In essence, the poker chips represent the money denominations used in casinos and home games. Their different designs and colors point out to a certain cash value and sometimes help the players keep the score in the non-wagering matches. It is important to note that in official tournaments and casinos, the poker chips actually represent real money that the players can cash out whenever they stop playing. From this point of view, the poker chips can be seen as functional, since they provide a fast and easy way to wager a bet without having to bother counting down the money in your wallet.
However, if you were to think about it, they are also part of the charm of the game. The introduction of the chips in the poker environment had a psychological impact and made the game attractive to both people that like to risk and those that do not. Basically, if you are wagering with chips, rather than real money, you are not as reluctant in placing higher bets and this makes the game more interesting. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why so many people prefer using chips whenever they are playing a friendly game of poker with their friends at home.
In most regions where the poker game is regulated, there are certain rules regarding the value of the chip and its color. On the other hand, even though most gamblers consider these standardizations universal, the colors tend to vary a lot. Nonetheless, when poker aficionados purchase chips, they prefer that the colors and values match the ones used in official tournaments and casinos, possibly because they may want to create a certain atmosphere at the poker table. The lowest value of a poker chip is of one dollar and it is generally colored in white, whereas the highest value is five thousand dollars and it is commonly indicated by the color brown.
It is necessary to point out that each casino has its own set of chips, which is customized and only available for cash outs in that specific location. Having personalized poker chips, the casinos make sure that no person from the outside can come in and claim the cash value of the chips illicitly. In general, the poker chips found in casinos include a unique artwork, combination of colors and shades as well as UV markings, so they are quite difficult to duplicate.
If you are interested in purchasing your own poker chip set for when you are playing casually with your friends for instance, then you should know that the prices vary between 25 cents to one dollar for one chip. The price difference is dictated by the material they were made from, as the cheapest ones are usually crafted from ceramic and the most expensive ones are made from composite clay. In the retail market, you can find packages of chips that come in sets of one hundred or one thousand chips. Therefore, take into account the number of friends at the table and your set of poker rules before you purchase a set of chips.