BARGE Chip Committee

This year, the theme is “IRC Poker.” Each chip in the chip set has a common obverse with a different r00lbot saying on the reverse (“tails”) side. Standard chip colors are used. The r00lbot sayings used are: “Man this game just keeps getting better.” “Bet more win more!” “ATM is ————–> that way.” “Call this if you don’t like money.” “I didn’t hear what you said. Busy stacking chips.” “It’s about time the cards started to recognize the talent!” “BUHWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” “If you re-raise me I might fold.”

This year, the theme is “Poker Archetypes.” Each chip in the chip set has a common obverse showing the scales of justice weighing Presto! against Aces. Standard chip colors are used. The BARGE 2009 NLHE Champion, David “Heldar” Heller, came up with the theme. In David’s opinion, the poker world has three types of players: Donkey/Hosers, Pokermaticians, and Lawyers. The Donkey/Hosers are those who call a preflop raise with 72o and then flop a full house. ...

This year, the theme is “Reindeer Games.” Each chip in the chip set has a common obverse showing a reindeer in a sleigh being pulled by a set of cards. Standard chip colors are used. The BARGE 2010 NLHE Champion, Chuck Humphrey, came up with the theme. This year’s chip set pays homage to the wide variety of poker games that are played during BARGE. Saturday night after the banquet is the prime time to sign up for these games, but they are often in play throughout BARGE week. ...

From the announcement for the 2012 chips: The 2011 BARGE NLHE Champion, Rich “Omaholic” Bremer, worked with a graphic designer to develop a very unique set of chips. Each chip describes one step towards achieving true BARGE enlightenment. Step 1. Meditation Step 2. Seeking New Experiences Step 3. Concentration & Reflection Step 4. Generosity Step 5. Contribution To The Greater Good Step 6. Mindfulness of Others Step 7. Socialization Step 8. True Enlightenment Step 9. Achieve Nirvana (on the special purple chip) These were the last BARGE chips produced by Chipco International. ...

From the announcement for the 2013 chips: This year’s set, designed by 2012 Champ Paul McMullin, and created by Michael Brennan commemorates truly unlikely events. How else can you explain a victory by Paul other than Pigs must be Flying? What next? Nolan getting religion? QB finding some gamble? Interstellar ARG events? Elvis playing Barge? Foldem drinking nonalcoholic beverages? Scottro accepting a deal? (really…like he could ever get that close) ...

(This text was recovered from a previous Barge chip site and has been lightly edited, if at all.) THE THEME: The theme for the 2014 BARGE Chipset comes from the luckiest (for me) outcome of a hand in the 2013 BARGE No-Limit Tournament. It was fairly late in the tournament, 4 tables left I believe, and I was in middle position with an M of about 10 when I looked at Ah5h. It was folded to me and I decided that this might be a good time for an all-in steal so I jammed. Uh oh, I got called by AA and figured that it was the end for me. But as Chic is my witness I flopped one wheel card and made a bicycle on the last two runners. From there I went on to win the tournament and that was the only time my tournament life was on the line with me an extreme underdog. There is a little more to it than that. I am also a dedicated cyclist; I logged around 3500 miles on my bikes last year. So this year’s theme is The Wheel. I am grateful to a number of people especially the members of the BARGE chip committee for making the 2014 chips a reality. I hope you like the design; in later posts I will tell the story of each chip in the collection and highlight the contributions of these friends. ...

From the 2015 annoucement for the sampler sets: In everyone’s life there is a first time. The 2014 BARGE Main Event winner, Andreas “Andy” Wolfram, was inspired by his first time in Las Vegas and made the BARGE Virgin Experience his 2015 BARGE Chip Collection theme. Ron invited Andy to BARGE. Artist Mike McBride captured the iconic moment featuring Ron in a dress ensuring Ron remains a virgin forever at least in Andy’s mind. Andy had a fabulous sushi dinner represented by the tuna roll chip. Other fun virgin activities include playing the Sex in the City slots with a group of traveling positive EV nuns who were staying at the Queens, drinking Shirley Temple’s while other players were downing shots of tequila, trying to find the Virgo constellation while under the laser show in downtown Vegas, and finally losing his shirt while on the very funny craps tour across multiple casinos. We invite you to share Andy’s BARGE Virgin Experience by purchasing your own sampler set of the 2015 BARGE Chip Collection. ...

From the 2016 message that announced the sampler sets were available: The 2016 set was designed by 2015 BARGE Main Event Champion Jennifer Shahade who also happens to be a two-time American Women’s Chess Champion. This chess set is also available in 34 pieces so you have a complete chess set.

From the 2017 announcement that made the sampler sets available: The 2017 set was designed by 2016 BARGE Main Event Champion Bex Lynn showcasing her mastery of music.

(Most of this text was likely from Michael Brennan, and it was liberated from a snapshot of bargechips.org held by the Internet Archive. Some small edits have been made to make it match the rest of this site.) Introducing the 2018 BARGE Chips This was a tough year. The head designer of the BARGE Chip Committee had to veto Chris’s first two suggestions of Non-mastery of Music (Sitar, Key-tar, bagpipes, concertina, moog, didgeridoo, theremin, kazzo and Tibetan throat singing) and a full checkers set of just two chips – red and black. Thankfully, the ghost of Tom Bayes spoke to Chris in a dream or a bar (he is not sure which) and inspired his theme of “The Poker Curriculum” – coming to a university lecture hall near you soon! ...