Race Track Poker Tables? (3 Viewers)

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I posted this pic recently from a recent cash game I hosted. As you can see clearly with the guy on the left side of the pic, with his elbows rested on the rail his hands are naturally over the felt. Bringing the cards in the wood closer to you would be uncomfortable. Again, never had a complaint.
 
View attachment 138383 I posted this pic recently from a recent cash game I hosted. As you can see clearly with the guy on the left side of the pic, with his elbows rested on the rail his hands are naturally over the felt. Bringing the cards in the wood closer to you would be uncomfortable. Again, never had a complaint.
Sweet set up! Looks like a great time.
 
As you can see clearly with the guy on the left side of the pic, with his elbows rested on the rail his hands are naturally over the felt. Bringing the cards in the wood closer to you would be uncomfortable.
Just as not everybody plays the same way, not everybody sits the same way at a poker table. What may work for one player may be uncomfortable for others.

I prefer a table that allows total freedom for where to put my chips and cards (and drink, for that matter), and not one that dictates that I do it a certain way because that's how the designer wants it.
 
Just as not everybody plays the same way, not everybody sits the same way at a poker table. What may work for one player may be uncomfortable for others.

I prefer a table that allows total freedom for where to put my chips and cards (and drink, for that matter), and not one that dictates that I do it a certain way because that's how the designer wants it.

Interesting you say that. Folks here say I should get rid of the arm rests on my chairs, to create more space. However, if there are no arm rests, players lean on th table, which crowds the table, does it not? When not in the hand, players lean back and use the armrests. I mentioned removing the armrests from the chairs to my players and almost got throw out of my own house.
 
Just as not everybody plays the same way, not everybody sits the same way at a poker table. What may work for one player may be uncomfortable for others.


Hmm, I guess...but 90% of poker players I've seen sit basically the same way when they have cards and are in a hand. The racetrack thing is a bit overblown
 

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View attachment 138383 I posted this pic recently from a recent cash game I hosted. As you can see clearly with the guy on the left side of the pic, with his elbows rested on the rail his hands are naturally over the felt. Bringing the cards in the wood closer to you would be uncomfortable. Again, never had a complaint.
Where are your cards when you're peeking at them? Do you drag them onto the racetrack, or do they stay out there on the fabric? That seems kind of far.
 
Where are your cards when you're peeking at them? Do you drag them onto the racetrack, or do they stay out there on the fabric? That seems kind of far.

On the felt. It would be very awkward to pull them any closer. You would need to belly-up, straighten your back and hunch your shoulders to bring them that close to the rail.

The track area is where most players keep their chips even on tables without tracks. Cards are played at the same distance on any type of table
 
I don't think that you would ever hear anyone seriously make that comparison. Anyone who complains about a poker table over a kitchen table is suffering from serious first world problems.

I had someone complain to me once that my snacks were kind of crappy. I asked them what kind of snacks that serves at the games he hosts and he responded that he doesn't host because he's too lazy. It took him a second to realize what he was saying as we locked eyes for a good 5 seconds. I haven't heard any complaints since. He's probably the type of guy who would go to a poker game and tell someone their table isn't "nice enough".

mind blown.gif
 
When I'm looking at my cards I like to pull them all the way back against the rail to peek. I fell I'm protecting my hand better that way.

It's still all a matter of personal preference and I'd never ever complain about playing on a nice table of any kind track or not. I played over half of the poker in my life on dinning tables, suitcases in the back of yellow dog buses, and just about any flat and/or non flat kind of surface you can probably think of. So anyone that goes to the trouble to have a nice table built, how could I complain.
 
I hear the word "complain" being thrown around a lot here.

From the OP
Just seeing what your guys opinion is, and if I am just crazy, or not.

By far, the prevailing opinion is "No Racetracks". This isn't to say that even the most ardent opponent to racetracks would "complain", but you should never ever take lack of complaining as a sign that players prefer something.

I played a game on dice chips a couple of years ago. I didn't complain. I hope like hell that my host didn't take that to mean I prefer dice chips over Paulsons.
 
I don’t disagree about silence. However, the point some of us were making is that some of our players complain about the foam density in our carpet padding, yet haven’t complained about our tables :D
 
I don’t disagree about silence. However, the point some of us were making is that some of our players complain about the foam density in our carpet padding, yet haven’t complained about our tables :D
Maybe they are just unaware of the better options available elsewhere. :sneaky: Put two tables side-by-side to get a true evaluation about how they feel about 'em.
 
Maybe they are just unaware of the better options available elsewhere. :sneaky: Put two tables side-by-side to get a true evaluation about how they feel about 'em.

Plausible, however two of them deal part time. Two others play local tournaments. The rest, probably would never know the difference. Perhaps worth noting, one of the part time dealers complains about everything, except the table. We call him the angry Jew. He takes that as a compliment!
 
So on the pro-racetrack side, we have:
They look better
When there's a drink spill, sometimes some of it lands on the racetrack, making it easier to clean

And on the anti-racetrack side we have:
At every point in the game from the deal to the peek to betting to side activities like shuffling chips, a racetrack might get in the way.
 
Maybe they are just unaware of the better options available elsewhere. :sneaky: Put two tables side-by-side to get a true evaluation about how they feel about 'em.
Righto big fella we get it, your a non-racetrack fan....my table is similar to #61's, never a drama on it...except last game, son spilt full glass of Rum n coke on racetrack....man..a picture of my face would've been a classic. But alas....clean-up was a cinch :cool:
 
I have an original BBO table with the racktrack. If I did it again I'd go with no racktrack and no cup holders with side tables FTW. I just think overall playability is better that way.
 
So on the pro-racetrack side, we have:
They look better
Not better, best :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
When there's a drink spill, sometimes some of it lands on the racetrack, making it easier to clean [/QUOTE] As the host, this gets !x10. Also, if there’s a stain on a table, it’s ruined. Sounds dramatic, but that’s the world between my ears, so deal with it, I have to :(

And on the anti-racetrack side we have:
At every point in the game from the deal to the peek to betting to side activities like shuffling chips, a racetrack might get in the way.[/QUOTE] I’ll give you the peek, but explain the shuffling and dealing part. One guy shuffles his chips pretty often and I’ve yet to see him go into an epileptic fit.
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Dealing, ok, less than a handful of times over 7 years, we’ve had a card flip. 3 times per game, however, some dope sends a card into the air while shuffling. Can’t blame the table for that. Curiously, one guy always sends an ace into the air. If he didn’t lose so much, we’d have probably shot him for cheating by now.

I saw a later post about drink tables. I’d have to blow two walls out and perform a remodel to make that happen. “Honey. Oh honey..”
 
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The rest, probably would never know the difference.

My $1/2nl crew plays at the Borgata and my place on both types of table. No one gives a crap

These are the exact reasons dice chips are still in existence. Some people look for perfection. Most people don't give 2 shits. A few outliers think perfection is in the other direction. At least they have a reasonable opinion.

Except for the "spill a drink on the racetrack" bit. That's utterly ridiculous. I've had drinks spilled both on my table and on my carpeted floor. No stains. It's called cleaning up quickly. However, my players drink wine, not mustard. YMMV.
 
Mini racetrack FTW - classy look but much more "poker functional" than a standard racetrack table.



Beautiful table Matt. It's personally my favorite design as well. Aesthetically pleasing, functional to stack chips, while allowing you to shuffle chips and view hole cards on the felt.
 
Mini racetrack FTW - classy look but much more "poker functional" than a standard racetrack table.




Nice table. I need to play on this type of table. The angle, from the rail to the cards, looks extreme for a peek. It doesn’t sound like it is, from what I’ve read, but it sure looks it.

Speaking of sound: If I were to get this table, I would pad and wrap that racetrack. That would prevent the clickity-clack of chips on that hard surface.

Regarding @MegaTon44 comment about stacking chips, I agree. But, we don’t play tournaments and our cash game stacks don’t get too high. That said, they have risen at times and I solved that...with plaques (y) :thumbsup:
 
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These are the exact reasons dice chips are still in existence. Some people look for perfection. Most people don't give 2 shits. A few outliers think perfection is in the other direction. At least they have a reasonable opinion.

Except for the "spill a drink on the racetrack" bit. That's utterly ridiculous. I've had drinks spilled both on my table and on my carpeted floor. No stains. It's called cleaning up quickly. However, my players drink wine, not mustard. YMMV.

Again you miss the point of that post. They bitch about everything. They never bitched about the table. They would bitch about dice chips. They hated my Gemaco Sulerflex cards and every other brand card accept Kem and Desjgn. They never seems to feel the need to complain about the table. I have received hundreds of complements on the table over the years but never a complaint. I'll make sure to ask them next time though.

As a mater of fact I never heard a complaint about a race track table in 18 years until I saw the ones on this forum. It's kind of a weird obsession here with a few people.

The spill comment is a little goofy. Liquid on a playing surface is never a good thing for a game, wine or mustard(?) o_O:confused:

PS: if I was serving wine at a poker game I'm pretty sure I would get some heat. And mustard doesn't get near my table.
 
Regarding @MegaTon44 comment about stacking chips, I agree. But, we don’t play tournaments and our cash game stacks don’t get too high. That said, they have risen at times and I solved that...with plaques (y) :thumbsup:

When I have hosted a tournament we always color up as much as possible. The final two of a 30 person tourney usually just have 40 to 60 chips each. They have complained about too many chips many times. I agree. Huge chips stack are hokey TV BS
 
I will concede that I am more likely to compliment a racetrack table. I know that I have played on one that had a ShuffleTech built in, and I complimented the owner on it. It is a beautiful table. He has other tables without the racetrack. I have never complimented him on those other tables, but they are very nice - and they are far more functional. I prefer the outer tables, without the racetrack, but would never complain about playing at the main table (especially now that the Shuffletech has been removed).
 

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