There are two main types of tokens used in casinos. There are multicolor tokens of various denominations called chips used in table games, and colored plastic or metal token coins, used mostly in slot machines. Some casinos also use gaming plaques for high stakes table games. Plaques are larger than regular chips and are usually rectangular in shape and contain a serial number. The most common material types used today in the manufacture of modern poker chips are plastic, clay composite, and acrylic composite. Typically colors found in home sets include red, white, blue and sometimes black; however, more recently a wide assortment of colors have become readily available, particularly in lower-quality ABS type chips.
Some chips made from ABS plastic and have a metal insert to give them the extra weight. These you can choose between single color chips and two-color chips. Common designs for home use depict the six faces of a die or the suit symbols around the edge on the face of the chip. They are typically manufactured with injection molding using ABS plastic. Some chips are molded around a small metal disc, called a slug, for weight. Plastic chips are the cheapest and easily available everywhere. But they lack class.
Then you have clay composite chips which are most widely used. Clay and composite chips are available in a single solid color (most often with a pattern imprinted), two colors, and three colors. The two-color chips have an excellent look, and cheaper than three-color chips. They also come in a variety of design styles, including prints the four card suits, diamonds and the sides of the dice. Modern clay chips are a composition of materials more durable than clay alone. The process to make them is a trade secret. Additionally, the Edge Spots or Inserts, as they are some times called, are not painted on as they can sometimes appear to be. In fact they are areas where the clay has been punched out of the chip and then replaced by hand with a new piece of clay of an alternate color; it would then be at this point the chip is placed under extreme pressure and heat, approximately 10,000psi at 300deg F – hence the term Compression Molded Chips.
The two types of clay composite chips stocked by some are Tri-color chips that have three colours on them and Nevada chips that have history and chip design on their side.
The printed graphics on clay chips is called an inlay. Inlays are typically made of paper and are then covered with a thin film of plastic which is applied to the chip prior to the compression molding process.
Ceramic chips such as those made by ChipCo International were introduced in the mid 1980′s as an alternative to clay chips and are still very common in casinos as well as being readily available to the home market. Ceramic chips are often referred to as clay or clay composite but they are in fact solid white, injection mould ceramic disks which are simply printed on.
Recently, a new type of chip has appeared on the market called “Nexgen”. These are a combination pf a clay composite material but also with a metal insert to give them a weight of 13gm or 15gm.
The security features of casino chips are numerous. Artwork is of a very high resolution or of photographic quality. Custom color combinations on the chip edge (edge spots) are usually distinctive to a particular casino. Certain chips incorporate RFID technology.
Chips come in six weights: 7.5 grams, 8.5 grams, 9.0 grams, 11.5 grams, 13.0 grams, 13.5 grams. Heavier chips tend to be more desirable because the chips provide a better tactile experience and sound better when clicking against each other. Other designs are available, and some chip manufacturers offer exclusive designs.