How to Be a Good Poker Host: Part 2 -- The Table

Today we are continuing our series on how to be a good poker host. We are hoping that you will give back to your normal poker crowd, and surprise them by actually doing something other than scarfing their chips and beer. Just follow our helpful guide, and your friends will be exclaiming your poker hosting prowess, loving you, even as you slowly separate them from their money. That you see, is the trick of a good host.

Today's topic: The Table. Some think that all you need is a flat surface, and those people are wrong. We know that YOU aren't those people, so read on, and we'll remind you of all you need to know about tables.

If you haven't read Part 1 - The Playing Space, head there first, otherwise, read the skinny on tables after the jump!

The Table

The poker table. It is a unique item. That soft felt, that oddly optimized shape, those sweet sweet cup holders... nothing is quite like a good table. Nothing also is quite like a table that is constantly fighting its players, and getting in the way of the game.

When considering the table, we feel there are a few things to consider, and they are as follows:

Size

Shape

Stability

Surface

Accessories

Size and Shape
The size and shape of the table is a critical factor in your poker setting. Much like the playing space, if the size of the table is not appropriate to the number of players, it will be a generally uncomfortable game. Squeeze too many in, and cards will be falling, people will be snooping their neighbors, and there may even be some un-intended touching. On the other end, if you have a massive table with only 3 players, than it will be like passing salt across the grand canyon every time you push your chips in.

Shape is also important, as you want to optimize the players as close to each others (and the pot) as possible, without cramming them together. Generally any tables or tops you obtain will have shapes that make sense for the number of players, but if you're winging in on whatever table you have, try to choose a table that is round, as opposed to largely rectangle.

For most poker games, in most settings, we recommend an eight player poker - top table. Conveniently, the eight player tops come in a handy-dandy stop-sign octagon shape. Hey Look! One side per player! How clever. These can fit over just about any standard -folding card-table, as well as most kitchen tables, and even on some smaller to mid-sized dining room tables.

If you usually host a bigger game, or larger tourneys, and if you have the room, we recommend you bump up to the ten person oval-shaped tables. These are usually not just tops, but rather full folding poker tables. They are oval in shape, which is a little annoying when you don't have a dedicated dealer for the center, but the extra space is key when you have more than eight players.

Also, if you have more people than your table will allow, set up another table. You will lower pot sizes some, by splitting up the game, so be smart about it, but there is no need to jam ten people on an eight person table, when two groups of five will be perfectly fine.

Stability
No one wants to be playing on a poker table that is constantly wobbling. Imagine the horror as your martini slides off the edge of the table and lands in your friend's beer. Who will drink that now?!?! Oh wait.. your friend will. It still would have been nice if your friend didn't have to drink a beer-tini, and that could have been accomplished by simply choosing a table with proper stability, and not the one with a half inch missing from one of the legs.

Choose a table that is in good condition. Folding card tables are perfectly fine, but be sure they are not short in one leg, have bent legs, and that the center is not bowed from old use. You also want to be sure that the table is generally level. This will allow your sweet chip tricks to be performed on an optimal surface.

Surface

While you could just play on any old table top, you just shouldn't. With most table tops, all hard and shiny, cards will be flying all over the place, and chips will be rolling onto the floor left and right. Please, we implore you, play on felt. And note, that not all felt is the same!

To begin with, you have the fold-able fabric covers that you can lay out on any table. These are better than nothing, but in general, they are never as good as felt that is permanently attached to a table-topper. These are typically inexpensive, and the felt quality shows. The felt is usually tight, and harder, and that means more card slippage.

A better choice is to get a table-top poker top. These are usually pieces of particle board, that has been covered with felt and usually a non-slip backing of some sort. You can keep them all folded up until the time is right to break them out, then you just slap them onto any table you have ready, and you can game on! Again, we warn that not all felts on all tops are created equal. You will want to find a loose, soft felt. This allows the cards to get proper friction, and prevent them from sliding around. This can be hard to judge without actually feeling the table, and it wont be the end of the world if your felt is tight, but its nice if you can test it yourself. If you find you ended up with a table with tight felt, go over it gently with a stiff brush. This can loosen up the felt some.

Accessories

The final aspect of your table, are the accessories. These can come in a variety of forms, from built-in card shufflers, card holders, chip holders, cup holders, and simple painted on designs.

For card shufflers, don't bother. You got hands, and the additional convenience is generally not worth the cost. Instead just buy two decks, and have the other deck being shuffled, while the current hand is ongoing.

With chip and cup holders, this *IS* worth having. Most any good table will have some cup holding and chip holding slots. The cup holders keep drinks OFF the felt, and the chip holders can keep arguments from occurring over whose chips are whose. Our only warning is beware tables that have "removable" chip holders. We have seen a few tables that allow the chip holder to come out, and it can sometimes happen inadvertently, causing chips to go flying all over the floor. Not a scene you want on a tense hand.

As for the designs on the table, skip them. There's really nothing you need except smooth smooth felt. Any logos, stenciling, or any other such designs are only going to get in the way of your perfect deal across the table. You should know how to play poker, and there's no reason to have a cheat sheet permanently on your felt.

Conclusion

The long and short of it is, having a good table will keep your game going smoothly. You want a table (or tables) that are of the proper size and shape for the number of people you are hosting. You want to have a stable table that is not going to wobble or slide around while you play. You also want to have a good felt surface, that will provide enough friction to slow cards and chips down so they don't go flying, some cup /chip holders to protect said felt, and nothing else between your cards and their natural habitat.

One final note we have is to clean your table. As time goes on, crumbs, or worse, liquids will get on your table. Keep it clean, and your game will be smoother as a result.

Don't have a felt top, or a table that is appropriate? No problem, we have a whole category of tables that you can check out.

Next up, in Part 3, we will look at the chairs that will accompany your perfect new table!

Part 1 - The Playing Space
Part 3 - The Chairs

Read More in: Poker Stuff | Poker Tables