The Key West Resort & Casino's Guide to
Casino chip cleaning, oiling, care & travel
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So you've finally acquired your dream set of high-end casino chips. Since you've obviously paid a substantial price for them, how to do you keep them in perfect condition?
Here are some pointers on cleaning your new chips and some options you have to make them look their best. And while we hope your "perfect" set of casino chips are Key Wests, these tips apply to any real clay casino chip you may buy. Cleaning your new chips If you are buying brand new casino chips, they'll likely arrive with a bit of "factory dust" on them. Simply wipe the chips with a damp cloth to remove the dust, and place them on a dry towel for about 15 minutes to allow them to dry. They'll be ready to play, or they can be oiled. (See oiling, at right.) Cleaning old casino table chips Increasingly, used casino table chips have become available for home games. But if you've found a playable set of chips actually retired from a real casino, you know they come with lots of casino "grunge" on them. (It's a mixture of dirt and oil from players' hands, soot, cigarette smoke, spilled soda and liquor which can make the chip look ruined and feel like something you found in the trash.) But you can make these chips look (almost) as good as new, too. All you'll need is a can of rug cleaner, an old toothbrush, and a damp cloth. First, spray a light coating of rug cleaner onto the chip. Give it a few minutes to soak into the "grunge" and do its job. Scrub the chip briskly with the toothbrush, being careful to get the bristles into the pattern around the rim of the chip -- those little Hs, Ls, flowers, elephants, snifters, cigars, hats, canes, or whatever design is around the rim of your chip. When you've done both sides, wipe the rug cleaner off with a damp cloth and place the chip onto a dry towel, allowing it to dry thoroughly. You'll be shocked at how effectively the cleaner works! Whatever you do to clean your chips, never... Never soak chips in water. The chip body will warp (twist and arch), and the inlays will come off! Never allow chips to sit for long periods while they're wet. Do a few chips at a time, and dry them immediately. |
Oiling casino chips
First, remember that casino chips don't need to be oiled. Some casino chips simply look nicer -- darker and richer -- with the tiniest bit of oil on them. The casinos do this the easy way -- they put the chips in play, and the palms of anxious players do the rest. Oiling clay casino chips doesn't add weight or make them easier to shuffle. It will, however, bring out some of the color in the chip, making the chip really "pop" on the table. And our Key West real clay casino chips really do benefit from a tiny bit of oil! If you decide to oil your Key West or other clay casino chips, here are a few tips. 
Use a clear mineral oil. (Don't use 10-W30, baby oil, linseed oil, etc.) Mineral oil is most similar to the oils in skin, like what will get into the chips through use. It won't damage the chip or stain the inlay.
You can oil the rim of the chip (the face of each side around the inlay) or just the rolling edge. You can oil all your chips, or just the darker colors. The choice is yours! 
Put a single drop of oil on the corner edge of a piece of paper towel. This will be enough oil to do around 20 chips.
Fold the edge and place a chip in the fold, so the oiled part of the paper towel is touching both front and back, and so as not to get lots of oil on the inlay. Give the chip a quick twist -- one complete rotation, and the oil is applied! Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe off any excess that gets on the inlay, so it won't get discolored. 
Set the chip aside for a few minutes to let the oil get into the chip. This won't take long -- you're not marinating it! Then wipe it down with a clean cloth to remove excess oil. Hint: It should feel like you're removing all the oil. A chip should look like it's been oiled. It shouldn't feel like it's been oiled. You should not really notice oil on your chips when you play. If you do, wipe it again or use a damp cloth to remove the excess oil.
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Storing your chips between games
Chips can be stored in boxes or racks at room temperature out of direct sunlight in a dry place. Any closet and most shelves in the house will do. Don't put them in a shed, garage or attic, as dampness and temperature extremes may damage the chips, cause them to warp, or make the inlays pop off. They're best stored in "low" places, as anyone who's ever dropped a set of chips will tell you.
You can keep them in their original chip boxes -- that's what the manufacturers do -- or store them in 100-chip racks and stack the racks up to about six racks high. The chips were created using great pressure -- much more than what you'd exert on the chips by storing them in fill containers or bird cages. We've never heard of a real clay casino chip warping by being stored in a birdcage.
Traveling with your chips
Never store casino chips inside a parked car for any length of time, and never store them in the trunk. The passenger compartment is fine if the temperature is -- that is, if you're in there with them, and are comfortable. Remember to treat them like you would a puppy or a spouse you actually like, and don't leave them anywhere in a very hot (or very cold) car. And if they need to be in the trunk, consider placing them in a cooler to keep the temperature regulated. Casino chips usually travel well on airplanes, though airport security will want a careful look at them before you board.
Chips can be stored in boxes or racks at room temperature out of direct sunlight in a dry place. Any closet and most shelves in the house will do. Don't put them in a shed, garage or attic, as dampness and temperature extremes may damage the chips, cause them to warp, or make the inlays pop off. They're best stored in "low" places, as anyone who's ever dropped a set of chips will tell you.
You can keep them in their original chip boxes -- that's what the manufacturers do -- or store them in 100-chip racks and stack the racks up to about six racks high. The chips were created using great pressure -- much more than what you'd exert on the chips by storing them in fill containers or bird cages. We've never heard of a real clay casino chip warping by being stored in a birdcage.
Traveling with your chips
Never store casino chips inside a parked car for any length of time, and never store them in the trunk. The passenger compartment is fine if the temperature is -- that is, if you're in there with them, and are comfortable. Remember to treat them like you would a puppy or a spouse you actually like, and don't leave them anywhere in a very hot (or very cold) car. And if they need to be in the trunk, consider placing them in a cooler to keep the temperature regulated. Casino chips usually travel well on airplanes, though airport security will want a careful look at them before you board.
The Key West Resort & Casino is not a real casino, and does not operate any gaming operation, on the web or elsewhere. It's a line of fine gaming equipment made by casino industry manufacturers for Continental Games, LLC, Wilmington, Delaware. The Key West Resort & Casino logo is is a trademark of Continental Games, and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. The Continental Card & Game Co. complies with the requirements of 15 USC § 1173. Click to visit Key West's Responsible Gaming page.
