DA VINCI Professional Set of 500 11.5 Gram Casino Del Sol Poker Chips with Denominations, 2 Decks of Plastic Playing Cards, 2 Cut Cards & 3 Dealer Buttons (Silver Aluminum Frame Case)

Why it's worth it

Five hundred denominated clay-composite chips, two decks of plastic cards, cut cards and dealer buttons in a locking aluminum case. It's everything a home game needs, and it works whether your recipient hosts monthly or has never dealt a hand.

If you only know that they like poker, buy this. The 500-chip count covers up to about eight or nine players comfortably, which is most home games. Denominations are printed onto the chips rather than stickered on, so nobody has to keep asking what the green ones are worth. Owners consistently mention that printed values are what makes a set actually playable.

The chips run 11.5 grams of clay composite. That's lighter than the casino-weight chips purists chase, but it's a real, noticeable step up from the thin plastic discs in a big-box game set. They stack, they riffle, and they have enough heft to feel like money. For a first real set, that's the right target.

From our review of 7 gifts for poker players

What we like

• +If you only know that they like poker, buy this
• +The chips run 11.5 grams of clay composite
• +The aluminum case is doing quiet gift work
• +This is also a good group gift

What to know

• –The case is the weak point
• –Chip color distribution is fixed at 150 blue, 150 red, 100 green, 50 black and 50 gray