https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRCNM2NP
Hidden Gem Alert!
I've been looking for an affordable poker mat with a less "specific" design (or more "generic" but not in a bad way) than "The Nuts" table topper I have (and love). While my priority was cost, I also wanted the design to not be too busy or obnoxious, and I wanted to avoid any designs that had the 5 individual card-sized boxes printed in the center.
I came across this "Fake Aces" brand topper, which comes in red and black. The price of the black one was more than I wanted to spend, at $55, but not unusually expensive, but the red version only cost $25! I decided to take a chance on it, since I could always return it to Amazon if I hated it. (And I could deal with the larger box in the center for the community cards, rather than the individual card boxes.)
First impressions when I received it was that the carrying case is really nice! This is not the super thin tent-like material that has a drawstring opening on one end and that you have to slip onto a rolled up topper like a condom!
Instead, this is a decent quality duffle-bag material case (soft, not rigid) with a zipper across the length that allows you to put the topper in much more easily. The mat itself felt a little thin, like other discount toppers I've used but had sewn edges and seemed of decent quality.
I did put it into play this weekend for about 6 hours, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how it held up. Cards slid across the mat easily (depending on the dealer, a little too quickly sometimes). More importantly, you could pick up the cards from the topper without much trouble, which has been an issue with cheaper/thinner mats I've used, where you practically have to slide cards off the edge to pick them up.
I reached out to the seller on Amazon asking why the red was less than half the price of the black--and also asking if I could possibly get a price match for a black one. They shot me down on the discount but explained that they're discontinuing the red color and are clearing out inventory, which is why it's so cheap. I'm considering picking up a second red mat at the $25 price before they're gone, even though I have no need for 3 table toppers. Heck for some people it might be worth the price to just get the case.
Here are a few minor things that I don't like about this product:
First, I don't love the name. Not sure why anyone thought "Fake Aces" was a good name for poker-related products! But fortunately the name is not plastered across the middle of the topper, and the spades logo with the stylized "F" (that looks more like a "4") and "A", and overall art deco design (that seems to have gotten more common after the Slowplay brand picked up in popularity) looks very clean, and the one mention of the full "Fake Aces" name on the mat is tucked in the corner, which I appreciate.
Unfortunately, the carrying case has the name very prominently printed across it, but I'm not too bothered by it. I'm not playing poker on the carrying case. Speaking of which, the only other (very minor) thing I didn't like about it is that it came with a pretty soft foam cylinder (as opposed to a harder cardboard tube) that you roll the mat around before putting it in the case. Since the foam is not rigid, the mat and case can bend in the middle as you're carrying it. Not a big deal, and of course you could swap in a piece of tubing or a broom handle if you want. Also, I wish the padded part of the case strap was movable, but that's just a little nitpicky on my part.
(Would have loved the case to be more like a rigid tube--like the ones that came with the Rally & Roar mats that were discontinued--but can't have everything, and it'd make putting the mat in the case more difficult.)
Really, for the quality of the topper and case, $25 is an absolute steal. If you are looking for a backup topper (or even your first), you can't go wrong with this product at this price point, and you can always return it to Amazon if you don't like it.
Hidden Gem Alert!
I've been looking for an affordable poker mat with a less "specific" design (or more "generic" but not in a bad way) than "The Nuts" table topper I have (and love). While my priority was cost, I also wanted the design to not be too busy or obnoxious, and I wanted to avoid any designs that had the 5 individual card-sized boxes printed in the center.
I came across this "Fake Aces" brand topper, which comes in red and black. The price of the black one was more than I wanted to spend, at $55, but not unusually expensive, but the red version only cost $25! I decided to take a chance on it, since I could always return it to Amazon if I hated it. (And I could deal with the larger box in the center for the community cards, rather than the individual card boxes.)
First impressions when I received it was that the carrying case is really nice! This is not the super thin tent-like material that has a drawstring opening on one end and that you have to slip onto a rolled up topper like a condom!
Instead, this is a decent quality duffle-bag material case (soft, not rigid) with a zipper across the length that allows you to put the topper in much more easily. The mat itself felt a little thin, like other discount toppers I've used but had sewn edges and seemed of decent quality.I did put it into play this weekend for about 6 hours, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how it held up. Cards slid across the mat easily (depending on the dealer, a little too quickly sometimes). More importantly, you could pick up the cards from the topper without much trouble, which has been an issue with cheaper/thinner mats I've used, where you practically have to slide cards off the edge to pick them up.
I reached out to the seller on Amazon asking why the red was less than half the price of the black--and also asking if I could possibly get a price match for a black one. They shot me down on the discount but explained that they're discontinuing the red color and are clearing out inventory, which is why it's so cheap. I'm considering picking up a second red mat at the $25 price before they're gone, even though I have no need for 3 table toppers.
Heck for some people it might be worth the price to just get the case.Here are a few minor things that I don't like about this product:
First, I don't love the name. Not sure why anyone thought "Fake Aces" was a good name for poker-related products! But fortunately the name is not plastered across the middle of the topper, and the spades logo with the stylized "F" (that looks more like a "4") and "A", and overall art deco design (that seems to have gotten more common after the Slowplay brand picked up in popularity) looks very clean, and the one mention of the full "Fake Aces" name on the mat is tucked in the corner, which I appreciate.
Unfortunately, the carrying case has the name very prominently printed across it, but I'm not too bothered by it. I'm not playing poker on the carrying case. Speaking of which, the only other (very minor) thing I didn't like about it is that it came with a pretty soft foam cylinder (as opposed to a harder cardboard tube) that you roll the mat around before putting it in the case. Since the foam is not rigid, the mat and case can bend in the middle as you're carrying it. Not a big deal, and of course you could swap in a piece of tubing or a broom handle if you want. Also, I wish the padded part of the case strap was movable, but that's just a little nitpicky on my part.
(Would have loved the case to be more like a rigid tube--like the ones that came with the Rally & Roar mats that were discontinued--but can't have everything, and it'd make putting the mat in the case more difficult.)
Really, for the quality of the topper and case, $25 is an absolute steal. If you are looking for a backup topper (or even your first), you can't go wrong with this product at this price point, and you can always return it to Amazon if you don't like it.
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