These days, poker chips are fairly standard: Round, symbolic currency made out of plastic, clay composite, and acrylic composite – clay being the oldest material used. Today there are thousands of different designs, but they are a variation on this same theme. In the beginning, however, this sort of uniformity was sparse and the material used for wagers could vary from game to game, town to town, region to region, country to country.

In the 1800's in North America, early poker players would often use rough gold pieces in addition to chips composed of wood and clay, though almost anything would do. (Perhaps the same can be said for the more casual games played today. I was at a game this past weekend where we used M&M's in lieu of chips. A bad idea since we ate most of our profits.) It wasn't until the 1900's that much attention was given to refining the poker chip. The smooth edges of the chip were ridged, making them more suitable for stacking. By the 1940's, poker chips had evolved into the plastic chips we frequently see today.

In other parts of the world, dating back to ancient civilizations, similar materials would be used for chips, as well as tokens like bone, ivory and stones. The kinds of chips used were as varied as the people who played the game.

The principle reason for the chip's existence boils down to security. Most players didn't feel comfortable leaving their money on the table around a bunch of edgy and often angry strangers. So, players would give their money to the gambling house or bar who would in exchange give them chips of an equivalent or near equivalent value – depending on whether or not the house took a cut. Another reason players would use chips is because they simply did not have all the money they wanted to use to play on their person. Of course, this sort of credit playing could often lead to trouble, especially when there was a lack of record keeping backing up the claims of either party.

The middle of the 20th century rolled around and the casinos had grown epically. This meant there was a need to mass produce and to security-proof chips to ensure they were not counterfeit, since, at this point, there were an unfathomable number of other chips on the market. Today, casinos implant microchips, and use weight, size and texture to distinguish their chips from others.

The chips you buy for your home games obviously don't come with this sort of technology, but they are much more accessible and affordable than they were at the beginning to middle of 20th century when the chips themselves were not universally recognized or massed produced.

- Patricia Lang, Tower Gaming Media Room Manager