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).
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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
Octagon Poker Table Dining Table
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.
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
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.
- 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. - 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.
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!
This is the 4th part of a multi-part series. View the rest:
- Part 4: Subtable and Playing Surface
Cutting the Subtable
Since my racetrack octagon was now complete with the vertical skirt, I used it to trace the shape onto one of our 4×4 boards. Once I was done tracing, I made some marks to make sure I could line up the subtable in the same way, since the octagon wasn’t exactly the same on all 8 sides.
Then, I just grabbed my jigsaw and cut out the octagon shape. It was basically cutting off the 4 corners to make the octagon shape.
Building the Pedestal Mount
The pedestal mount doesn’t have to be anything super complex, but it does need to be strong. I chose to make it out of solid 1×12, with some mitered joints. I had a locking miter joint router bit that I tried out. It wasn’t perfect, partly because oak is such a hard wood, I think. It’s not always the easiest to machine, so I wouldn’t recommend it if I did it again.
Gluing a joint like this results in an extremely strong connection, so that’s all I did in this case. The four holes line up with the hanger bolts on the pedestal, which will allow me to remove the top fairly easily if I need to.
Cutting the Playing Surface
Before I attached the subtable to the underside of the racetrack, I used the racetrack octagon to trace the inside octagon, which will forms the playing surface. Then, just another quick couple cuts with the jigsaw, and you’re all set.
Mounting the Subtable and Drilling Some Holes
Before putting on the foam and felt, I attached the subtable to the racetrack with 8 wood screws. Be careful not to use anything longer than 1.25″ or you’ll punch through the top of the racetrack and ruin your surface.
Then I flipped the table over, positioned the playing surface piece, and drilled 8 holes (one per octagon section) all the way through the playing surface and subtable. These holes will house the T-nuts in the playing surface and allow us to connect and disconnect the playing surface as needed.
Pro Tip: Once you drill the first hole, stick a screwdriver or something similar through the hole to make sure the boards won’t shift as you drill. Do this on the second hole as well, since we’re dealing with two directions of movement here.
Pro Tip the Second: Drill a 9th hole on one of the sections to make lining up the playing surface foolproof in the future.
Bang the T-nuts into the bottom of the playing surface. I don’t have a photo of that, but here’s what the bottom of the subtable looks like:
Foam and Felt
Octagon Poker Table Cover
This step is pretty straightforward. I’m not an expert on foam adhesives but 3M’s handy surface guide was a big help so I picked up 3M FoamFast 74 Spray Adhesive to attach the high density foam to the wood playing surface. The foam is 1/4″ thick, so adding that to the 1/2″ thick plywood gives us 3/4″ which means our playing surface will be the same height as the racetrack.
Before sticking the foam on, I covered the holes in the top of the playing surface with duct tape, just so the foam wouldn’t be tempted to sink into those holes at all. I’m not too concerned about it, since the foam is so stiff.
Follow the directions on the can and make sure you’re doing the spray adhesive outside or in a well-ventilated area. Just stick that stuff on there, and then trim it down once it’s had enough time to dry.
Octagon Poker Table Plans
Now, we’re ready to cover the playing surface with our table felt. Put the felt side down on some carpet or floor, then place the playing surface, foam side down onto it. I positioned it close to two straight sides so I’d have less trimming to do after stapling.
Now, just use a staple gun to attach the fabric. Start on one section, trying your best to keep the fabric straight and relatively tight. I used about 5 or 6 staples per side. Once you’re done with that side, move directly across the octagon and repeat, this time pulling the fabric nice and taut. You can trim the fabric first, but make sure you leave enough to grab it with your hand, so you can pull it tight as you staple. You can always trim it down afterwards.
Here’s the order I stapled in:
We’re Getting Close to the End
Once you’ve got your playing surface stapled, the only thing left is staining and sealing the table. Don’t get too excited as that step can take as long as everything we’ve accomplished up until now!