Wide Oval table for a small room suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[upNdown]

Inspired by @JScott and @Av8tion
I've been feeling like the time had come for a new table. And to get the game out of my dining room and into the spare room. But after looking around, the prices have gone way too high for me to feel comfortable splurging on one. So I'll build.
I’ve always bashed ovals because of the site lines and the difficulties of self-dealing. But circles and octagons have their own problems, not the least of which is building them out of a single sheet of plywood. The idea of a shorter, wider oval has me intrigued. And it may actually be the best solution for my space. The room is 10'8" x 9'. Not ideal, but I think it's workable.
Is there a suggested amount of space you'd want between the tables and the wall? I was thinking an 84" x 48" table would be a nice size for 6-8 people, but with only 128 inches of spce, maybe 84 inches is too long? Maybe 78" long? Is anything shorter than that going to be uncomfortable for 8?
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[T_Chan]

General rule of thumb, you want at least 24" of space between the table and the wall. That would leave you with a space of 60"x80". That would be the largest I suggest. With those dimensions, 48"x80" can be do-able, but if you're wanting to reduce the sightlines problem along the straight sides, you might want to shrink the length a bit.

How many players do you normally have? With 8 players, you'd get a space per player of rail of 26.85" which is plenty. You can lose a few inches along the length of the table and still have enough room for players to be comfortable. If you're used to more players though, then maybe not.

Space per player calculator

 

[upNdown]

General rule of thumb, you want at least 24" of space between the table and the wall. That would leave you with a space of 60"x80". That would be the largest I suggest. With those dimensions, 48"x80" can be do-able, but if you're wanting to reduce the sightlines problem along the straight sides, you might want to shrink the length a bit.

How many players do you normally have? With 8 players, you'd get a space per player of rail of 26.85" which is plenty. You can lose a few inches along the length of the table and still have enough room for players to be comfortable. If you're used to more players though, then maybe not.

Space per player calculator

I've typically had 5-6 players; occasionally 7. I'd like to try to grow the game so I consistently have 8. Of course I'd like to have the option to have 9-10 for a STT, but I think that might be unrealistic for this room. So I think shooting for a comfortable 8 makes sense.

 

[CaptC07]

Gorilla gaming has a table 66x44 they call it their pub table. Says it comfortably sits 8.

 

[Coyote]

You theoretically need 30in from table to wall or obstacle (piece of furniture) for a person to comfortably walk behind a seated person. Tony referered, apparently, to the absolute minimum.
I wouldn't go larger than 46x70in, which by the way is all that 8 players need (ideal seating, with 24in of perimeter per player).

 

[upNdown]

You theoretically need 30in from table to wall or obstacle (piece of furniture) for a person to comfortably walk behind a seated person. Tony referered, apparently, to the absolute minimum.
I wouldn't go larger than 46x70in, which by the way is all that 8 players need (ideal seating, with 24in of perimeter per player).

I guess I take comfort in the idea that if I’ve got 8 at this table, nobody would be sitting on the extreme ends (the closest points to the wall) so that probably makes it a bit more comfortable. But I’m wide open to shortening it as long as it stays comfortable.

Gorilla gaming has a table 66x44 they call it their pub table. Says it comfortably sits 8.

I question how comfortable that would be.

 

[Coyote]

48x68 would be ideal for this specific room (room-wise).
But 48x68 offers slightlly less perimeter per player than the 46x70 and a 48in width is the absolute width limit for a table without a narrowing (dealer cut) for a dedicated dealer. You can't reach more than 31in into the table without getting up.

 

[allforcharity]

How about a 46x70-76? With a 5" rail, that will give you a felt area of 36x60-66. You have to worry more about the seating/walking space around your short width rather than your longer length, because with 8 or 10 people nobody is going to sit straight on at the very ends. You should have plenty of room for shelving and such at one of the long ends of the room and possibly in the corners.

 

[upNdown]

I guess my biggest concern about going down to 70 inches is this picture from @Av8tion - it looks crowded to me, with 8 chairs around a 48x84. Is that just an illusion, or are these giant chairs, or what?

 

[Coyote]

Giant chairs there.
Civilised chairs, like Gasser chairs, are only 18in wide at their best.
IKEA chairs shoudn't be wider than that.

 

[T_Chan]

42"x84" table. The dealer in the pink shirt is taking up way more space than he should be.

To his left is former BC Lion Marco Iannuzzi.

My motto is build as big as you can fit. Nobody ever complains about too much space. Keep it within reason though, because players will complain about not being able to reach. IMO 48" is too wide unless you're going for a more round-like shape.

 

[Av8tion]

I guess my biggest concern about going down to 70 inches is this picture from @Av8tion - it looks crowded to me, with 8 chairs around a 48x84. Is that just an illusion, or are these giant chairs, or what?

View attachment 550139

the chairs and the picture betray the true size... I could easily fit 10 players at this table with smaller chairs...

 

[Taghkanic]

Superellipse. Improves the sight lines.

Can play with options here, then output as PDF... Unfortunately this only uses metric, but it’s easy enough to convert:

http://www.procato.com/superellipse/

Basically, the shape is akin to a racetrack except that the straight parts of the long sides are a gentle curve instead.

How gentle depends on the variables you use, especially the n value. I used about 2.2 for the last table I built. 2.0 is closer to a normal ellipse, and 3.0 is closer to a rectangle with rounded corners.

 

[upNdown]

Superellipse. Improves the sight lines.

Can play with options here, then output as PDF... Unfortunately this only uses metric, but it’s easy enough to convert:

http://www.procato.com/superellipse/

View attachment 550407

Basically, the shape is akin to a racetrack except that the straight parts of the long sides are a gentle curve instead.

How gentle depends on the variables you use, especially the n value. I used about 2.2 for the last table I built. 2.0 is closer to a normal ellipse, and 3.0 is closer to a rectangle with rounded corners.

I can appreciate the ellipse, but I cannot build one.

 

[Taghkanic]

It’s not more difficult than a racetrack table. Both need curves to be cut. You just mark the line needed and then cut it with a jigsaw or router.

The way I drew my outline was by taking a pdf from the site above, then scaling 1/4 of the table to full size and printing it out in tiles I taped together.

I then laid it down on 4x8 plywood and traced the outline, flipping it over to get a symmetrical shape.

Once I cut it out, I then traced the base piece onto another plywood piece, and measured multiple points off the traced line to get my rail shape.

 

[JScott]

the chairs and the picture betray the true size... I could easily fit 10 players at this table with smaller chairs...

how would that table feel with 6? Too big?

As mentioned in my thread, I now have been convinced to go bigger, thinking your size.

 

[Av8tion]

how would that table feel with 6? Too big?

As mentioned in my thread, I now have been convinced to go bigger, thinking your size.

A table is never too big as long as you can reach the center...

 

[abby99]

My table is 44" × 66". Nine players is tight but works in a pinch. Eight is comfortable on the straight sides. Although the round ends have enough rail space, it feels a little tight below because of all the legs, both human and of the table. It's super awesome for 6-handed games, which I prefer for mixed games. Easy to read opponents' cards no matter where you sit -- important for stud.

I sized the table to the room with 24" clearance on three sides. Wish there was more room, but we have to play the cards we're dealt.

 

[upNdown]

42"x84" table. The dealer in the pink shirt is taking up way more space than he should be.

View attachment 550173

To his left is former BC Lion Marco Iannuzzi.

My motto is build as big as you can fit. Nobody ever complains about too much space. Keep it within reason though, because players will complain about not being able to reach. IMO 48" is too wide unless you're going for a more round-like shape.

Tony, thanks for letting me pick your brain. For a table like we're discussing - say 44x76, do you think those expensive gorilla legs are necessary, or would regular folding table legs suffice for something smaller like this?

 

[T_Chan]

Gorilla legs are never necessary, but they ad a lot of sturdiness. So it depends on what's sturdy enough for you. I would prefer Gorilla legs on any of my own tables, but don't use them all the time. Sometimes they're too thick, or too heavy for the situation, or the dimensions don't work.

Also depends on your budget, they're not cheap. Also depends on what kind of "regular" legs you're using, there's several different types of generic table legs that vary on their strength and stability. Pretty much... YMMV.

 

[Jambine]

I can appreciate the ellipse, but I cannot build one.

Of course you can. Just click your heals together and say "there's no place like poker room, there's no place like poker room, there's no place like poker room"

 

[BGinGA]

The room is 10'8" x 9'. Not ideal, but I think it's workable.
Is there a suggested amount of space you'd want between the tables and the wall?

I prefer 36" of space between the table and walls, which allows for easy access and full chair movement forwards and backwards. For your room size, that means a table size of 56" x 36", which equates to a linear circumference of roughly 153", which works out to 19.14" per player for eight people, but a reasonable 21.87" per player if seating seven average sized people. Six players have plenty of room at 25.52" each.

Maybe 78" long? Is anything shorter than that going to be uncomfortable for 8?

Sizing it a bit larger at 64" x 44" bumps the 8-player measurements to 22.28" each (very reasonable for normal size people), while cutting the table-to-wall distance to 32" (the bare minimum I'd want, personally).

Gorilla gaming has a table 66x44 they call it their pub table. Says it comfortably sits 8.

And I'd agree with them.

 

[Jake14mw]

My vote is 44 x 70". Is there one door into the room? At the end or on the side?

 

[upNdown]

My vote is 44 x 70". Is there one door into the room? At the end or on the side?

Yeah the room is like this with just the one door, and a closet

 

[upNdown]

Gorilla gaming has a table 66x44 they call it their pub table. Says it comfortably sits 8.

I took a look at this. They actually have an option for 72x45 for $760. That price includes crating and shipping, but I could easily pick it u and save god knows how much. That might actually be a better option for me than building. I have to think materials would cost me $400+, give or take. Hmm

 

[CaptC07]

I took a look at this. They actually have an option for 72x45 for $760. That price includes crating and shipping, but I could easily pick it u and save god knows how much. That might actually be a better option for me than building. I have to think materials would cost me $400+, give or take. Hmm

Yeah I am having them build the next size up and discussed exactly that, seeing I am about 90 minutes from their shop.

 

[upNdown]

I just ordered a 45 x 66 pub table from gorilla gaming with the winnings from the luckiest fantasy football season I've ever had.
I've played on a gorilla before, so I know they're top quality. As far as the size goes - that should give me a 30 inch radius all the way around, which will be tight, but functional.
I decided to skip the heavy duty legs - they look great, but they're $175 extra and this is a pretty small table. The gorilla guy I talked to agreed that though he'd recommend them for bigger tables, they're not necessary on this one.
And, surprising myself, I went for in-rail cupholders. I've always said I didn't want them, because I don't like having my drink centered in front of me, especially when dealing. But there's certainly no room in this room for side tables. And when push came to shove, I just didn't want slide unders clogging up the playing surface, and obscuring people's stacks.

 

[Highli99]

I just ordered a 45 x 66 pub table from gorilla gaming with the winnings from the luckiest fantasy football season I've ever had.
I've played on a gorilla before, so I know they're top quality. As far as the size goes - that should give me a 30 inch radius all the way around, which will be tight, but functional.
I decided to skip the heavy duty legs - they look great, but they're $175 extra and this is a pretty small table. The gorilla guy I talked to agreed that though he'd recommend them for bigger tables, they're not necessary on this one.
And, surprising myself, I went for in-rail cupholders. I've always said I didn't want them, because I don't like having my drink centered in front of me, especially when dealing. But there's certainly no room in this room for side tables. And when push came to shove, I just didn't want slide unders clogging up the playing surface, and obscuring people's stacks.

What’s the eta expected? I was eyeballing these tables myself. Didn’t realize they could be done without gorilla legs. Be very interested in your review once you have it.

 

[upNdown]

What’s the eta expected? I was eyeballing these tables myself. Didn’t realize they could be done without gorilla legs. Be very interested in your review once you have it.

He said about two weeks. I told him no rush. Since it's nearby, I'll be picking it up myself, whenever it's ready. So, saving money on crating/delivery plus saving money with the cheapo legs, the table got pretty affordable.

 

[CaptC07]

I ordered my table from Gorilla on 11/23 and they are delivering it tomorrow. With Thanksgiving and Christmas mixed in their I thought it was a reasonable amount of time.