hey guys, im currently in the market for a pretty badass poker table. not a lot of players around where i live have a regular legit table let alone a customized one. i want all the bells and whistles along with it. i have came across a few sites, k & j poker & pro caliber to name the two that impressed me, but i'd like to hear from you guys. i did see that the k & j company made a raised rail table, with led's and all. not sure how i feel about the led's. i think they're cool but, i dont want it to be too much. so basically...

1) do you guys recommend any certain site, maybe even where cardschat members get a discount or that you were satisfied with the finished product?

2) how do you guys feel about the raised rail thing, all for it or totally dislike it. im not sure if it would bother me or not seeing as how i haven't played on one. im sure they can make a regular rail table

thanks in advance for any feedback

I've read that a raised rail is a pain to play on. That it's like playing down into a hole. But there are some people here who have actually played on one, and even built them.

I'm all about using a local builder. You'll get just what you want with the materials you want. And you'll save on shipping, or get better materials for the same price.

yeah i was thinking it must feel weird. i think it kind of looks cool, adds a little something. and im sure you need the raised rail for led's but i dont know if i would deem it worth it. hopefully some others chime in. & yeah i live in ct, i think the companies i came across were in kentucky and california. can pretty much customize everything, they ll even mount the shuffler.

how do you feel about cup holders? in the race track or in the rail?

Personally, I can't stand cupholders of any kind. The last things I want near my poker table are drinks. Maybe if you can find those holders that swing out from under the table, if you must have something, but otherwise, side tables ftw. Good luck.

thanks bud. and i do agree, drinks at the table sketches me out a bit but i hear the speed cloth is liquid proof to a strong degree. i do love my beer, as do my buddys. i did however see those swing out holders which was pretty damn neat. good suggestion that i will check into. thanks

I've found really wide and deep cupholders work well. I prefer them in the rail. I'm talking about the ones that when you put a bottle of beer in them, only some of the neck shows. It's hard to spill anything when it's sitting that deep. Make them wide so that big water bottles or whatever people may bring will fit. Oh yeah, and have some towels handy!

Don't get a racetrack. They look cool, but they force people to look at their cards in the middle of the table, because you can't get them off the racetrack. It's the whole reason for having a padded table, so you can get your fingers under your cards and chips. Racetrack make no sense.

A raised rail of an inch or two may work fine, and give you the LEDs if that's what you want. I recall that the complaints were about raised rails of 4 or more inches.

I have a table with a raised rail of 3/4" -- just an extra layer of plywood between the table surface and rail. No complaints about it being too high. It feels pretty luxurious, imo. Something like the wsop final table with room for cameras in the rail is awkward, but the amount for a lighted rail is fine. And a lighted rail is supposedly nice for making hole cards easier to read without overlighting the whole room.

You can have beer without cupholders. Preferred solution is side tables.

If you play regularly (we do once a week) even very careful folks will spill their drinks on the table, on the cards, on the chips, on the guy next to them eventually. You don't have to be drunk or a klutz. It just will happen. No cup holders for us. Drinks behind on shelves and tables only. This does not 100% guarantee no spills but does not invite them like shallow cup holders do. Keep your nice (expensive) set up as free from accidents as possible. No cup holders.

appreciate the reply's men. i actually have looked into the slide out cup holders. maybe will choose not even to put them in. i wont be ordering for maybe a month but when it's time to pull the trigger i want to be certain of what i want and where i want to purchase it from

i dig the look of the race tracks but not sure it's so practical & with the slightly raised playing surface i feel it may get annoying. not sure if the track can only be wood or what, but im not a fan of that if so.

cup holders, ive been looking into the slide out ones and i see that as a possible happy alternative. i dont like the cup holders on the table / race track because with chips and cards sliding in that be annoying. i like cup holders in the rail but one company told me they dont do that because the rail pulls away from the cup holder over time (think that is a serious issue i should consider?)

l like the led thing but ive seen some tables that are just too much or rather corny. im on the fence about them but i do think that a tasteful led would be pretty cool and impress the guests.

i won buy a table without the shuffltech shuffler in there, that is a must have to me. add's to the whole casino / legit poker game vibe. one company told me they are out of sock til late january, not sure if he meant his poker table company is or shuffletech themselves.

only thing im really certain of is putting the family crest in the middle of the table

metal dealer tray and lock boxes without a doubt

has anyone here ever purchased from a place online?

go with a local builder. There really isn't a discussion to be had about this; you are absolutely a custom table buyer.

shuffletech seems to be mostly a guy running his business on the side, and not too enthusiastically for the last few years. We've had some VERY frustrated people telling us long drawn out stories about attempts to buy shuffletechs. They sometimes go on for many months. I've seen one of the machines and they are reasonably cool. If that's what you want, I think you should get one, just be prepared for a potential adventure.

Shot you a PM

Irish does good work. If you were out in CA I might consider a one off order but most likely Irish is your guy.

Are you a local builder or do you ship nationwide? I would think shipping would make it very tough to compete with local builders.

I think NJ and CT are only a few hours from each other but don't quote me on that

I didn't catch or forgot OP's location, but I'm still curious about Irish's market.

Local to NJ. I've done tables for folks in NJ, PA, NY, CT, DE, MD, and DC. I like to be able to deliver the table personally, assemble it onsite, and show the new owner how to take off the rail, move it, store it, etc. I tried shipping once but honestly it was 100x more of a headache than what it was worth, and as you point out, for the $300 extra to ship it makes more sense to go with someone more local (if you can find one, with the poker boom dying down there aren't many of us left ) I typically say within about 2-3 hours I'll deliver, but would be open to a little further depending on the table/circumstance. I've also met a few guys half-way (one as far as Boston) to cut down on the delivery charge.

yeah nj is only about 3 hours i think give or take from ct. i may go with him, took a peep at his work the other night in a hurry but will look again today. i do feel like a few local small time builders have a pretty hefty price tag on their tables however

When you compare what you really get in terms of materials and workmanship, you should get more not less for the price you pay. So shop around.

Anyone know builders near Portsmouth, NH? Irish, is that too far for you?

I think Irish hung up his tools when it comes to poker tables. Not 100% sure though, you should PM him.

I'm in central jersey, so that's be about 4-5 hours one way. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of builders local to Boston, but if you can't find any in the area hit me up.