Home Poker table FAQ

[audiopostman]

Has there already been a FAQ type of post regarding home poker tables? Such as what to look for in a good table, 1/4 foam or 1/2 foam, velvetine or felt, etc. I found a table I like but besides looking at the pictures, I have no idea of the quality. Anyone care to share what table they have, the price and pros and cons of the table? Ideally, I like to keep the price under $500 if possible. My biggest concern is that most of the tables I have seen have those metal folding legs that look very unstable.

[obeythekitten]

http://www.scottkeen.com/forum/viewf...292dfe135bec68

[audiopostman]

Wow, less than a minute and I have a response, thanks!

[amlindauer]

If you're up for 4-5 hours of work then I'd suggest building it yourself. Here is my second attempt at a poker table. My buddy and I whipped this out the other night. I think it turned out pretty good. We just eyeballed everything. Looks a little distorted to the picture resize. We just need to add a couple of finishing touches like adding some trim to cover the staples on the side.

You can EASILY find materials for under $200 and should have no problem staying under $150 if you're even more cost conscious.

We have absolutely no creative or artistic ability whatsoever so if we can do it, so can anybody.

If you have any questions, fire away.

[Riverboat Willie]

Here are a couple things to look for when buying a table:
Make sure the table is based on a solid 3/4" sheet of birch or oak plywood. (absolutely no MDF!)
The foam used in the rails should be high density, or it will break down and wear out too quickly
You want a velveteen or suited "casino" cloth on the play surface. billiards felt is scratchy and sheds, and craft felt just balls up and wears out.
Ask about how the table is finished on the bottom, you wouldn't think this would be important, but staring at ugly extra felt and staples when it's stored is not cool. the bottom should be covered either with a coverboard or a trim material.

As far as legs go, I'm with you in my dislike of the folding metal legs. They are popular and do hold up okay, but I don't think they look very good. Check out my site and tables, I designed a custom folding leg system. The ones on the site have more angled cuts on them, but my two recent tables have had a nicer rounded look and i'll be updating my site soon. Hope this helps!

Mark "Riverboat Willie" Nelson
http://viper12873.tripod.com

[fishfeet]

I built a table about 9 months ago. I spent about $200 but could have done it for $150 if I knew how much of everthing I needed. I eneded up buying too much foam which was an extra $20.. and foam is non-returnable. At least where I bought it.

I made my table shorter than standard so it would fit better. Its just over 6 feet long and ~3.5-4 feet wide. I cant remember the width exactly.
We hold 8 people very comfortably, and can squeeze in 11 if we have to. But I designed it for 8.. due to the size of our game at the time and my space restrictions.

I used folding metal legs from a folding office table. I removed the entire assmbly from the table.. not just the legs, but the entire thing (if you look underneath, you will see metal running around the entire table, with the legs on either end)
I attached this entire assmbly to the bottom of my table. This helped keep the poker table 3/4inch lower. It has been incredibly sturdy. Its not the most attractive thing, but being college students we arent worried about that! Hell our poker room is ugly.

For the foam under the table cloth I used 2 layers for 1/4 closed cell foam. It is a black foam that comes in a roll. I decided I wanted more bounce than just one layer of 1/4inch gave me, so I doubled it up.
For the cloth I used a blue velveteen. It was very nice looking, but after about 5 months of use it is really worn out. The only place that it looks new is around the rail where it is touched less. Everything else is worn (we play at least 4 times a week, if not more. And has seen several spills)
Im about to re-'felt' it soon.

For the rail, I had it extend AROUND the side of the table, as opposed to the picture above where it is just sitting on top. I think it makes it look MUCH better.
On top of the rail I used 2" "squishy" foam. (not sure what its called. But its very soft and confortable)
This makes the rail stand up very high, but it is VERY comfortable. You cant feel the wood underneath. I am very glad I made the decision to use that thick of a foam. On the sides (inside towards the felt, and the outside, towards the plaers) I used 1" foam of the same kind.
I wrapped the entire thing with a very high quality camel colored vinal. It is not shiny or slippery like other cheap vinals. It wasnt cheap, but it was well worth it. It looks a lot nicer.