How Do You Space Your Cupholders on Oval Tables? (1 Viewer)

How Do You Space Cupholders on Oval Tables?

  • Equally Spaced Along the Outer Rail Edge

    Votes: 2 16.7%
  • Equally Spaced Along the Inner Rail Edge

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Equally Spaced Along the Center-line of the Rail

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Spaced Manually for Optimized Player Table Area / Comfort

    Votes: 8 66.7%

  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .

justsomedude

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On my current table build I've gone down the absurd rabbit hole that is the mindf*ck of spacing cupholders on oval shaped tables.

In short, seats on the rounded ends will always have far less playable table area, and thus less leg room, due to the nature of the table shape. In that sense, I discovered that there is no "fair" way to space cup holders; the players seated along the straight edges will always have far more table area to work with than anyone on the rounded ends.

I tried spacing cup holders equally along the outside rail edge, but found with that approach the seats along the curves get really squeezed along the inside-rail edge. This is critical, because it's where your chips and elbows are during play. So then I switched to spacing cup holders equally along the inside rail edge, but then players along the curves had absurdly more outside-rail edge space than anyone else.

When I discussed this dilemma with my brother - who is the math whiz of the family - he said: "You're looking at it all wrong - inner/outer rail length can never be a fair way to apportion seat spacing on an oval table, because you have a mixed table design of circles and squares, and those sitting along the curves will always be fucked on table space no matter what you do. Ideally you'd apportion seat spaces by table area, but even that won't end up working out very well. You really just need to find a system that works 'kind of OK' with the overall table dimensions you have. Better to just test it out than to go by any equal-length solution."

So I ended up with the manually spaced configuration below. It's sort of based on equidistant inside-rail edge spacing, and then manually modified from there. I ended up changing the "top" spacing to 21.5" each, which gives 20.4" on the inside of the blue corners, as it just subjectively felt better upon trial and error.

1595888380412.png


Any one else ever go down this rabbit hole???
 
Wow you are way down in the rabbit hole. :ROFL: :ROFLMAO::ROFL: :ROFLMAO::ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

So I wouldn't put cup holders in the rail.... but if I did, I'd go inner edge as a guide with manual adjustments.
 
autisticgalifianakis.jpg

I'd say just put in about 20 and then there will almost always be a cupholder where you want it. Problem solved.
Ok, but even better; What if you made the whole rail a long cupholder? Then everybody has a place to sit, and it’s easy to move your cup around the table.
 
Let's forget for one moment about cupholders.

You correctly point out that people on the straight parts get an equal width of table perimeter (outer rail access) and "felt access" (inner rail perimeter), while the ones on the round parts get less "felt access width" for a given outer rail width.
This is inevitable.
To mitigate this, I guess you need an oval as "round-ish" as possible, with more per-player perimeter on curves than straights.
Probably NOT to the point of equalizing the "felt access width" (among players) at the expense of proportionately unequal "table access width".
I think, both aesthetically, and in terms of comfort, outer table access (rather than felt access) is more important, so its chunks (per player) should be closer to equal among them.

On cupholders: If the game is self-dealt, they only belong in front of each player, IMO.
Take all this with a grain of salt; I 've only studied Law.:D
 
Isn't this why flexible systems are a better idea? People can have their own cupholder and put it wherever they wish, to one side, or right in the middle, of their seating position? You've seen @T_Chan 's newest flexible mounting system, right?

> Not a fan of slide-unders. They're just more "crap" on the felt, and more shit I need to keep track of.

> Drink carts... have some... take up a shit load of floor space. Also: more shit I need to keep track of.

> Racetracks with built-in cupholders... had a few tables like this. They worked while I had em, but I understand now why people dislike racetracks.

> The new removable under-table-mounts from Tony are a clever idea, but probably not for me. Read: more shit I need to keep track of.

TL;DR - I settled on cup-holders-in-rail for this build a long time ago. It's how 99% of casino poker tables are here in Colorado - I'm used to it - it's simple, and it minimizes "extra shit" in my poker storage. And honestly - I just like them.
 
Ok, but even better; What if you made the whole rail a long cupholder? Then everybody has a place to sit, and it’s easy to move your cup around the table.
Like one long metal trough?
Exactly. Another visionary.

All interesting concepts, but hear me out. Instead of an open-topped trough, how about an internal bladder that runs the entire rail around the table with straw holes every couple feet. Then install one long straw roll on a firehose type wheel on the wall near the table and everyone can cut their own straw to the desired length before the game.

You might be thinking, "Sure, but not everyone likes the same drink." No problem. Just take a tally before the game and mix them all together in the bladder.
 
All interesting concepts, but hear me out. Instead of an open-topped trough, how about an internal bladder that runs the entire rail around the table with straw holes every couple feet. Then install one long straw roll on a firehose type wheel on the wall near the table and everyone can cut their own straw to the desired length before the game.

You might be thinking, "Sure, but not everyone likes the same drink." No problem. Just take a tally before the game and mix them all together in the bladder.

Or... what if the rail IS the bladder?

Remember waterbeds???
 
I would vote inner rail distance used for spacing. Close enough. My overall vote though is for some kind of system similar to what Tony is coming up with. https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/removable-cup-holders-what-style.58962/ . Only issue is that it's expensive for us common folk. I have magnets arriving today to try something similar - https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/help-me-create-the-best-slide-out-cupholders.58095/

One thing I do know - If you put this much time into cupholder spacing, the table is going to be great!
 
> Not a fan of slide-unders. They're just more "crap" on the felt, and more shit I need to keep track of.

I use metal slide under cup holders and i don't think it takes up that much table space. It is way easier to move around and add or remove based on the number of players you have. I use 2 sizes: large for cups and small for beer bottles.
 
I use metal slide under cup holders and i don't think it takes up that much table space. It is way easier to move around and add or remove based on the number of players you have. I use 2 sizes: large for cups and small for beer bottles.

I can't lie: I really love slide-under cup holders... at OTHER people's games. :)

I just hate dealing with them at my own game. It's just more "poker crap" I need to manage.
 

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