Table Shape...

[ORGrinder]

So I'm going to be making a table top and was hoping for some input.

With the home games hopefully becoming a regular thing... I need something that will accomodate 10 people. I have a nice dining room table that's the same shape as the standard texas holdem tables... but I could only squeeze a max of 8 ppl on it.

So... tonight I'm going to Lowes and am going to purchase a sheet of ply... that will give me the length I need to accomodate 10 players (a sheet of ply is 8' long x 4' wide right?).

For this weekend, I'll just throw a nice table cloth over it... but I'll work on it gradually until it's the real deal with the felt and padded arm-rest edges.

My question, though, is should i round off the ends so it's like the standard texas holdem tables (like the ones at the casinos), or should i cut the corners off of the ends so that it has 8 distinct sides (3 on each end and the two sides). The latter would be much easier to fabricate the padded rails for than would the rounded edge... but it wouldn't have the "authentic" look to it then. Another plus though to this config would be that each player would have their own set "space" (since there's 3 distinct edges on each end as opposed to a rounded end).

What do y'all think?

[PuckJunkieNY]

Sounds like you favor the "authentic" look.
If your're gonna spend the time to do it, you should do it the way you want. The extra work will be paid back in spades from the years of enjoyment you'll get out of it.

You gonna install little micro-cams so the losers can see the hole cards when watching the play after they are out?
LOL
That would be kool!

Good luck 2 U

[redd38]

If you have the tools to do it rounded then I say do that. I tried to make a rounded end table but I don't have many tools cause I'm just a poor college student and it ended up being a pain in the @*$

[saper88aa]

This thread might help you out mabey http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/forum/ ... r-table-at. Pokergoblin also know how to make some great tables. He's prolly the master on this subject

[ORGrinder]

thanks saper...

i had read that thread already. very interesting stuff.

no matter really... i ended up doing the traditional rounded end style table. i had the tools... so i went ahead and did it.

for now i'm just using a piece of fleece (seemed better than the hobby felt) to cover the table (just using the fleece like a table cloth)... but if i can win the pot on saturday (10 ppl, $10 buy in) i'll use that money to start working on making it a "real" table.

i'll post a pic of what i have so far later tonight.

[mindgame]

I have a friend who built a nice table and actually made it elliptical rather than an oval, so that players in the long center section could see the other players. Looked great until he tried to build a cushion to go around it. What a mess that was. A 3 or 4 inch cushion really gives a table a professional, finished look.

Well we debated about how to do a good one--the ones in the casino appear to be covered in one, seamless piece of vinyl fabric. That means throwing away an awful lot of expensive material and using about 20% of it. We decided the best way was to build the cushion in small sections, each about 24"-30" long, then attach them one at time. This is where the Oval works better. With circular ends broken into 3 sections each you can make 6 identical pieces, then fit them. You finish the table with staight sections cut to fit the two side--they'd be easy to adjust and fit exactly.

The idea of taking a rectangular table and cutting the corners would work well with this scheme.

Of course making the legs is a whole 'nother story...but we've got a welding/fabrication shop at work. Being a design engineer I came up with a set of pedestal type beauties--but I sure wouldn't want to have to actually pay for them.

[ORGrinder]

got the image link to work. yay!

a little dark... but my dig cam kinda blows. anyway... here it is. just cut the shape and purchased a piece of fleece to go on top. i went with the fleece because it seemed to be a better surface than the hobby felt.

[racquet000]

What legs did you use for that table?.....Did you lay the board ontop of another table?

aaron,

[saper88aa]

How do you fasten the felt. Or did you just throw it over the top off the table like a table cloth. I would reoment making a drawsrting aroun the edge to fasten it. This was the sloth is tight and taught so that it won't move on you.



Hope that helps

[ORGrinder]

as for the legs... it's just set on top of our dining room table.

as for the fleece... ya, i just tossed it over like a table cloth. good idea on the draw string... i'll see if i can get the wife to sew that up for me before the big game tomorrow night!

[saper88aa]

I have an oval 72" inch dining table. My mother is a very good seamstress and we created an overlay. We used felt purchased at Wal-Mart for $3.00 dollars per yard and then overlaid that with a black fabric called trigger. Seamed a cord in and used a drawstring tie (like what you use to pull a bag tight). Lay the fabric over the table, tighten the drawsting and it works well. Total investment for the table top was $18.00 and it is smooth and tight and can be cleaned if you have spills. Just throwing out another suggestion on a way to go with felt.[/quote]


This mabey will help you out a bit. Its on the 3rd page of "where did you get you poker table at"

[ORGrinder]

the draw sting is definitly a good idea. i decided to go with the fleece instead of the felt for two reasons...

first, the fleece was thicker. provided more of a padded surface. second, it seems slicker... meaning that the cards would slide on it better than the felt. this may or may not be true... i'd have to compare it to a table with the hobby felt to find out... but from what i could tell at the fabric store... the fleece seemed the way to go (and it cost about the same). additionally, the wife thought that the fleece would not get "fuzzy" as quickly as the hobby felt would. again... this isn't talking from experiance... just best guess.

i'll find out soon enough!

fyi - the 4x8 5/8 partical board and the fleece cost me a total of 22 bucks. not bad for such a large surface!

if/when i decide to build a real table... i'll likely switch out the partical board for ply though.

[golddog]

A piece of advice, if you're not set on felt. Some guys I've played with made tables and covered it with some kind of nylon-like surface (with a little padding underneath).

Very, very, good. the cards slide smoothly, it doesn't get clumped like felt sometimes can. Seems like it wears very well too.

I think they went to one of those hobby-fabric type stores. They should be able to help you find the right material.

[ORGrinder]

ya... i read about that in that other thread. the vinal is a neat idea... but i think when i go to build the real deal... i'm going to take goblins suggestion and use billiards felt.

[ORGrinder]

here's another... all preped for the game tonight...

notice my nifty new dealer button there on the table (hehehehe... samless plug for ya adam)...