Poker table - race track or no race track? (1 Viewer)

Goldfish

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I am starting to think about a new custom table. My current Custom table does not have a race track, but a good friend purchased a custom table somewhat recently with one (No cup holder). I thought it was nice looking and was convenient for stacking chips. I figured I would get people’s thoughts - pros/cons. If u want to chime in about cup holders feel free as well. my guess is that our resident expert, mr. @T_Chan may have some thoughts as well.
 
The general consensus is that racetracks are beautiful but playing on them sucks. Tougher to peek cards, chip shuffling is obnoxious as hell. Get a felt with a betting line instead.

Opinions on cupholders vary, so personal preference will mean more there.
 
I developed my dislike of race tracks playing at MGM when they had stone race tracks on their tables. Uggg. Felt for the win.
 
No racetrack. I think the solid felt with betting line is the way to go. The sound of shuffling chips on the racetrack would kill me.

I prefer side tables to cup holders if you have the space.
 
I see a lot of good points against race tracks. Seem like there will be no race track in the animal house poker room. Still not sure about cup holders. I like being able to hold a drink or store things like my keys, but I hate when my elbows/arms hit a cup holder.
 
Definitely no race track. The cupholder question is one I’m debating myself atm. I likely have room for side tables, which makes me think rather “no” on the cupholders.

If no space for tables, I’d opt for cupholders in the rail vs. removable ones, but that’s personal preference.
 
The (hard material) racetrack issue has been solved long ago: it's a big NO.
The betting line of the felt issue has equally been solved (a big YES).

Opinions vary on cupholders:
Even if you have the space for side tables (with cupholders on them, that is) they may be knocked (over?)

On the table, the safest and least intrusive / obtrusive position is in the rail, in front of each player's chest, especially for self-dealt games. Being fixed in the rail, they are prescriptive for player seating, though.

More flexible seating-wise are the slide-under moveable cup holders, which, on the other hand, stick out high on the playing surface and take up valuable "racetrack" room on the felt.
 
I've build a couple tables with a racetrack because i love the wood grain look, especially when it's some nice oak, birch, etc. - but after getting into this hobby, i dont like the idea of the chips clanking on the wood lol. I'm planning to swap out the racetrack on my one table and make a solid piece for the playing surface.
I also made a smaller build (7-8 person table) w/o a racetrack - cup holders are key imo, so i included the cupholders directly into playing surface b/c i dont like them on the arm rest either. Still have to test it out, but it should be fine - as long as people utilize the cup holders... otherwise, the cards risk falling into that space :ROFL: :ROFLMAO: . It should definitely encourage people to keep the holder stocked with a drink though lol
 
So for me it depends. If the felt is recessed, and the wooden race track is above the felt, then I am down for race tracks. However I HATE the race track where the felt is a good inch above the wooden track. Card fall off it, and then you'll need finger nails to pick up the cards on the race track. Also, you can shove all your chips in onto the felt. So it depends :)
 
I am not a fan of racetracks. They look nice but are not as functional as full felt tables. The biggest drawback is the cards. On an R/T table, you if you leave your cards on the R/T, then they're impossible to pick up because the cards are on a flat wood surface. You would need to dig your fingernails under the cards, or slide the cards back onto the felt first, peek at them, then slide them back.

If you keep your cards on the felt, then it's less a problem but then you start to crowd the middle which is meant for the board, pot, muck, etc. If you forget to cap your cards, they're easily mistaken for mucked cards since they're further into the table.

First world problems of course, both are manageable and are a small sacrifice for the beauty of a wood (or other material) racetrack. @Irish has made a few mini-racetrack tables which are a nice compromise. A short narrow racetrack which is just enough for chips, but you still get the elegance of the wood. I've found that adding a wood trim raised rail can accomplish a similar goal of the nice look of wood on the table.

For cup holders, I always prefer to sit in front of the cup holder, not between them. If you sit between, drinks turn into elbow bumpers. The downside of cup holders directly in front of you, is that they block your cards. So you have to shift your cards over to the side a little to peek at them. I haven't found this to be a problem though, since I normally stack my chips in front of the cup holder, so the chips are in the way anyways. You can always sit a little bit off center to the cup holder as well, and your chips would be offset too so that you have a clear sightline to your cards directly in front of you.

TL;DR: No racetrack, cup holders in front of you is Chanman's top pick. :tup:
 
To me, the best reasons to have a padded playing surface are that it makes it easier to peek at your cards and to shuffle chips. So I would never build a table where the space in front of each player (where they'll be stacking their chips and peeking at their cards) is a hard, wood surface.
If you prefer form over function and chose a wooden racetrack, I think you've chosen wrong.
There is no perfect answer for cupholders. Side tables are probably best. But they take up room and clog the space around the table. I'll go with slide-under cupholders. They annoy the hell out of me when they obscure my view of other players' stacks, but I'll live with it. The tables I see with cupholders under the outside of the tables intrigue me, but never having used them, I don't know if they're comfortable, down there.
 
It's really personal. I use them because it offers style to the table.. Plus it's cheaper on the felt. As mentioned the transition between felt and racetrack was handled a long time ago.
 
There is no correct answer. I've player large tournaments on plastic fold up tables. A racetrack is a solid upgrade
 
There is no correct answer. I've player large tournaments on plastic fold up tables. A racetrack is a solid upgrade

Yes, and my ‘87 Golf that I had to climb in through the hatch because the doors didn’t work was an upgrade over walking. I don’t think the OP is asking “should I build a table with a racetrack or should I play on plastic folding tables?” though. Racetracks look great, and if you don’t actually play that much poker and your table is the centerpiece of your dining room or whatever, maybe that’s still the right answer. But from a pure playability perspective, it is inferior for most people.
 
please God no racetrack

I prefer slide under cup holders so people can adjust were they sit
+1. Love the slide under cup holders on my table. Tons of flexibility for sure.
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Just say no.

NO to hard-surface racetracks. Padded felt and vinyl make fine racetracks, and serve the same high-contrast function of a betting line. Really like the look of a wood racetrack? Simply design a custom felt and include a printed wood racetrack image along the border -- looks the same, but it's quiet, fully functional, won't damage chips or cards, and never needs refinishing. Easier and cheaper to build, too.

NO to fixed-location cupholders (regardless of in rail, under rail, or in playing surface). Dictating where players must respectively sit and place their drinks -- no matter how uncomfortable it may be for them -- is lunacy and disrespectful. Drink placement preferences do vary, and either moveable slide-under cupholders or side tables/carts solve the logistics problem, while recessed cupholders in the side tables prevent spills.
 
My preferences:

No wooden racetracks. Better to have a full felt faux racetrack.

No permanent cupholders in the rail or in the felt. Better to have carts, slide-ins, or that place-anywhere-rail-system.
 
No race track. Just my opinion.

please God no racetrack

I prefer slide under cup holders so people can adjust were they sit

I have a racetrack. HARD NO!
+1 on all of the above for me.

I have a racetrack table that got on the cheap second hand, but I dislike the limited chip space and the difficulty with cards mentioned above. If I were designing myself from scratch, I would be figuring on slide under cup holders or side carts.

Guess this means new table is in my future.
 

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