Poker chips have been manufactured from a huge range of materials in an almost endless variety of styles since the advent of wagering and the need to keep track of winnings. The most commonly used materials used today in the creation of cutting-edge poker chips are plastic, clay composite, and acrylic composite. Clay chips, the oldest of the bunch, have been made in America since the late 19th century.
Back in the 19th century, poker players seemed to use any small object with value you can imagine. Early poker players sometimes employed jagged gold pieces as well as chips – primarily made of wood and clay. By the 1900s, poker chip features started to play a greater prominence, and the smooth edges of older chips were given up to chips with slits to keep them neatly stacked together.
There is little or no doubt that poker has grown constantly in appeal ever since its beginnings in the 19th century. With the huge growth of internet gambling and unique TV shows, public interest in poker has feed the fire more rapidly than ever before. Many people are first introduced to poker by television showslike Bravo’s "Celebrity Poker Showdown" or "Poker After Dark," and most will gamble on their 1st hands on the web. Despite web poker’s growth, nothing replaces the feeling of holding heavy poker chips in your hands, throwing chips into the center of a poker table, or stacking tall pilesstacks of chips after displaying a winning hand.