I'm planning on renovating my basement early next year and am looking at a couple of different ways to lay out the room. Some background:
This layout puts the "poker area" in the larger section of the room (those little circles are lally columns)and gives us more than ample space for a single table game, be it cash or tourney (3'-4' clear around all sides of the table). It provides a somewhat separate space for the bar/snacks & and a spot for a few folks to comfortably hang out and watch some TV, be it during a break or if they've busted early. On tourney nights where we get enough players to run two tables, the main table gets moved over and I set up the additional table next to it:
It's obviously not ideal and tight if you want to move around, but once everyone is seated, it's comfortable. And again this setup keeps that smaller area clear for people getting drinks or for busted players to hang out until the cash table opens up.
The room was initially set up this way years ago when my kids were babies and when the space was primarily for poker. As they've gotten older, we've added more things to the room. When not in "poker mode", we use the smaller area as a small home theater (projector with a pull-down screen), and it's also the spot I retreat to on weekends when the wife & kids have usurped the main TV and I want to watch a game in peace. While it functions OK for watching a game on TV, that area is a little small for the home theater, and I often end up pushing the main table to the side so we have room to move things out the back door. Now that I'm remodeling the room, I was considering swapping the two areas a bit and moving the home theater portion to the larger area. So the "normal" layout of the room would look something like this:
The way I see it, there are a few big benefits of this layout. First, it greatly improves the home theater layout, giving another ~4' of distance from the couch to the screen. It also moves the bar to the back of the room so it's not "front and center" coming down the stairs, which I like as my kids are now older with more friends are coming over (yeah I know they'll still know it's there
). It reduces the space around 2 sides of the poker table, but IMHO not to the point where it's squeezed or uncomfortable, and maintains a separate area on single table poker nights for folks to hang out while not playing cards. The only potential drawback I see would be on nights with 2 tables:
While this layout actually provides a little more breathing room around the tables, what's lost is that separate area for folks to hang out before the game, on breaks or when they bust out.
So, that leads to the poll question for my PCF brethren. On a two table tourney night, would you prefer:
Option A: Be seated in slightly closer quarters while playing, but have a separate area to hang out:
Option B: Have a little more breathing room when seated, but no real "get away" space if you bust early:
Any other feedback or suggestions on the layout would be welcomed, I know a lot of you have some kick ass rooms and any input on making this space better would be appreciated. (y) :thumbsup:
- The room functions as a:
- Home theater
- Poker room
- My weekend hideout from the kids to watch football/baseball
- The spot where I upholster rails when I'm building a table
- I run two different games - a monthly tourney and a micro stakes cash night (~every other month at this point). The cash night is always one table, the tournament varies from 8-15+ players, but in recent years with a few folks moving away, has averaged about 10 players (mostly single table games).
- The standard setup of the room is that I have one full time table and one table that folds up when not in use.
- The "bar" includes a beverage refrigerator, kegerator/tap, and humidor - currently kind of a makeshift setup, but I have plans to make a really nice finished bar in the renovated room.
This layout puts the "poker area" in the larger section of the room (those little circles are lally columns)and gives us more than ample space for a single table game, be it cash or tourney (3'-4' clear around all sides of the table). It provides a somewhat separate space for the bar/snacks & and a spot for a few folks to comfortably hang out and watch some TV, be it during a break or if they've busted early. On tourney nights where we get enough players to run two tables, the main table gets moved over and I set up the additional table next to it:
It's obviously not ideal and tight if you want to move around, but once everyone is seated, it's comfortable. And again this setup keeps that smaller area clear for people getting drinks or for busted players to hang out until the cash table opens up.
The room was initially set up this way years ago when my kids were babies and when the space was primarily for poker. As they've gotten older, we've added more things to the room. When not in "poker mode", we use the smaller area as a small home theater (projector with a pull-down screen), and it's also the spot I retreat to on weekends when the wife & kids have usurped the main TV and I want to watch a game in peace. While it functions OK for watching a game on TV, that area is a little small for the home theater, and I often end up pushing the main table to the side so we have room to move things out the back door. Now that I'm remodeling the room, I was considering swapping the two areas a bit and moving the home theater portion to the larger area. So the "normal" layout of the room would look something like this:
The way I see it, there are a few big benefits of this layout. First, it greatly improves the home theater layout, giving another ~4' of distance from the couch to the screen. It also moves the bar to the back of the room so it's not "front and center" coming down the stairs, which I like as my kids are now older with more friends are coming over (yeah I know they'll still know it's there
). It reduces the space around 2 sides of the poker table, but IMHO not to the point where it's squeezed or uncomfortable, and maintains a separate area on single table poker nights for folks to hang out while not playing cards. The only potential drawback I see would be on nights with 2 tables:While this layout actually provides a little more breathing room around the tables, what's lost is that separate area for folks to hang out before the game, on breaks or when they bust out.
So, that leads to the poll question for my PCF brethren. On a two table tourney night, would you prefer:
Option A: Be seated in slightly closer quarters while playing, but have a separate area to hang out:
Option B: Have a little more breathing room when seated, but no real "get away" space if you bust early:
Any other feedback or suggestions on the layout would be welcomed, I know a lot of you have some kick ass rooms and any input on making this space better would be appreciated. (y) :thumbsup:
