Keep Your Poker Chips Shining

Poker chips tend to gather all sorts of dirt. Naturally, they pass through all hands - sweaty, greasy, dirty, and wet. The table and the floor add their bit. Needless to say, your chips will start looking disreputable and offensive if you don't give them a timely cleaning.

Cleaning the chips is going to be no mean feat. The plastic/composite home chip and ceramic chip are easier to maintain than clay chips. Clay chips tend to pick up grime faster than the others and their colors get duller with constant rub and use. The basic step, however, is the same for all kinds of chips.

Cleaning the Chips
Select a mild detergent. Chose a really gentle one, especially for the more expensive and more porous and delicate clay chips. The detergent must be able to cut grime but not dissolve the ink on the chip. Anything that dries the material of the chip is a complete no-no. Chips become brittle if they loose their moisture.

The correct way to wash the chips is to dip a soft toothbrush in detergent solution and scrub the chips gently, avoiding the inlay. Keeping your thumb on the inlay will help keep the water from getting to it. Dry them with a soft towel immediately after washing. Do not soak them and leave them wet or you can kiss your inlay goodbye.

That's about it if you have plastic/ceramic poker chips. However, clay poker chips need an additional step - oiling.

Oiling Clay Chips
Mild oiling restores color and moisture to a clay chip which becomes brittle and faded when dry or over used. Casinos get their oiling done free and easily. They just hand them to their customers to play with. Body oils do the rest. However for your personal set you'll need some mineral oil and a lot of patience. Some people also recommend baby oil. However if you love your chips, steer clear of vegetable oils. They may seem to the trick but destroy colors in the long term. Take a few drops on your fingers and gently rub the oil on the chips avoiding the inlay. A few drops should be enough for around 5-6 chips.

Once all the chips are oiled leave them spread out on paper towels somewhere indoors (and not out in the sun) for a few hours. This allows them to soak all the oil they need. That done, rub the chips gently with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Your poker chips are now ready for another long spell of use.

Abraham Korotki exploited the poker laws for the open tournaments which prohibit the game organizers from discriminating on a gender basis. The Borgata casino officials were helpless in staying Korotki's entry into the tournament. Poker enthusiasts also criticized Korotki for his lack of sportsmanship at the poker table.

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