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Space Needed For Poker Table

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Robert Woolley

For a seating area around a dining table to feel comfortable and not cramped, 36 inches between the table edge and walls or obstructions is necessary to provide room for guests to enter and exit. Space Needed For A Poker Table Ideally, you want at least 3 feet (1 meter) of clearance around a poker table to allow for adequate seating and movement around the room. At the minimum, there should be 5 feet of clear space around the table. This space is enough for comfortably placing and stroking the cue. Therefore, the ideal space for your pool table should be at least 10 feet added on top of the table's dimensions. Let's look at some examples.

If you want a casino table for a large group of people, an octagon poker table is a good option. This type of table leaves room for at least eight players which is a. Space each table's long side 35' from the two opposite walls: that's 210 - 70 = 140 available space, minus the 96' combined for the width of the two tables = 44 inches of space between them. You won't have room for much of anything else, however.

Since in this 'Casino Poker for Beginners' series of articles I have lately been talking about types of equipment in use at casino poker tables (chips, buttons, and cards), it seems logical to wrap up that whole line of thought with some tips about the table and chairs.

It's not that you don't already know how to sit in a chair, or what a table is for, but there are some points of etiquette and unwritten rules that might be worth knowing about.

Divide, but no need to conquer

Space around a poker table is always tight, and, unfortunately, juvenile disputes over an inch or two of elbow room can spoil an otherwise pleasant game. Here's how to figure out what territory is rightfully yours.

Some poker rooms run their games with nine players, others with ten. You have to know this before you can deduce where all the players belong. This is usually easy — just count the number of chairs.

For a nine-handed game, the player in Seat 5 should be centered directly in front of the dealer. Seats 1 and 9 are on the dealer's left and right, respectively. That leaves three seats to divvy up the remaining room between those points of reference.

In ten-handed games, the space between Seat 5 and Seat 6 should be directly in front of the dealer, and again you can kind of eyeball how to divide equitably the remaining space among the three seats that fall between those and Seats 1 and 10.

Casino

Sometimes this process is made even easier by the presence of built-in cupholders. If the number of cupholders equals the number of players, the whole process becomes wonderfully simple. Each player just centers his or her body on the assigned cupholder.

Unfortunately — and perplexingly — many casinos do not have a 1-to-1 correspondence between built-in cupholders and seats, which confuses everybody. You may encounter ten seats with nine cupholders, or nine seats with ten cupholders. In those cases, ignore the cupholders and in your mind's eye divide the space up as you would if there were none.

By the way, if you like having maximum personal space, the two seats on either side of the dealer are the places to be. They're always my preference for that very reason, unless strategic advantage dictates that the potential for winning more money from another spot needs to trump comfort.

Space invaders

As players enter and leave the game, chairs get jostled and displaced. Sooner or later, the distribution of space will end up lopsided, with one half of the table crowded like sardines, and the other half enjoying elbow room like first-class airline passengers. The dealer should notice and fix this, but if he doesn't, it's perfectly fine to ask him to do so.

When the dealer is between hands, just get his attention and say, 'When you get a chance, could you please square up the table?' That's the key phrase: 'square up the table.' It's universal, and it translates to 'Scoot the players around as needed to redivide the space more evenly.'

Always let the dealer direct this process. If you try to take it on yourself ('You move to your left a little, you move closer to the dealer'), you sound dictatorial, and will likely encounter pushback from people who don't like being told what to do.

Feet and inches

There is a closely related space issue at the poker table, and that is the space under the table. Your feet have to go somewhere, after all.

Sadly, you will encounter players who are as rude and childish about taking more than their fair share of leg room under the table as they are about elbow room above it. This is harder to combat than the seating arrangement, as the problem will not be apparent to anybody except the two players involved. You really can't ask the poker room personnel to intervene here without sounding petty. You just have to deal with it, using some combination of charm, assertiveness, and opportunism — just as you would for an airline passenger trying to invade your tiny allocation of space.

The carpet under the table, incidentally, is frequently a disgusting mess. Many players use it as their personal trash can, too lazy to get up and walk a few steps to the real one. Casino staff can't get in to clean it until after a game breaks up, so the stuff just accumulates. It's gross. Please don't be one who contributes to the problem. Similarly, when you leave a game, be considerate and take your cup, glass, or bottle with you. Don't force an employee or the next player to dispose of it for you.

Losing the spilling bee

Speaking of beverages, poker rooms without cupholders built into the table will have portable cupholders that are stabilized by jamming a lip under the rail of the table. Feel free to grab one from an empty seat or table to use for yourself, or move it out of your way if you don't need it.

Space Needed For Poker Table Chairs

Never, never, never have an open beverage container on the poker table without a cupholder. Yes, I know you think you could never be so clumsy as to knock it over. But bad things happen. Other people's hands move in sudden, unexpected ways, like when trying to catch a runaway chip, flag down a cocktail waitress, express outrage at a bad beat, or pass a phone to show a funny picture. The table tilts when somebody leans on it to stand up or sit down.

As a result, drinks spill. And when they do, it's a royal mess. Just look at the picture Andrew Tengtweeted from last summer's WSOP along with the advice 'Don't drink wine at the table without a cupholder.'

Space needed for poker table

Cards and chips get wet and have to be cleaned. Towels have to be fetched for the felt. Sometimes they have to shut down that table and move the whole game to another one. Everybody gets tremendously inconvenienced and justifiably annoyed. Don't ever even take a chance on being the one responsible.

For

Sometimes this process is made even easier by the presence of built-in cupholders. If the number of cupholders equals the number of players, the whole process becomes wonderfully simple. Each player just centers his or her body on the assigned cupholder.

Unfortunately — and perplexingly — many casinos do not have a 1-to-1 correspondence between built-in cupholders and seats, which confuses everybody. You may encounter ten seats with nine cupholders, or nine seats with ten cupholders. In those cases, ignore the cupholders and in your mind's eye divide the space up as you would if there were none.

By the way, if you like having maximum personal space, the two seats on either side of the dealer are the places to be. They're always my preference for that very reason, unless strategic advantage dictates that the potential for winning more money from another spot needs to trump comfort.

Space invaders

As players enter and leave the game, chairs get jostled and displaced. Sooner or later, the distribution of space will end up lopsided, with one half of the table crowded like sardines, and the other half enjoying elbow room like first-class airline passengers. The dealer should notice and fix this, but if he doesn't, it's perfectly fine to ask him to do so.

When the dealer is between hands, just get his attention and say, 'When you get a chance, could you please square up the table?' That's the key phrase: 'square up the table.' It's universal, and it translates to 'Scoot the players around as needed to redivide the space more evenly.'

Always let the dealer direct this process. If you try to take it on yourself ('You move to your left a little, you move closer to the dealer'), you sound dictatorial, and will likely encounter pushback from people who don't like being told what to do.

Feet and inches

There is a closely related space issue at the poker table, and that is the space under the table. Your feet have to go somewhere, after all.

Sadly, you will encounter players who are as rude and childish about taking more than their fair share of leg room under the table as they are about elbow room above it. This is harder to combat than the seating arrangement, as the problem will not be apparent to anybody except the two players involved. You really can't ask the poker room personnel to intervene here without sounding petty. You just have to deal with it, using some combination of charm, assertiveness, and opportunism — just as you would for an airline passenger trying to invade your tiny allocation of space.

The carpet under the table, incidentally, is frequently a disgusting mess. Many players use it as their personal trash can, too lazy to get up and walk a few steps to the real one. Casino staff can't get in to clean it until after a game breaks up, so the stuff just accumulates. It's gross. Please don't be one who contributes to the problem. Similarly, when you leave a game, be considerate and take your cup, glass, or bottle with you. Don't force an employee or the next player to dispose of it for you.

Losing the spilling bee

Speaking of beverages, poker rooms without cupholders built into the table will have portable cupholders that are stabilized by jamming a lip under the rail of the table. Feel free to grab one from an empty seat or table to use for yourself, or move it out of your way if you don't need it.

Space Needed For Poker Table Chairs

Never, never, never have an open beverage container on the poker table without a cupholder. Yes, I know you think you could never be so clumsy as to knock it over. But bad things happen. Other people's hands move in sudden, unexpected ways, like when trying to catch a runaway chip, flag down a cocktail waitress, express outrage at a bad beat, or pass a phone to show a funny picture. The table tilts when somebody leans on it to stand up or sit down.

As a result, drinks spill. And when they do, it's a royal mess. Just look at the picture Andrew Tengtweeted from last summer's WSOP along with the advice 'Don't drink wine at the table without a cupholder.'

Cards and chips get wet and have to be cleaned. Towels have to be fetched for the felt. Sometimes they have to shut down that table and move the whole game to another one. Everybody gets tremendously inconvenienced and justifiably annoyed. Don't ever even take a chance on being the one responsible.

Guest hosts

From time to time, you'll see a player who has an onlooker — most commonly a wife or girlfriend. (It's not sexist to say so; it's just a fact. For whatever reason, many more women than men are willing to sit and watch somebody else play.) Every poker room I've been in allows this. Still, it's best to first ask permission from the dealer. He can tell you where to find an extra chair, how to place it so that it's not taking up other players' space, and so on.

As the player, you are responsible for your guest's conduct. He or she must not comment on the action, talk to you in the middle of a hand, peek at other players' cards, do anything that might help or hurt another player's chance of winning, or be insulting or obnoxious. Your guest should be made to understand these prohibitions in advance, and you must be willing to take immediate and decisive action should any violation occur.

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Conclusion

I guess when you boil it down, all of this stuff about the poker table and the space around it can be summed up like this: be as courteous and respectful of the other players as you want them to be to you.

That's not so much to ask, is it?

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A typical casino poker table has a length of between 92 and 104 inches (234 and 264 cm), a width of 44 inches (112 cm), and a height of 30 inches (76 cm). You can expect to also add 4 inches (10 cm) to the length and width for the outer 'racetrack' railing. The weight commonly ranges from 170 to 200 pounds (77 to 91 kilos ) but can go up to as high as 350 pounds (159 kilos).

Outside of casino models, there is no official or standard sizing for poker tables as it all depends on who is making it and the shape of the table. In fact, there is pretty much a table out there to fit any space. From roll-up poker mats to octagon, round, and oval folding poker tables, with and without legs. And, of course, you have the high-end professional versions that are meant to simulate casino quality tables. Let's take a look at the various types and shapes found in home poker tables, what they are made of, and how many people they typically seat.

Please note, dimensions will be listed in the following format in inches: Length x Width x Height (cm conversion)

Oval Poker Tables

Oval poker tables are the most common design and home models usually fold up for storage.

  • Sizes
    Permanent home versions are often 92x44x30 (234x112x76). Foldable models are usually about 84x42x30 (213x107x76) but can be as small as around 73 inches long and 32 inches wide.
  • Weight
    54 to 85 pounds.
  • Materials
    Tops are usually felt-covered wood, the railing vinyl, and the legs steel. Materials can vary based on the quality and price point.
  • Number Of Players
    Most oval tables are designed to hold 9 or 10 players, however, some of the smaller models typically only hold 6 or 7 comfortably. To truly hold 9 or 10 players, 84-inch width and up is recommended.

Octagon Poker Tables

Octagonal tables have grown in popularity since most home poker games consist of 4-6 people. These tables are nice and compact and handle that number of people easily.

  • Sizes
    48x48x30 (122x122x76) for foldable models. Tabletop versions are usually the same size but occasionally are found a bit bigger, around 50 inches wide.
  • Weight
    45 to 60 pounds with legs, 20-40 pounds for tabletop versions.
  • Materials
    Folding octagonal tables are usually felt-covered wood, the railing plastic and occasionally vinyl, with the steel legs. Tabletop versions are often felt-covered plastic, with a plastic border or 'railing'. Again, materials can vary based on the quality and price point.
  • Number Of Players
    Most octagon-shaped table, like this one found on Amazon, are designed to hold up to 8 players. However, most versions will comfortably hold 5 or 6.

Round Poker Tables

Round poker tables are actually the least common design you will see and are typically only available in permanent options.

  • Sizes
    48 to 60 inches wide. Tabletop versions are hard to find but are about 48 inches wide.
  • Weight
    Too rare to put a common weight.
  • Materials
    Varies.
  • Number Of Players
    There's a reason round tables are out of vogue; they just don't hold as many people as oval or octagonal models do. Most round poker tables hold 4 people, 5 if you squeeze in.

Square Poker Tables

Square tables are also rare and about 34 inches across. Since they only hold 4 people, most people opt for a different shape, or just use a square table from Walmart. Even so, if you only hold small games, they can be a decent option. if you can find one. Tabletop versions that can be set on an existing dining room table do exist, however, my advice is to instead get a rectangular mat… covered in the next section.

What About Poker Mats?

Poker mats are an excellent option for the occasional impromptu card game. They are light and portable as is humanly possible, since they are made of either cloth or rubber, and typically come in a rectangular or oval shape. Poker mats, like this one found on Amazon, are usually about 72×36 (183×91).

Space Needed For A Poker Table

Ideally, you want at least 3 feet (1 meter) of clearance around a poker table to allow for adequate seating and movement around the room. If you have a small square poker room, I would suggest an octagon-shaped table, as these seem to fit best in small spaces while allowing for a maximum number of people to be seated. If your room is rectangular, any oval table like this nice Amazon model, that fits within the parameters of the space will do fine.

Space Needed For Poker Table

Important Tip: When choosing a poker table make sure that you look at the actual total dimensions of the table including any railings. Often, the sale listing of a poker table will only include the dimensions of the actual playing area of the table!

Just to be safe, my advice is to allow another 4 inches (10 cm) to the length and width of any poker table you find online that has a racetrack design or an armrest area on the table. Or, contact the manufacturer and see if you can get exact detailed specs.

What About Chairs?

Remember to always leave ample space and elbow room around your poker table for people to be able to get in and out of their chairs and maneuver their poker chips. I would recommend just getting folding chairs for your poker buddies unless you are playing at a dining room table that already has nice sturdy chairs. On that front, I suggest that you invest in some heavy-duty chairs that will hold players who might be on the heavy side. Here are some that should do the job nicely. They have a really high weight capacity.

Do Covering Types Affect Table Size?

All types of table coverings can be affixed to any table dimension. Even so, while covering types do not directly affect the space that a table will fit, you may want to consider using a faster cloth in more enclosed spaces. With standard cloth, the cards will not move across the surface and someone dealing at the end of the table in a recreational game will have a hard time sliding the cards all the way to the other end on slower cloth. There are two common options for poker table coverings, or felt; standard felt or speed cloth.

  1. Standard Felt
    This is the standard choice for the most poker tables, especially lower-priced versions. The surface has a roughness to it and often it is challenging to get the cards to slide all the way out to where you want them while dealing. However, this is the least expensive surface and is fine for most players. Even so, some people like to upgrade to a 'professional' surface, called speed cloth.
  2. Speed Cloth
    A lot of poker enthusiasts and professional poker players prefer the surface they play on to be a bit faster than standard felt. Therefore, they often want to play with speed cloth. Made of a more slippery type of polyester, you will have no issues getting cards to slide from one end of the table to the other end while dealing. However, players not used to a faster surface may grumble that the cards are sliding too fast, and sometimes flying off the table. The vast majority of poker tables do not come standard with speed cloth, as it is usually an upgrade only if one is willing to pay for the option.

A Brief History of Poker Table Sizes

The earliest card tables show up in the 1700s in response to the growing popularity of card games around Europe. In fact, it was common for people to buy card tables as fine furniture for their home, prominently displayed. Many versions even had a folding top, which allowed them to function as another piece of furniture when not in use. The wealthier classes paid exorbitant amounts for higher-end tables. Most of the designs were semicircular or oval and typically 36 inches in diameter.

Space Needed For Poker Table And Chairs

For more about finding the right poker table, I also wrote a comprehensive poker table guide to help you in your search. Thanks for stopping by!





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