Is anyone else thinking of a temporary larger table for post COVID games? (1 Viewer)

[Jake14mw]

Probably just me.

My main table is a big one, I think 94x46, but my second table is smaller, built for 8, and I have a round built for 7-8. I'm thinking that for a while, I won't be comfortable using the smaller tables, and I would want 6 or 7 players at most at a full size table. I was thinking of getting a full size sheet of plywood and cutting the ends in circles, resting that on a banquet table and maybe borrowing a table topper or maybe buying some joanne's headliner and using some extra cloth I have for a temporary set up. I don't want to spend much at all on it because I'm hoping maybe next year that I would feel comfortable enough using the smaller tables again. I'm hoping to have a Kentucky Derby poker game on September 5th, and would need it for that, but hopefully earlier. Is anyone else thinking that smaller tables won't be useable for a while?

 

[bsdunbar1]

NO

 

[FordPickup92]

LOL theres a good one in the fugly poker table thread. It's pretty um, large lol.

But in reality, no, I dont see the benefit there, if someone is carrying covid it doesnt matter if they touch the surface of the table 1 foot away or 3, once it's there, it's there. I think sanitizing would be more your friend here

 

[TheWhat]

Thought we'd limit to 6 at our 10, but honestly even that is probably of negligible value. Won't be bringing anyone over with any cold symptoms though ...

 

[Eloe2000]

I think the size of the table would be pointless. If you are bringing back poker and still concerned about transmission between players then wearing face masks and liberal usage of hand sanitizer is going to keep you much much safer then spacing out players by an extra foot. Also much easier to implement.

 

[gopherblue]

Lol, my table is like 106” x 58”:

And I agree that the size of the table is irrelevant. No live poker for me until a proven vaccine.

 

[upNdown]

I don't think a bigger table is going to make me feel better about a home game. Either I'm ready to host or I'm not.

 

[BonScot]

 

[Jake14mw]

I'm not surprised at all that nobody is considering making a temporary table. My mind is just continuously going regarding how to get back to live, LOL.

I am very surprised though about the comments about the space between players being irrelevent. I think there are many players that won't feel comfortable being elbow to elbow once we start playing.

 

[skylines]

I’d figure I was at maximum risk just going so wouldn’t care about some extra space between players. Best to make the set up optimal so the risk is outweighed IMO

 

[Eloe2000]

I am very surprised though about the comments about the space between players being irrelevent. I think there are many players that won't feel comfortable being elbow to elbow once we start playing.

First of all, if your players aren’t that comfortable sitting next to each other for extended periods of time then perhaps that is a clear indicator that you should Wait to host a game.

It’s not that the space between people is necessarily irrelevant. It’s that there are much much better ways to mitigate risk that will make that space irrelevant since distancing 2 feet alone isn’t a very good prevention. People don’t just emanate the virus from their bodies like body heat. It is expelled from the mouth and nose. Wearing a face mask will be significantly more effective than sitting 2 feet away from someone for 5hrs at mitigating that risk. Players are constantly touching and passing chips and cards to each other. This is a much bigger concern than sitting a couple feet from each other since we know the virus can live in surfaces many many hours/days. The use of sanitizers will be an important measure to combat risks with surface transmission.

Once those two much more effective risk mitigation efforts are in place then spacing players an extra foot from each shouldn’t be terribly relevant.

 

[TheWhat]

New CDC updates are that it's also a much lower risk to acquire off of surfaces. Not sure our group will buy in with masks, but who knows? If that gets us playing in the next month or so, maybe?

 

[FordPickup92]

Can everyone just come dressed as Darth Vader and Bane wearing respirators and talking in epic voices the entire time. Thanks.

 

[Eloe2000]

New CDC updates are that it's also a much lower risk to acquire off of surfaces. Not sure our group will buy in with masks, but who knows? If that gets us playing in the next month or so, maybe?

I was also speaking with a friend over the weekend who is a military doctor and he was saying the same thing. I am curious how much more of a risk Poker is though given that it is based entirely around touching things and passing them to other people for hours on end.

 

[skylines]

I was also speaking with a friend over the weekend who is a military doctor and he was saying the same thing. I am curious how much more of a risk Poker is though given that it is based entirely around touching things and passing them to other people for hours on end.

Im guessing pretty high risk. The things you are passing probably getting covered with droplets all the time since they are right under where you talk/etc. Still the biggest factor would be just be from the people around you. But hey, we are there to gambollllll

 

[WedgeRock]

No live poker for me until a proven vaccine.

 

[k9dr]

I was also speaking with a friend over the weekend who is a military doctor and he was saying the same thing. I am curious how much more of a risk Poker is though given that it is based entirely around touching things and passing them to other people for hours on end.

It should be less risky for losers so don't rake in any pots with potentially infectious chips

 

[Chawks45]

I agree with the majority that table size won't matter at this stage. Like so many, I'm itching to play live poker. Playing the online bingo rounds on PokerStars, aka Flush Heaven, just isn't cutting it.

That said, I don't see myself in the near future going to a local casino even when they reopen. I’m also extremely cautious on when I'll host again despite all the guys in my home game constantly in my ear, but I did take steps by recently ordering a 12-pack case of hand sanitizers via Amazon and I have a box of masks and gloves handy. I think if I do host in the coming months, I might have to implement some strict guideline on using hand sanitizer or maybe spraying the chips with Lysol every hour or so? At the very least, anyone with cold symptom won’t be allowed in my house and that’s tricky because we’re entering summer allergy season. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but would rather err on the side of caution since there is no vaccine in place.

 

[Anthony Martino]

It should be less risky for losers so don't rake in any pots with potentially infectious chips

I'm a goner!

 

[abby99]

spraying the chips with Lysol every hour or so

I read that the LV casinos are planning to spray their chips every two hours. Maybe somebody could test a few chips to find out which chips, if any, are affected by Lysol. I'm curious to know the results but can't run the test (can't find Lysol around here). That dice chips are OK is a given.

 

[Jake14mw]

Yeah, it's a complicated issue. I also thought that the biggest risks with poker was going to be the sharing of chips and cards, but then read how the CDC changed their wording about surfaces lessening the causality link to them. But I think they are talking about general surface sharing, and not the direct sharing like is done with poker cards and chips. I think poker is one of the most dangerous activities to do right now outside of going to a crowded nightclub.

There will be no exact week when poker is "safe", until we have a vaccine. Until then, if the virus risk continues to go down, everyone will have a different date as to when the risk is acceptable to them. It's definitely not this month for me, probably not next month either. There is no way in hell that I'm going to a game anytime soon where the host tries to run it as they did before. Hot dog roller with everyone pulling buns apart? NO. Shared hand towel in the bathroom? NO. Elbow to elbow with others at the table? NO.

I think a key safety factor will be if everyone is willing to wear masks. That would cut down the risks more than anything I think. But do I want to play poker with everyone having to wear masks? I don't know. That would suck.

I do know that when I first think it's safe enough to host, even if we have 6 players, I will NOT be using my new 58" round table that is perfect for six players, it will be the biggest table I have.

 

[FordPickup92]

I think poker is one of the most dangerous activities to do right now outside of going to a crowded nightclub.

I would put licking a bathroom floor or any doorknob higher than poker

 

[Jake14mw]

I would put licking a bathroom floor or any doorknob higher than poker

That's why I gave those things up.

 

[FordPickup92]

That's why I gave those things up.

Glad to hear. If you ever need any support I'll do my best to help out, I'm a recovering window licker so I can sympathize.

*to be totally fair I only licked the windows that had chips on the other side

 

[Eloe2000]