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Gaming chips have been made from a huge range of materials in an almost endless selection of styles since the birth of gambling and the requirement to keep track of winnings. The most familiar materials used today in the creation of modern poker chips are plastic, clay, and acrylics. Clay chips, the oldest of the group, have been made in America since the late 1800s.

Back in the 19th century, poker players seemed to use any small valuable item you can imagine. Early poker enthusiasts occasionally employed jagged gold pieces along with chips – primarily manufactured of wood and clay. By the 20th century, poker chip designs started to play a bigger prominence, and the smooth edges of older chips were given up to chips with slits to keep them neatly arranged with each other.

There is little or no debate that poker has increased steadily in appeal since its origin in the 19th century. With the huge increase of online gaming and specialty TV shows, community appeal in poker has accelerated faster than ever before. Many individuals are first introduced to poker by television showssuch as Bravo’s "Celebrity Poker Showdown" or "Poker After Dark," and most will gamble on their initial hands online. Despite net poker’s growth, not much replaces the feeling of mixing heavy poker chips in your hand, tossing chips into the middle of a casino table, or creating tall pilesstacks of chips after displaying a winning hand.