Paulson poker chips are famous in the gambling industry for being the ultimate gaming chip but if you’re not a chip fanatic, what makes these chips so special? Do some research and you’ll quickly learn that any real information about the company is hard to find. Paulson poker chip company doesn’t have an official website to peruse and it’s most likely because they deal directly with casinos not the retail market.

Research on the web for the Paulson company and you’ll quickly discover it’s not that easy to reach them directly as most of the online retailers will not disclose how to contact them as it would be bad for business. Rumor has it that the company was bought out by a French company and the strictly only deal with casinos directly with no real option for a consumer to buy direct from them.

It would make an interesting read on the history of the Paulson poker chip company. History aside, the main reason Paulson’s are popular mainly among collector’s and people who want authentic casino poker chips is because of their unique clay composition.

Rather than calling the material by its technical name, the clay that a Paulson chip consists of is not like the material found in traditional pottery but more like a ceramic that was later coined clay, the reason being I’m not quite certain of. Paulson chips can be found in all of the major casinos like Aladdin, Bally’s, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Excalibur, Foxwoods, Harrah’s, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM, Mirage, New York New York, Paris, Trump Plaza, Venetian, Wynn and the list can go on and on and is too much to mention.

Since casinos are the main buyers, Paulson poker chips have to undergo meticulous detail and quality checks. No matter how much they try, the clay used in the chip is composed of does still allow some chips to be less than perfect, as this is mainly due to the nature of the compression during the manufacturing process. Many believe these details add charm to the whole Paulsons poker chip line.

Notice the next time you hold a Paulson poker chip how it feels. The clay the chip is composed of is the main reason for this. The size of the inlay (this is the area on the face of a poker chip where images are usually placed) plus many of the molds with intricate designs will also effect the feel. Remember also that new chips sometimes have sharp edges so be very careful. With constant use the edges will dull and feel just as nice as a broken in shoe.

Also be sure to notice the weight the next time you pick it up, which chip purists will say is between 9-10 grams, not the heavier chip weights that many other companies will claim as authentic. The heavier weight claimed by other companies is mainly due to the material that is injected known as metal inserts. These chips are known as composite clay chips so just be aware that they are not anywhere near the same quality as a Paulson.

There are many variations and styles available in the Paulson poker chip line and one of the more popular ones was the James Bond edition. As you can see, they get creative with their lines and most of the new Paulson lines are always greeted with open arms in the poker chip community. Does it really matter if a chip is a Paulson? The decision to own one should come down to personal preference.

Many manufacturers have tried to imitate and so far no one has come close. One should always feel free to buy other brands of poker chips which do have some innovative designs however, if you are in the market for purchasing poker chips and you want an authentic, true to it’s roots casino poker chip, you can’t go wrong with Paulson’s as they are the standard by which all others are compared.