It’s no secret that companies and manufacturers of all kinds of products are constantly introducing newer, shinier, faster toys for guys to spend their entertainment dollars on. From high-tech golf clubs to next-generation gaming consoles, we are constantly bombarded by the ‘next big things.’ In the midst of these ever-increasing ways to spend our time and money, it is somewhat surprising to see a rebirth of a more traditional hobby for guys - poker.

While there are many variations of both poker play and betting, most games use poker chips for betting instead of cash. The uniform size and relatively few denominations of chips compared to cash make it easier to track players’ bets and chip holdings. Poker chips vary widely in quality and weight, depending on the materials they are made of. Most inexpensive chip sets, such as those sold at common retailers like Target and Wal-Mart, feature chips made from plastic. The next step up are composite chips, which feature a slug inserted into plastic or clay to help simulate the weight and feel of an all-clay chip. Clay poker chips are used in casinos around the world and are considered the Cadillac of poker chips.

If you host or play in a regular or semi-regular home game, upgrading your pokers chips is one of the easiest ways to enhance the poker experience for everyone involved. A broad range of design styles are available from dozens of poker chip manufacturers at many price points. Depending on the number of chips and quality of materials you want, you can spend anywhere from just under $100 to hundreds of dollars on a set of chips many times nicer than the $25 sets you see in stores and at every friend’s house.

As a gift last year, my wife set aside some money to buy a set of high-end casino quality chips for me. Knowing that I am particularly picky about the design of most anything I buy, she told me to pick out the chips myself. After doing quite a bit of research and shopping online, I settled on the Paulson Noir chips available exclusively through Sidepot Poker Chips. Paulson is widely regarded as the leading manufacturer of casino quality chips, having manufactured chips for many casinos and for several James Bond films.

The most basic characteristics of any poker chips are its materials, edge spots, molding, and inlay. Edge spots are the extra colors, in addition to the primary color, that exist on the perimeter of the chips. Molding is the design of the actual chip itself, including the designs that are pressed into the face of the chip around the perimeter. Paulson’s most popular molding is their Top Hat & Cane. The inlay is the graphic or label that is inlayed on the face of the chip, usually featuring the name of the casino, individual or general design. After looking at design after design online, the Paulson Noir chips really stood out to me because of their edge spots and mostly because of their inlays. Ninety-nine percent of the chips I looked at featured white inlays with black and white or full-color graphics printed on them. The Noir chips, however, featured a predominantly black label with white text and subtle design colored to match the chip itself.

I am a big fan of clean, minimal design and I usually believe that, aesthetically speaking, less is more. And while some people enjoy having their chips personalized with their name, initials, or personal ‘logo’, I prefer for my chips to look more like those you would find in an actual casino. Admittedly, these chips aren’t cheap. They currently sell for $1.49 per chip on Sidepot’s website, with slight discounts available for bulk purchases (500 or more). But I’ll use this poker chip set for the rest of my life and it will likely become one of the few heirlooms I’ll have to pass on to my son or grandson.

Also keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of other chips out there available for almost any budget. I’d recommend you order a chip sample from the retailer if at all possible before purchasing a large quantity of chips. I was able to purchase a 2 chip sample of the Paulson Noir for $5 before investing in my complete 600 chip set. Another good resource to consult is Home Poker Tourney, a website featuring lots of good poker information and detailed reviews about hundreds of different poker chips. High-end poker chips aren’t for everyone, but they’re an easy and personal way to take your poker hobby and game to the next level.