New Poker Room Construction (Suggestions, Feedback & Insults Welcome) (2 Viewers)

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Hi chippers,

I have always been impressed with the knowledge and positivity on this board so I wanted to not only share my current poker project, but use this post an an open forum for your feedback and suggestions.
I had hosted some great games at my old house, and just moved into a new house. The new house did not have a finished basement so I have an opportunity to implement the wants from the old poker room and apply them to the design of the new poker room.

The plan so far:
-Initially one 10 person table, followed by a second no later than next fall.
-Separate wet bar, and wine bar
-Three 55 inch televisions surrounding tables

I will be asking lots of advise, and hope you can all draw from your own lessons and experiences.

So far Plumbing and framing is done. I have installed electric, and passed the electrical inspection (including 45 recessed lights).
Drywall is just about done, and am looking forward to the finish work stage.
I'll provide updates as the poker room progresses.\
20181104_115624.jpg
 
Yeah I love these threads too. My feedback is buy the tables from @T_Chan who is located in Canada. He builds great tables and will ship to CONUS no problem.

I suggest not implementing a walk around bar. They take up a lot of space and from the pics it doesn't look like you have tons of space.

In regards to flooring you may want to go with a hard surface. If you regularly have 10+ people in there with food and drinks being spilled you will want something that holds up better than carpet. Depending on the style of the room you could even consider a polished concrete. I really like this look.

I don't see any windows so be sure to paint the walls a light color. Nothing worse than being in a basement and it feels like a dungeon. In the same vain be sure to install some good lighting (bright and with good coverage).

Have you decided if you want to have a kegerator or just buy beer and put it in the fridge?
 
Thanks for the notes Lemonzest!
I agree completely with your comment that the traditional 'walk around' bar takes up valuable poker space.
I will most likely be going with a Berber carpet with the thickest padding I can find. I really contemplated a hard surface, but I want to keep the floors warm.
I also agree with your lighting suggestion, and the concept of keeping the color scheme bright. I have over 44 lights in this basement!
 
You could still do hard surface for floor and employ area lots of area rugs.

As for the bar, definitely stick with a wet bar. A bar without a sink is just a table with booze on it. I do like walk around bars if you are into making drinks and entertaining. I love and use mine all the time.

If it’s more of a self service thing then put it up against the wall.

Make sure you put some vents for climate control and use led bulbs. Basements get really hot with a lot of people down there.

For paint consider warm colors and not painting the ceiling white. It goes a long way subconsciously towards the feel of the room.
 
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Thanks for the input Old State. I had not considered alternate ceiling colors. Very intriguing...

I started noticing that bars, restaurants, casino rooms, etc almost never had white ceilings. Bars and restaurants are often black.

Google “poker rooms” and notice the colors. You will quickly see what I mean as far as the feel it creates. Its something everyone obviously sees but never actually notices
 
I started noticing that bars, restaurants, casino rooms, etc almost never had white ceilings. Bars and restaurants are often black.

Google “poker rooms” and notice the colors. You will quickly see what I mean as far as the feel it creates. Its something everyone obviously sees but never actually notices

Great idea I had never thought of. But yeah using a white ceiling can make it feel clinical like a hospital pretty fast.
 
There are some vinyl plank products that look great but yeah carpet will probably be the warmest. Berber carpet wears well and cleans up well too. Either way should be fine.

I also agree that having a sink is a great idea if you have the option to put one in.
 
I don't know what kind of recessed lighting you're using (none in the pic), but you only need one 6" can for every 36 s.f.
 
I just checked for yah, and I was interested as well. Just the entertainment area where the poker tables and couch will be is 760 sq ft.
This does not include a back hallway, bathroom, and bedroom.

Nice, great sized space. I had 10 light cans for a space about ~350sf in my new room, so you've definitely got a surplus of light but it's better to have too much than too little. I think it's been noted already but I'd highly recommend dimmers, especially with the surplus.
 
Provide adequate walking clearance. No reason to have folks scootching and sucking it in everytime someone gets up.

Decide if side tables are included in that. I recommend side tables if the culture is to play and eat simulatously. Even keeping the drinks off the table will avoid the horrors of that first beverage sloshing across the table.

Clear and short paths to the food, drink , and bathroom.

Plan a storage cabinet or closet ..near but just off the table to store chips , cards , table cover, bank, card markers, paper and pen for stats, bank and prop bet tracking. Brushes , hand vacuum and cleaning supplies (Lysol and rag), towels for the table. Close it up when not in use.

Shelf or table to run the game. This is where you'll keep extra chips and bank , remote controls, paper pen while running the game. Some like table right by them.. others like to step away from the table .. ie your storage closet can double for this feature .

Verify your WiFi signal in the room. Consider a repeater or dedicated access point .

Make the room come together. If you don't have great vision for interior decoration reach out to those who do or get an interior decorator. A theme and or well designed color pallette will go along way.
 
I will most likely be going with a Berber carpet with the thickest padding I can find. I really contemplated a hard surface, but I want to keep the floors warm.
Make sure you put some vents for climate control and use led bulbs. Basements get really hot with a lot of people down there.

This is Minnesota we're discussing :p. I like solid floors better, but I get the cold fears.

Decide if side tables are included in that. I recommend side tables if the culture is to play and eat simulatously. Even keeping the drinks off the table will avoid the horrors of that first beverage sloshing across the table.

+1 Love side tables :)!

Plan a storage cabinet or closet ..near but just off the table to store chips , cards , table cover, bank...

Love this idea. Something with a lock too. Just the piece of mind that even your most helpful well meaning friends won't make a mistake.

@Chris Flynn is another local guy with a great setup, maybe he has some advice.

(And of course @inca911 rocks too, I need to get up to his game sometime :). )
 
I like all of riotouslevity's ideas! Closet, especially with a lock, is a great idea for storage.

Additional Ideas
Put screens in there for game info
like blinds. I wish I could do something like this, but when building for poker, you could put enough screens in there that every player could see a screen.

Sound system for music.

TV's if your group watches movies or sports while playing, but this could also double as an entertainment room.

Comments
A shelf is good; it doesn't necessarily have to be permanent. I use a 6'x1.5' folding table for some things and a rolling tea cart. The table holds extra chips, cards, sign up sheets for the next game, pen and paper, any announcements, etc. If you want, it can even hold decorations. The table could be easily moved to another location. That helps if more than one configuration might be used. You could even consider that for use until you figure out the best place for it, then build a shelf there, but obviously building initially is going to save time in the long run.

The tea cart is right behind my seat. It's where I can check in latecomers without getting up and moving. That helps keep the game moving. The locking cashbox sits on it. That's where I put chip trays for coloring up, extra cards, and color up chips. I like the tea cart because it could be moved easily if needed, though in my location it wouldn't make sense to move it.

A bookshelf can work well. Right next to my main table is my home office. I have bookshelves in there, and 2 shelves hold my two main tournament sets, dealer buttons, timers, etc.

My entry area has a closet. Though the only shelf in it is useless for poker, I can put my Pelican case in there for easy storage. A locking closet would be really nice!

My second table in our kitchen has a small amount of countertop space for chips, cards, etc. All the stuff for that table sits on it. I like each table having it's own chips, color up chips, and cards, but you may not.

I look forward to seeing the finished pics!
 

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