Welcome to Pete's Poker Table Building Plans Page... Enjoy these plans... lots of hard work and a few mistakes went into bringing you these plans! Notice: Links to this page are being sold on eBay by fraudulent sellers. The information on this page is free, and you should not have been charged to gain access to the link. If you have paid for the link to this page on eBay, please demand a refund, leave negative feedback for the fraudulent seller, and notify eBay of the fraudulent transaction. This page is entirely designed and maintained by Pete Lozzi, and is not intended to be sold or traded, the information on this page is absolutely free. If you find this information especially useful to your project, and wish to make a voluntary contribution through Paypal, please feel free to do so by clicking here. |
Here are some comments from people who have used my instructions... "Pete... I would just like to thank you for being the first person to make instructions for making a poker table actually make sense. If that makes sense. Your table looks incredible and the step by step instructions, along with the photos are very helpful. With that said I am embarking on my first poker table making adventure and have just a couple of questions if you don't mind. I really appreciate your time and would like to thank you again for giving unhandy men like me hope." "Pete... I LOVE YOUR TABLE!!! You did a fantastic job on it. Your instructions are great." "Hi there, I was just looking at your poker table instructions. Your table is beautiful and your instructions and pictures are the best ive seen." "PETE... YOUR THE MAN THESE DIRECTIONS KICK A$$, IM BUILDING IT THIS WEEKEND IN TIME FOR XMAS VACA SWEET." "Pete... I just wanted to say that your plans are the best plans i have seen on the internet, thanks alot." "Pete... you are the MAN! see attached pictures of the poker table my brother, his wife and I created in about 5 hours on Sunday using your plans.
"Pete... Thanks for posting such clear and concise plans for building a table. My table turned out great! Wish you would add instructions for adding lights or racetrack. "Pete... I found your site and your directions are very good. I just recently started making poker tables on the side as a little hobby to get me away from the computer. The hardest part in getting started, like many of your questions address, is where to buy the materials. I do have some information on a couple places where you can get some of the stuff in case you want to add them as they're priced pretty good and have been great to work with." "Pete... Great Poker Table instructions. I took your advice and used MDF. I opted for 3/4" just because I have a tendency to over engineer. If you plan on building more, here's one hint that worked well for me............... You mentioned you clamped 2 pieces of MDF together and cut them out at the same time. You can take this one step further by actually screwing them together. After you mark your large oval on the top piece, mark some holes using your Sharpie 1 1/2" on the inside of your oval line. I used 8 holes equally spaced around the oval. Now screw the two pieces together, cut out the oval and sand the outside edges. You can now unscrew the two pieces to cut the playing surface and rail. The rail assembly is now a snap because all you have to do is line up the previous screw holes and they will match perfectly. Of course now add more screws. Pete... Awesome! Just Awesome instructions, Pete. Started on my table last night. Took about 6 hours to complete. Looks great and the instructions were the key. FYI - Anyone in San Antonio, Texas looking for the place to get all your materials (playing surface, foam, etc.) go to a place called Foam Products of San Antonio. They have everything and were very helpful. Thanks again Pete! Pete... here she is...... took pretty much like 7 hours to do but boy was it worth it.... all my buddies think it looks awesome.... thanks for ur help..... would love to see the bad boy on ur site hahaha no worries tho here's a pic to enjoy thanks again
Hey Pete... just wanted to say thanks for posting your excellent instructions for building your table. I had my own 'race track' design that I used for my table, but totally pilfered the rail assembly from your site. Many thanks again, and good luck in your next tourney. Pete... First off, I would like to thank you for posting directions on how to build a poker tables. You diagrams and pictures are a fantastic guide. My brother and I started a small home poker game with 8-10 guys about a year ago. Our group has since has outgrown our dinner room set up. This past December I found your site on homepokertourney.com and decided to build a table. I let the group know and it was decided the we neede more than 1 table. We ended up making 3 tables and covered them all with pool table felt( 1 Blue, 1 Black and 1 Burgandy). All have black padded vinyl covered rails. Big Blue is the favorite and always our final table. I'll try to get you pictures soon. |
Catch the fever I was talking to my friend Christian from work. I had invited him to come play Saturday night at the tournament. He was telling me about a website that has lots of tools for people who have home tournaments. Sounded good so I looked it up here: http://www.homepokertourney.com I found some great tools there that I use at my tournaments. (Those of you who have come to one of the VPT games know this.) What I really got hung up on were these great tables people are building. See some for yourself here: http://www.homepokertourney.com/tables_build.htm (The webmaster of homepokertourney.com was kind enough to add this very page to his list of poker tables links! Thanks, Nut'N!) Then I checked out different free texas holdem sites just to look at different color options and solutions. Most of the sites use green or blue tables, I'm not a really big fan of that... So, after looking at what other people are doing, I lost some sleep, because I wanna make one too! So I browsed a couple of their pages, and got some ideas. The frustrating thing about this step: I had questions that weren't answered on anyone's page. Elapsed Time for step: Seconds! Plan it I Launched Abobe Illustrator and created some quick plans for the table dimensions, and how I will use the wood... The next morning I went to the Cache Creek Casino with Shane to play some Hold Em. I spent some time scoping out the table, looking at what worked for me, and what doesn't work for me. I do like the sturdy padded rail, and I like the nice padded surface. Playing at the table got me all the more excited to build one. The frustrating thing about this step: I want to get started! Elapsed Time for step: Planning can take forever! JUST DO IT!
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(This was a first draft, there are better, clearer instructions below...)
Buy Materials Today I went out and purchased the supplies for the table. I took the advice of some of the other table builders, and got some Marine Vinyl for the padded rail. This stuff is so cool! It was cheap, and it looks and feels like leather. I also found a huge selection at Jo-Ann's fabrics. I bought almost three yards of the flat black 60" width @ $6.99 per yard. This will be enough to make the rail one piece, so it will be seamless. I also bought the material for the playing surface at Jo-Ann's. I am using a material called "Ultra Suede." It comes in several colors and a few varieties. I wanted a royal blue, but it wasn't available. The woman at Jo-Ann's said that the only blues that are available are Navy and Periwinkle, neither of which are any good. I pawed over the colors and variations for awhile, and just didn't see anything I like... I looked in another section, and found a beautiful deep red, which had been "crushed." The "crushing" effect had added some visual interest, and it looked very cool next to the flat black leathery marine vinyl. I bought almost three yards of that, too. It was normally $12.99 per yard, but it was 50% off today! Jo-Ann's was out of the high-density foam padding I want for under the Ultra-Suede, so the woman that was helping me suggested Hancock Fabrics on the other side of town. I went there and got the Foam Padding I needed, and was looking at their Ultra Suede. I found a really calm Gunmetal Gray material that I couldn't resist. It was a very cool charcoal gray with a bluish tint. It would look so good with the black vinyl. (Okay, I admit. The combination of that gray anf the black vinyl just screams for a big yellow batman symbol to be airbrushed in the middle of this table.) Interestingly enough, this was normally $6.99 per yard, and was also 50% off. I bought it too, since it was so cheap, and still have yet to decide what is most appropriate. I will take some pics tomorrow of both to post here. I have been thinking about the construction of the rail all day! I made the mistake of watching some WPT on Bravo, and saw that they have a ropelight installed under the padded rail to cast a cool glow on the cards and chips. They also have cameras installed in their table to see the players' cards. I don't know about cameras, but I could certainly do a lighted rail. I started sketching some plans for that at work, and I think it is going to work great! So, now I'm adding a rope-light to the rail construction, I better revise the plans you see up there in step 2... More tomorrow, my head hurts. I ordered the basic accessories I will need from http://www.spinettis.com. They had really courteous service, great prices and everything I needed to accessorize... The frustrating thing about this step: This is my first time doing this sort of thing, and as usual my imagination is running away with me. I want to install rope lights, but I also want to make this project a reality. It is a bit frustrating shopping for the materials too. I mean, there is so much to choose from, and having never done this before, I didn't know what materials worked better than others. Elapsed Time for step: It depends on if you find what you like at Jo-Ann's. Sometimes you'll have to go to several places to find something you like, or they might be out of stock... |
(There is a big selection of Marine Vinyl out there...)
(Red Ultra Suede...)
Buy Lumber I went to Home Depot and picked up two 3/4" 4'x8' pieces of plywood. While I was there I bought a Ryobi sander for $24. I didn't own a sander, and I need to refinish the kitchen table anyway, so it works. The frustrating thing about this step: Home Depot carries 23 varieties of 4'x8' pieces of lumber. What is the difference, and what would work best in this application? Good luck. There happened to be noboday available to answer questions, so I just started looking at the available choices. The 3/4" plywood all looked like it was warped, or susceptible to warping. I even dug out some of the boards in the middle, but when I looked down the board for straightness, it was like a bowl. It was hard to find wood that didn't look like it was warped, or susceptible to warping. This was a concern for me, because I dont want to spend a bunch of time getting the fabric tight, then the thing warps on me, loosening the fabric, ya know? I did find some stuff that looked good, was straight, and works great. Update: I have bullt three tables now... For the first one I used 3/4" Birch Plywood at $39 a sheet. It worked good. It was tough to work with because it is so thick, and the sanding took forever. On my second table I used 1/2" MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) at $12.99 a sheet. I liked working with the MDF a lot better than the more expensive birch, and it was a lot easier to cut and sand. Elapsed Time for step: About an hour. |
Prepare Set up your workspace and get down to business! One thing I have never invested in would be sawhorses. (duh.) So, I used buckets. Ghetto, I know. Once I had my high-tech work surface prepped, I collected some common household items to work with... The frustrating thing about this step: I don't own any sawhorses. Elapsed Time for step: A few minutes. |
Setting up shop...
Draw out your lines Gather some twine, a pair of scissors, a pencil & sharpie, and a measuring device. Find the center of the board on the 4' sides. (make a mark at 24") then find 24" from the corner and mark it, like in the illustration. Repeat on the other side for your continuous arc. The shape of your table can be whatever you desire. I have seen round, rectangle with rounded corners, etc. Shoot, it can be in the shape of a giraffe if you want. When I was playing at the Casino over the weekend, I did notice that the tables are probably shaped the way they are so a dealer can reach the bets placed by the players, right? At my tournaments, there's one dealer, and that dealer keeps the cadence of the game, so must sit in the middle of the long edge. That position allows the dealer to scoop the best each player places. So, when considering the shape of your table, consider the ability to reach out to all player positions. Hammer a small brad or nail into the center of the board, 24" from the edges. Tie the twine around the nail, then extend it to the edge of the board. Once it is at the edge, tie a loop in it, and sit the sharpie on the loop. Use the loop to restrict the sharpie's movement so the only mark it can make is the arc from the nail in the center to the edges of the board. Slide it around, making contact with the edges of the board. (See Illustration.) I use a sharpie or marker because the sawdust from the jigsaw spews all over the surface, making it difficult to track a faint line. If you use a sharpie marker, it's easier to see. Besides, the surface will be covered, so it doesn't really matter, right? The frustrating thing about this step: Getting the string the right length takes some trial and error. Hint: use the same string on both sides of the board, if you measure right, it will work perfectly. Elapsed Time for step: Take your time, do it right. About 30 minutes. |
Draw some lines...
Plans for use of wood and assembly as created in Adobe Illustrator... |
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Draw out the two 4x8 sheets with guidelines. Continuous arcs at both ends of 4x8 sheets to create cutouts for rail, rail assembly and tabletop. (Three components are cut from these two pieces.) The lighter colored sections are used in the project, the darker colored sections are scrap. Note: The rail is a matter of preference, some like a smaller (4" rail) some like a larger (8" rail) I chose 6" for my table, and it looks and feels right to me. The rail assembly should remain 2" or 3" regardless of rail size. |
Step 7: Cut out the pieces
I used a jigsaw to cut out the oval shape from the plywood. I started by doing the outside corners, then the inside oval on the first board, which is 3" in width. This oval will be the bottom half of the rail, which will secure the rail to the table. The inside part of the oval will be the table itself. (This ensures a good fit.) The next board will be your actual rail which we will pad later. The width of the rail is pure;y preferential. If you like a wide rail, go with 6 or 7 inches. If you like a small rail, go with 3". For my table, I used 5". I think it is perfect, and is very close to the casinos. Once both rails are cut out, you can discard the oval that was cut from the board with the actual rail (the 5" or whatever size you chose.)
The frustrating thing about this step: Using the jigsaw. Like most of my tools, I have a cheap Craftsman Jigsaw (the cheapest one when I bought it a few years ago.) While cutting, I veered off the line a few times. Luckily, this whole thing gets upholstered, so it covers up all the little imperfections.
Elapsed Time for step: Again, take it slow... About 1 hour.
Step 8: Sand away
Sand your heart out. Actually, I probably sanded way more than I had to. I put a slight bevel on every inch of the pieces I cut, and made them all very smooth. This actually made it easier later on in the upholstry stage, I recommend sanding your heart out.
The frustrating thing about this step: Ummm... It was tedious and took lots of time.
Elapsed Time for step: About three hours
Once the lines are drawn, start cutting away...
The two pieces are clamped together so the cuts match up.
The cuts can be pretty rough. Sanding with an orbital sander (Home Depot $40) smoothes everything out.
The rough cut after some sanding. Notice the piece of pressboard between the two pieces of MDF? This is my new trick, and it works good!
Carving the three components out of the two sheets...
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The tabletop piece, the 1/2" foam padding and the UltraSuede cloth in order of assembly. |
Step 11: Lay the padded tabletop on the UltraSuede
Get help for this step. Once the tabletop material is ironed, lay it out on the floor, face down. Get your help to lift the padded tabletop with you and carefully lower it down onto the material laid out on the floor. Be careful, if the foam padding peels away from the wood tabletop and falls off while you are laying it down, it could be disasterous. I mean, I think trying to recover that sticky mess would be hard.
The frustrating thing about this step: Nothing, it was pretty easy!
Elapsed Time for step: A few minutes.
Step 12: Secure the UltraSuede to the padded tabletop
Start stapling. I used a pneumatic (air) stapler. Staple the material to the bottom of the table, pulling it tight as you go. For one two adjacent sides, you can leave it on the floor, face down. When you have two sides done, lift it up and pull it tight while you staple. I folded the material under itself before I hit it with the staples, to strengthen the bite the staple gets on the material.
Once the material is stapled to the padded top, you are halfway there! Flip it over and try it out! This was a moment of truth for me. I wasn't sure if 1/2" padding would be too thick. I mean, how are poker chips gonna stack on a squishy surface? It came out perfect. The chips stand and stack just like on the casino tables. I was pleasantly surprised! Play with your tabletop for a few minutes, because the next step is the hardest part of this project.
The frustrating thing about this step: Gathering the corners and keeping them tight, while trying to make it look neat and clean. I know, it's the bottom, and nobody will see it, but I like it to look neat and clean. I wanted a nice fan-and-fold look on the corners, instead I have kind of a bunched up part on the corners. It's okay, nobody will see it. How do upholsterers do it?
Elapsed Time for step: About 90 minutes
Precision is not necessary in this step...
Sticking the foam to the wood was the scary part...
The wood with the mounted foam goes face-down on the Ultra Suede...
Start stapling, keep it tight, no creases...
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The rail assembly can be completed with screws and/or wood glue. I used only screws, and the assembly seems to be structurally sound. The rail assembly, 1" foam padding and Marine Vinyl in order of assembly. This illustration is upside down. Once completed, it would be turned over. |
Step 13: Pad the rail
Lay your rail assembly on the floor, and spray the top generously with the spray adhesive. Piece together the 1" adhesive to cover the rail surface completely. It doesn't have to be nice, it's padding. It will be under the vinyl.
The frustrating thing about this step: Nothing, it was pretty easy!
Elapsed Time for step: About 30 minutes.
Step 14: Upholster the rail (Outside)
BRACE YOURSELF. This part is tough. Roll out your vinyl on the floor. Lay the padded rail assembly on top of the vinyl. Start stapling the long straight edge on the outside first. Work your way up the side, and negotiate the curve carefully. Finish the entire outside of the rail. Again, I folded the vinyl under itself before I stapled to get a better bite on the material. Pull as tight as you can.
The frustrating thing about this step: Trying to smooth out creases so you cant see a crease on the top of the rail.
Elapsed Time for step: About 90 minutes.
Step 15: Upholster the rail (Inside)
Almost there! Since the vinyl is in one piece, you will need to cut out an oval from the middle. Prepare to pull the vinyl over and staple it to the inside of the rail.
The frustrating thing about this step: The inside corners. It's hard to get this stuff to look neat, but again, who cared. It's UNDER THE TABLE!?
Elapsed Time for step: About 90 minutes.
Step 16: Assemble and enjoy!
Flip that upholstered rail over on top of your tabletop, it just fits right on, since you cut the pices from the same board. From here, it's up to you how you want to store it. You can secure the rail to the table (recommended) or just leave it in two pieces.
Elapsed Time for project: About 6 hours.
More foam mounting to the top rail assembly...
Once the spray adhesive gets tacky, you can curve it right around the rail after you cut it to match the width of your rail.
Once the foam is mounted to the upper rail assembly, do the same thing you did with the tabletop. Lay it down, start pulling and stapling...
Do the outside first, keep it tight, then cut from the inside, fold and staple...
Now the two completed components are stacked. No fastening is necessary... |
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The two finished components together. I have seen tables where the builder has left the two components seperate, simply stacking them as needed, and I have seen the two components permanently attached. I think it might be more portable to have the table components in pieces. Once mine are stacked, the structural integrity is fine for normal play. |
My third table. This color scheme is for a Cleveland Browns fan. I went for a 6" rail for this one. I like the wider rail a lot. My next table(s) will also have a 6" rail.
I used a pressboard liner for this table, since I was building it for a friend. It makes for a cleaner underside, and secures the upholstry in place. I will do this on all future tables as well. It makes for a heavier table, but more durable and better looking.
My first table. Its like Butta. 5" rail.
My second table. All three are great to play on. This one (like the first) has a 5" rail.
These are some of the most frequently asked questions I get via email from this page...
Q. Where do I get drink holders and other various accessories for my table? (Like deck cutter cards, dealer buttons, etc...)
A. Click here: http://www.spinettis.com/ This place had very courteous service, fast shipping, and everything I needed to complete my table. I got drink holders, dealer buttons, cut cards, chips and some other cool trinkets for the best prices I have seen!
Q. When you cut your rails, does the lower rail get cut from the table top itself?
A. Yes. See Illustration.
Q. Does the table top get secured to the wider top rail or the narrower lower rail?
A. I don't attach it at all. I like it seperate, it is easier to store and carry. I have had many games, and the rail rests securely on the tabletop, doesn't budge.
Q. Im wondering if your padded rail is glued or screwed onto the table? or is it jsut sitting in the perfectly cut oval cut out you made? By the looks of it you can lift your rail off with out undoing anything? is that true?
A. Yes. I chose to leave it unattached. It sits perfectly on the tabletop, and in countless games with ten people playing, the thing has never budged. I chose to leave it unattached so it's easier to carry and store, and believe me, it is.
Q. What kind of padding did you use for your table top and rail? does it have a name? and can you stack your chips high without them falling over?
A. I used 1/2" closed cell foam (from a fabric store.) I was worried that the chips would wobble, but they dont! I wouldn't recommend anything more than 1/2" though. The quality of the chips also makes a difference. Cheap chips have extrusion bumps that make them stack crooked, so buy good chips.
Q. I am trying to figure out a way that I can raise the rail enought so that I can line under the rail with Red or white gaming dice and having them backlite so under the rail glows white or red. any ideas?? I can figure out a way but you may know a trick. Also what colour dice should I use??? White, Red, Blue?? I have not played a lot of poker so Im wondering if a coloured glow on the cards would drive people nuts?
A. Wow, that is a cool idea. Im not sure if it would take away from the game or not, but it would sure look cool. As far as the color of the dice, well that would depend on what would go well with the color of the surface and rail. If you had a red surface with a black rail, then white dice would look cool, I think... I sure would like to see pictures if you decide to go that route... (The glow on the cards wouldnt drive *me* nuts!)
Q. In your Adobe Illustrator diagrams, you have the inside measurement of the top rail(4") measuring 92" and the table top measuring 92" after the 2" lower rail is cut. Is this a typo, because the table top and lower rail measure 94" and it looks like your using the whole piece of plywood which as you know is 96". I just want to make sure, like i said i think you have the best plans I've seen and I don't want to do this twice unless I make a second table. (HA HA) My table will look similar to yours because I love the red or i was thinking a navy blue.
A. Thanks for pointing that out to me. The instructions toward the top are inconsistent... I fixed it all, so if you go back now, the dimensions are clear in the diagrams at the bottom of the page... Note: the lower rail size is optional, for this example I used a 3" lower rail, which I think is best.
Q. When you built the top rail, did you lay your already cut table top on top of the other piece of plywood and trace around it, and then measure X amount of inches inside that traced line?
A. I did not do the tracing thing, I actually layed out new lines using different measurements to map out the rail pieces, and cut them individually. If you have a jigsaw powerful enough to cut both pieces at the same time, do that, since the trimming would be even on both pieces.
Q. Did you use 1 inch padding on your rail? One of the drawings shows a layer of 1/4 inch padding between the 1 inch pad and the vinyl, did you do that or just use the 1 inch? Im having a hell of a time finding 1 inch closed cell foam, I can only seem to find 1/2 inch, I wonder if that would be enough or if I would be better served doubling up?
A. That was one of my earlier drawings... I did opt not to use that 1/4 inch around the edges, and it works great. Go to Jo-Ann's fabrics. They have it, it is green, there should be tons of it there. I ended up having to piece together the rail foam, but you can't even tell in the finished product.
Q. You padded your entire playing surface including the part that will sit under the rail. Does this not affect how well the rail sits on the table. I have seen others only pad the playing surface that is inside the rail.
A. I wasn't sure about padding the entire playing surface myself, but after having done it, I am glad I did. The 1/2" padding does not affect the lie of the rail once it is placed on top of the playing surface.
Q. You mention that for the plywood either birch or oak is the best material to use. Doesn't this make the table heavier and should one sheet cost between $35.00 and $40.00? I found both the birch and the oak at Home Depot and that was the price. Is that too expensive?
A. Well, honestly, I don't know a lot about wood. When I went to Home Depot, I spend WAY TOO MUCH time weighing the options, and to my dissapointment, just about everything I looked at really looked warped. I was very afraid (being pretty un-handy myself) that I would end up with a warped table (which would be especially ugly, because your nice tight fabric-upholstery job would be saggy.) So, I figured something with lots of layers is less likely to warp, and that's what I went for. If you find someone who knows something about wood at Home Depot, and they can suggest something cheaper and lighter that is not susceptible to warping, I would go with that. My lack of knowledge on what kind of wood to use probably cost me, as I'm sure I bought wood that was more than I needed, and I have a heavy table. Having a heavy table is ok with me though, because it feels sturdier when playing. (I paid $30 per sheet.)
Q. I am having a hard time finding not only the ultrasuede, but the closed cell foam. I have gone to a few fabric stores including Joanne and Hancock and they all look at me like I have three heads.
A. Hmmm... When I went into Jo-Ann's, there was a large selection of Ultra-Suede, and the nice lady I encountered was happy to help. I don't remember if I actually used the word "Ultrasuede" though (Even though that is what was clearly marked in the section.) Maybe if you ask one of the salespeople to show you the suede-like product, you will find the selection of Ultra-Suede. (I would think.) Now about the foam, I say, "Closed cell foam" but honestly I just used what Jo-Ann's was selling. They had a whole wall of it in different thicknesses, and it is green. I'm sure thay have it, but maybe it's the "closed cell" prefix that is making them look at you funny.
Q. I noticed that you mention in your instructions that you installed rope lights, but I do not see any instructions for this. Do you have any updates/instructions for installing the rope lights? That's about it. I really appreciate your time and would like to thank you again for giving unhandy men like me hope.
A. Due to time constraints, I opted to skip the rope lights. I still think it's a great idea, and will probably do it for my next table.
Q. I am building a table from your plans and having trouble finding the ultrasuede. Did the material stretch at all or was it just suedelike in the feel with no stretch?
A. You know, I'm not sure if "UltraSuede" is the right term. When I go to Jo-Ann's Fabric store, I see it referred to as "Micro-Suede" and other strange titles.
So, when I built my second table, I wanted to try something new... I looked for new material to use. The criteria I used to select the material was to make sure it wasn't too "plush"... You don't want it to be "fuzzy" otherwise it will "pill" up. You also don't want too much stretch to it, otherwise you will have sagging. On the second table I used a much heavier, less flexible suede-like material. It worked even better than the first.
So, I guess you just kinda have to look for something not too flimsy, not too felt-like and very sturdy. Don't get too hung up on "Ultrasuede."