Gaming chips have been made from a wide selection of materials in an almost endless assortment of variations since the advent of wagering and the need to keep an eye on winnings. The most commonly used components used at present in the manufacture of current poker chips are plastic, clay composite, and acrylic composite. Clay chips, the original of the bunch, have been manufactured in America since the late 19th century.
Back in the 19th century, poker enthusiasts appear to be using any tiny valuable object you can imagine. Early poker enthusiasts sometimes used rough gold pieces as well as chips – normally manufactured of wood and clay. By the 1900s, poker chip designs began to play a bigger prominence, and the smooth sides of older chips were given up to chips with engraved slits to hold them neatly arranged with each other.
There is no doubt that poker has grown steadily in popularity since its origin in the 19th century. With the explosive advancement of internet gaming and specialty TV shows, community interest in poker has accelerated more rapidly than ever before. Many people are initially introduced to poker by television showssuch as "Celebrity Poker" or the Travel Channel’s "World Poker Tour," and most will wager on their first hands online. Despite online poker’s growth, not much competes with the feeling of holding weighty clay poker chips in your hands, tossing chips into the center of a poker table, or stacking tall pilesstacks of chips after showing a winning hand.