Difference between poker and speed cloth?

[yankees2112]

Hi, im interested in bulding a table, and im lookin at felts, and i see casino felt which is $8.50 per foot, and speed cloth for $3.50 for foot...is there any real big difference between the two? and if there is, is it worth the $5 per foot more that the casino cloth is. Thanks

[ORGrinder]

speed cloth is going to be more like regular fabric (with respect to how it feels). think a pair of dress slacks i guess... (sorry... that's all i could think of) and that's kinda what you get with speed cloth.

felt, on the other hand, is felt. you likely know what that feels like.

short of spending loads of cash on high quality billiards felt, speed cloth is going to outlast the felt.

i'm not a fan of speed cloth myself... nor am i a fan of felt (not the kind i can afford anyway).

if i were you i'd check out the suited cloth that's out there (google for Your Auto Trim... last i was looking they had the best prices). it's an upholstry fabric but looks awesome (has card suites on it... but in a classy way... not a cheesy way) and is indestructable. cards slide on it like butter. i used it on my table and am quite happy with it. the only down side is that it doesn't give nearly as much as other types of fabric so it's harder to work with.

hope that helps!

[Cyberhwk]

...if this is the speed cloth I'm thinking of, (bit rougher, plasticy, polyester feel to it), cards absolutely FLY these. Even down at the end spots, just a slight flick can get them to the dealer; and even the other side of the table if you're not carefull. It's GREAT for pitching cards since beginners can slide them and don't have to get them airborne and risk turning them over.

Traditional felt is softer to the touch so it's more comfortable to rest your hands on and touch. But the pile of the felt makes it harder to slide cards so when pitched they have to cover more ground in the air.

It's a tough desicion and I'll be the first to admit I'm not an expert.