read from across a poker table. Each denomination is printed with a graphical background that matches the base color of the chip. The overall design is very simple yet effective. There is also one non-denomination chip that is orange in color, rather than the pink that is shown in my scanned image.

The edge spot on each denomination is unique, either in shape or in color. Some chips feature four single edge spots while others feature multi-colored edge spots. There are slight edge ridges on these chips.

The clay is solid through the chip, including the edge spots. Many lesser-quality poker chips have a dense core material surrounded by a "clay" covering. Higher-quality chips, such as these Protege Blue Chips or other poker chips such as Paulson, ASM, TR King, etc. use only one solid material throughout the chip, without any filler material.

Sample diameters were 39.61, 39.69, 39.66, 39.66, 39.66, 39.66, 39.63, and 39.66mm. Eight chips stacked together was 26.43mm thick. Sample chip weights were 9.29, 9.36, 9.76, 9.54, 9.24, 9.40, 9.40, 9.29, and 9.63 grams.

These are very nice poker chips. They are high-quality and come in all the correct color/denomination combinations. The design works well and there is even a Protege Dealer Button to match your poker chip set! May 2007

When I first opened these InPlay poker chips, the first thing I thought was Paulson Home Chips! They look and feel similar but are a bit lighter than the Paulson chips. Other than that, they are very similar. Like the Modern Clay chips reviewed below, these chips felt a little 'broke in'. The edges were slightly rounded and they already have a nice texture to them.

The edge spots are very similar to the edge spots on the Paulson. They contrast nicely with the base colors. I did see the occasional edge spot color splash on some of these chips, just a tiny dot. There are no edge ridges.

The InPlay mold looks and feels very nice. The chip feels like the Paulson. It has a nice clay texture to it. There is a cigar & snifter (brandy glass) molded eight times around the rim. I like the look and feel of the mold and rank it up there with the ASM horse head. The colors are bright and are very similar in tone and brightness to the Paulson home chips, the InPlay orange $2 chip looks identical to the Paulson orange/peach chip. Scratching the clay left no visible damage.

The InPlay labels are not all that great. They look okay on some chips, such as the green $25 chip shown to the left but do not look as good on other chips like the 50� blue chip shown to the right. The writing is too small to read without close scrutiny. The denominations are printed on the inlay but, again, they are somewhat hard to read. All the labels looked centered. The labels are better than those on the Paulson chip in that they are larger and cover the chip better. On the Paulson, there is simply too much space between the edge spots and the inlay. They come in 11 different denominations.

The labels have a cross-hatch pattern on them. This gives them a somewhat smooth and weathered feel. This chip is a bit unique in that the inlay is slightly more textured than the clay. Overall, they have a very good feel

I couldn't wait to pop the labels off these babies! A new poker chip mold with new labels ... I was like a kid in a candy store! There is a plastic membrane that covers a paper label. The plastic resembles an ASM chip more than a Paulson chip, it could be removed in one piece. The plastic would only come off after prying it up with a knife. I could not come close to peeling it off with my fingernail. The paper label underneath appears to be glued onto the chip. I couldn't remove it as a whole piece, only chipping off a millimeter at a time. The label and plastic film are both inset into the chip so that you could just barely feel the seam between the inlay and the clay chip.

The weight and sound of these chips is a bit light. They weigh in at 8.5 grams each which is about one gram less than perfect, but no one will ever notice!

Ten chips stacked together was 32.8mm thick. Sample diameters were 39.00, 38.97, 39.00, 38.98, 38.96, 38.99, 38.98, 38.96, and 38.99mm thick. Those are the most consistent diameters that I have ever seen in a poker chip!

If you're looking for a traditional clay chip with beautiful edge spots, these InPlay chips should be at the very top of your list. Be prepared to pay for them though because they are not cheap. They are however, some of the best chips you can buy.

These are beautiful chips! They have the right color combinations, the right multi-colored edge spots, and good feel and texture. These chips feel a little 'used' right out of the box, they have rounded corners and slightly faded colors. They are easier to handle than other new chips with sharper edges.

Chip colors are a little duller than on most other new poker chips. The black is not quite as dark and the dark red edge spots on a light red $5 chip can hardly be seen (the multi-color edge spots come to the rescue however, as the orange spot can be easily seen). The duller colors are, no doubt, part of the 'used' feeling these chips try to achieve right out of the box and is not necessarily a bad thing. These are beautifully colored chips with gorgeous multi-colored edge spots! There are ridges on the rolling edge.

The sound, weight and feel seem slightly more robust than a regular Blue Chip chip but slightly less robust than a Horse head chip. This mold does not have the usual Blue Chip clamshells molded into the rim but has 2, 4, 8, Q, 5, J, 7, 9, A, 3, 6, K, 10. The border area is about 8mm wide whereas the usual Blue Chip clamshell mold borders are about 5mm wide. After riffling these chips for a month or two, they do seem to have a little more bulk than the typical Blue Chip clamshell chips. These were some of the best stacking and least slippery chips that I was sent and there seems to be a suction effect between chips.

Scratching the clay resulted in no viewable damage. These are tough chips! The labels were impossible to peel off with either a fingernail or knife. They could not be punctured and were very hard to scratch. Scratches could hardly be seen and did not seem to go through the label, exposing the chip color underneath. Unfortunately, some of the labels are a bit off-center but these labels are tough and permanent!

These chips come in all the standard colors and denominations - Blue(.50), White(1), Orange(2), Red(5), Green(25), Black(100), Purple(500). If you're looking for a traditional chip with beautiful edge spots, these chips should be at the very top of your list. These chips would be almost perfect if you could order them with your own custom center.

Make sure to also check out the information about Blue Chip Company chips on my chip Manufacturers page.

Another very nice ChipCo chip. The usual BuyPokerChip laurel is surrounded by an almost pinwheel design. This chip has a bit of an 'old-school' look to it. These chips come in all the right colors and denominations.

There are twelve edge spots on the top and bottom of the chip but the rolling edge has only three pairs of tiny stripes. The chip denominations are printed on the rolling edge but they're pretty darn small and dark and hard to read. The end result is little, if any, effective edge markings on these chips.

I was sent five of these chips. Chip diameters were 39.36, 39.52, 39.42, 39.40 and 39.40mm. Three chips stacked together were 10.0mm thick.

Make sure to also check out the information about ChipCo chips on my chip Manufacturers page.

I had 8 of these chips sent to me. They weigh slightly more than an 11.5g composite but feel little less 'plasticy'. You can't scrape the chip with your fingernail and leave a skid mark but it is softer than an ABS chip. The sound does have a bit of that same metallic clink but the extra weight seems to help deaden it somewhat.

I could not peel the inlay off with my fingernail or a knife. I had to gouge into the chip with a knife to remove small chunks of the inlay, it is silk-screened right into the chip and will never come off. The inlay could be scratched with a knife but I had to dig down a millimeter before I could see the chip color underneath. This chip has the traditional Sidepot laurel inlay. The inlay looks better on this chip than it does on any other BPC chips. All the inlays seem centered.

These chips have four pairs of stripes for edge spots. The edge spots are not painted on. There are no edge ridges. They come in 8 denominations ranging from 25� to $500.

homepokertourney.org is now the proud owner of an electronic caliper to provide readers with accurate chip sizes! The Neophytes were 39.84mm wide and 3.32mm thick, standard sizes. The sizes were consistent from chip to chip. These are quality chips for a metal insert type of chip. There is a small injection mold pimple in a trench on one side of the chip. The trench appears shiny due to plastic from the silk-screened inlay. The inlay goes from trench to trench.

These chips have a much nicer feel and look than other metal insert chips. At the time of this review, there is a 40% off sale going on at Sidepot.com making these chips a very good deal. You can also 'trade up' these chips and receive up to $100 towards higher quality chips from BPC.

13 gram Casino chips are no longer sold by Sidepot.com but I decided to leave the review of this chip posted here. I had 10 of these chips sent to me so I had a pretty good stack to play with. I definitely noticed the difference in weight. Lifting one chip was noticeable but lifting a stack was much more noticeable. Keep in mind that I am also the type of player who notices a big difference from the 9-10 gram casino weight to the 11.5 gram composite chip weight.

The feel of this chip is a little less 'plasticy' than a typical 11.5 gram composite chip. There is a bit of a 'chalky' feeling to them. If you press hard, you can scrape your fingernail across the chip and leave a skid mark. The sound does have a bit of that same metallic clink as a composite but these chips definitely have a heftier 'thud'. The extra weight seems to help deaden some of the metallic sound. Please note that these chips may be slightly thicker than regular chips and may not fit in all chip trays or racks.

These chips have three solid edge spots with two diamonds between each spot. The edge spots are fine but somewhat unspectacular. The chips have a bit of a chiseled brickish look to them and stack nicely. They are not as slippery as your typical 11.5g composite. Color quality is good, not too dull but not too bright. There are no edge ridges.

Each chip has a 1 mm injection mold pimple located on one side of the chip, just under the rim. Once you know it's there, you can spot it from a foot away. Again, some people who already own these chips might not have ever noticed this.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to play with a 13 gram chip. Standard casino chips weigh about 9.5 grams each and I don't want to play with 11.5 gram chips, let alone 13 grams! But if you don't mind the heavier weight and hate the slickness of most 11.5 gram composite chips, this might be the chip for you. You can also 'trade up' these chips and receive up to $100 towards higher quality chips from BPC.

Vintage Vegas are no longer sold by Sidepot but I decided to include them here anyway because they were some of finest chips I was sent. These chips are printed on the ASM Horse head mold and have a traditional look, weight, and feel to them. The colors were excellent, bright but not too bright with perfectly contrasting one-color edge spots.

Horse heads feel like quality. They feel very uniform, as if each chip is the exact same size, shape, and weight. Because of the horse heads recessed into the mold, they are not as smooth as some other chips and have a rougher feel when rubbed together. They seem to stick together better than any other chip and there seems to be a suction effect between chips. They were the best stacking chips that I was sent. The weight is good but slightly light.

These chips had the sharpest edge of any chip I was sent. Keep in mind that these chips will improve with age and the corners will become rounded with some of the harshness of the chip disappearing. The colors will fade a bit but it will probably take several years before these chips obtained the look and feel of a 'Modern Clay' chip. The rolling edges of this chip are speckled with a brass dust. You might not notice the dust unless someone first tells you about it. Some people think the dust is a little weird but it makes no difference to me. There are no edge ridges on this chip.

These labels could not be peeled off with a fingernail but were very easy to peel off with a knife. A plastic film covers a paper label which is glued onto the chip. Sometimes the paper and plastic would come off together, sometimes separately. The paper would often come off in one whole piece. I was a little shocked by how easily these labels peeled off ... my beautiful horse heads, my heart was filled with sorrow.

Make sure to also check out the information about ASM chips on my chip Manufacturers page.