History of poker chips - Poker chips were first used in poker rooms & casinos in the late 1800s. Here you can read more on what poker chips were made out of when it all began. History of poker chips; reasons why chips were used and not real money and more!

Poker chips were first used in poker rooms and casinos in the late 1800s.

In the beginning of the history of poker chips, bones, ivory, mother-of-pearl, bone and agate was first used as a substitute for real money.

Reasons for using chips instead of real money
It was easier for the players and the dealer to see how much money a player has invested in a particular game. A messy poker table could also often lead to confusion to which money belonged to what player.

Casino managers noticed the players gambled more when using chips than real money.

Facts - History of Poker Chips
Since the late 1920s, the poker chips used in most casinos have been compression molded and made from a clay ceramic composite. Originally, the clay poker chips where made out of clay only.

Custom designed coloured edged spotted poker chips were introduced in the late 1940s.

The first poker chips with a custom designed logo and multicolored edge spots were created in the 1950s.

Injection molded poker chips were first made by the Bud Jones Company in the mid 1970s. These chips had clearer edge spotting's and name labellings, but were mainly produced to reduce counterfeiting.

In 1985, Chipco International, introduced the full colour ProTech chip. This poker chip is build using a special ceramic compound and can display graphics on the entire chip surface, even on the outer edges.

Security - History of Poker Chips
For security reasons, it is better to have a unique set than to have the same set as others although this depends largely on your game and who you play with.

If there is no security concern, having several people with the same chips is not a concern - in fact it may be better because it allows more people to play.