[Jesse]

So, I have searched the forum and the Internet, and there does not appear to be a consensus on poker table height.

The design of my table calls for a "thickness" from the bottom of the table surface to the top of the rail (including padding) of 4.5 inches, and from the bottom of the table surface to the top of the playing surface is 1.75 inches (including 1/4" pad).

I am thinking 28" from the floor to the bottom, which would be 29.75" to the playing surface and 32.5" from the floor to the top of the rail. That feels like the sweet spot.

Does that sound right? Or should I lower or raise it by some amount? I plan to start with the pedestals, so this is kind of a critical decision.

 

[Jesse]

In case this helps visualize what I am saying, here is an image from SketchUp of the design. Maroon vinyl rail, black velveteen race track, maroon suited speed cloth betting area. The white strip on the inner lip of the rail is acrylic light diffusing material, behind which a multi-color programmable LED light strip will be installed. There will be 10 cup holders installed in the rail, but I have chosen not to include them in the SketchUp model for now.

It is 4.5 inches from the bottom of the table to the top of the rail.
The playing surface is 1.75 inches from the bottom of the table to the top of the playing surface.

As I mentioned before, I am thinking the bottom of the table should be 28 inches from the floor, bringing the top of the rail to 32.5 inches from the floor and the playing surface to 29.75 inches from the floor.

I have seen some with the bottom of the table as low as 27 inches, and some as high as 29 inches. 27 seems just barely too low to me (but open to opinions) and 29 seems to bring the top of the rail way too high (again, looking for argument here). Somewhere in the 27.5 to 28 range seems about right. The more I think about it, I am starting to lean towards 27.5.

I would really appreciate feedback on this. The obvious critical factors are legroom and being able to comfortably play over the rail onto the playing surface without feeling like a little kid trying to see over the rail.

 

[pauld22]

I don't have a great answer for you but I'd look at my dining room table to see how comfortable that is and work from there.

 

[Jesse]

I don't have a great answer for you but I'd look at my dining room table to see how comfortable that is and work from there.

Thanks Paul. I did that... Which did help quite a bit. I even placed something on the table to represent the rail to give me a feel for resting my arms and reaching over to the table surface, and I used one of my folding poker chairs (rather than a dining chair) to get as accurate as I could. Of course, I can't adjust my dining table up or down, so that only goes so far.

It is surprising to me that there is not a good discussion of this anywhere that I can find on the Internet. If we could make that happen here it would probably drive a lot of traffic to this site. My guess is that the experience and opinions here would make for a good resource. Hopefully some of the guys that have a similar table sitting in front of them (or have built similar tables) will chime in with some thoughts.

 

[Doctor_XXX]

It is surprising to me that there is not a good discussion of this anywhere that I can find on the Internet. If we could make that happen here it would probably drive a lot of traffic to this site.

Problem is...EVERYONE is different. Different body height, different sitting posture, different arm length, different levels of back pain, different chairs, different games being played on the surface, ... You get the point.

We can have all of the discussion in the world, but really, it is up to you & your setup and particular players.

My guess is what works for you might be a little, shall we say "high" for RichardC.???

 

[pauld22]

^^^ that was low

 

[Doctor_XXX]

^^^
Sorry. Sometimes I can't see taking the high road.

 

[pikeman56]

I did some research when I built a table for a client who wanted custom built peds and we came up with 28.5 to the top of the playing surface. Like Doc says it's going to be different for everyone. You will have to find what's comfortable for you. I would also take your chair height into consideration too. But generally 28 to 32 inches will be pretty comfortable.

 

[Rewind]

If you are using the folding legs from LowesDepot, get a pipe cutter. Install legs with no cuts to see how it feels, then cut off the 2"-3" that you need.

If you are making a pedestal... I'd say do the same thing. Use the folding legs as a guide so you can see what feels right before you construct the permanent legs.

 

[Jesse]

If you are making a pedestal... I'd say do the same thing. Use the folding legs as a guide so you can see what feels right before you construct the permanent legs.

Good point. I was planning on building the pedestals first so I would have a surface to work on that was off the floor. Now that you mention it, I should just use some saw horses and figure out the right height once I have the top completed. That way I can try different heights before I decide.

Right now, from what I have been able to figure out, since my top will be 4.5 inches thick (including rail padding), it seems like the bottom of the table should probably be right around 27.5 inches from the floor. I will probably build in about .5 inches up or down of adjustment between the leg-levelers (screw-in-or-out foot pegs) and extra holes for bolting the legs to the pedestals. That said, I think the "default" when everything is just right will be 27.5, but I will use your idea of trying it out before I make a final decision.

 

[DrNeau]

FYI. My Darafeev oval table is 29 3/4" to the surface, with the arm pad on top of that. My chairs are adjustable height, however.

 

[timsta007]

Another option would be to go to a local card room or casino that spreads poker and see what height they use. I'm sure if you asked politely the floor manager wouldn't mind you taking a measurement. Plus then you can use it as an excuse to get some time on the felt!

 

[Morningwood 2.0]

Casino table height's are usually on the small side, I think @ 27 inches from floor to bottom of table, also depends on what you have for chairs. With regular folding chairs you can have @ 27" to 28 1/2" and be comfortable. Nothing worse than having to feel like your at the kids table because your table is too tall.

 

[lnlver]

27" seems correct for casino tables; they are noticeably lower than regular tables. A 29" height will be fine in most cases, and this can vary depending on your rail and if you have a raised rail with lights.

 

[mkadlec99]

Definitely depends on your chair height. Most of my chairs are the folding chairs so I went with a top to bottom height of 28" which seemed ok.