I had the idea for Chipless on a graduation trip in Alaska with my college friends. We wanted to play poker one night, but no one had chips. Our only options were clunky calculator apps or going online — which meant we were all glued to our phones instead of enjoying the trip together.
It didn't feel like real poker anymore. I wanted a way to deal cards at a table, laugh with friends, and keep the game authentic — without worrying about chips or math.
So with no coding experience, I started building what I first called Pocket Poker — eventually landing on the name Chipless.
Chipless is a simple tool that turns any deck of cards into a full poker set. It doesn't replace the real game — it just replaces the chips. You still deal physical cards, make reads at the table, and enjoy poker with friends. The app just takes care of the boring parts: blinds, stacks, and showing who owes who at the end.
Poker nights should be easy. No carrying chips, no debating payouts, no losing focus on the game itself. My goal with Chipless is to make authentic poker games possible anywhere — dorm rooms, ski trips, living rooms, or travel nights — with nothing more than a deck of cards and your phone.
Chipless started as a side project with almost no coding background besides a 1.5 credit python class, which I got a B in. Using AI coding tools, the app was created from scratch. The process was as much about proving that technology can bring ideas to life as it was about poker itself.
The result is a simple, lightweight tool built with accessibility in mind: designed so anyone, anywhere, can turn a deck of cards into a full poker set.
Questions? Email me: playchipless@outlook.com