Regular Poker Table vs Racetrack poker table (1 Viewer)

[DesiBoyz]

Hello Everyone,
Just looking for some Answers with the help of PCF Community.

Let me start by saying this i never understood the concept of RaceTrack Poker table and if i ever have to buy a table for myself, will always choose the one without RaceTrack.
right now i just bought a mat to play poker.
But one of my friend want to host a tournament and would like to buy one.. He loves the concept of solid-frame(Racetrack) on the table... and he was asking for my advice.
So i thought why not ask the professionals from the PCF Community.

Can someone elaborate what are the advantages and disadvantages of having RaceTrack Table, In a Scenario where price and size for both are same.
and please vote to let my friend know which one is most loved in the PCF Community.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

I've played on both and personally prefer a table without a racetrack.

Reasons beyond personal preference.

1) It's very difficult to shuffle chips on a racetrack.
2) It's tough to peel the corner of hole cards to peek at what you have on a racetrack.


I remember playing in Vegas on a table with a racetrack. The next visit a year later, all the tables at that location had been redone to get rid of the racetrack. I do recall the gap between the felt and track was full of crumbs and other detritus. That might have been a part of the reason they got rid of them.

 

[upNdown]

The advantage of a racetrack table is that they’re nice looking.
The disadvantages are everything else.

 

[BPTDirector]

Bought one once, immediately covered the racetrack and reflected, 1000% improvement on chip and card handling.

 

[rrobyrrroby]

No racetrack!
If you like the look of it, ask a designer here on PCF to create a topper with a faux racetrack.
As already mentioned, except for the look, you only have disadvantages.
Hard to pick your cards, very noisy when shuffling chips, you can't fold your cards just sliding them back to the dealer because very likely there will be a gap between racetrack and felt...
I used to have an octagonal table with racetrack and never like to play on it.

 

[Zema1111]

Racetrack is pointless for poker. It looks great when it's done right, but that's it. Don't waste your money on it.

 

[TKEUofM]

I have both, Racetrack is pretty and good for stacking chips in towers. That’s about it. Always causes issues when dealing cards unless you have a perfectly flat transition which almost never happens.

 

[tabletalker7]

A racetrack provides a natural betting line. Other than that they suck.

 

[Rhodeman77]

The one complaint I have about my round table is the racetrack. Second would be the cup holders in said racetrack, I’d much prefer them to not be part of the table at all, or in the rail if they have to exist.

It looks nice, but I’d much rather have the extra playing surface.

 

[InBobWeTrust]

I have a lot of hours in home games under my belt. I can tell you that the vast majority of players do not like a race track, myself included.

 

[T_Chan]

No racetrack > racetrack

 

[TheRealTeddyKGB]

Like everything all racetracks are not created equally. It does not act as a betting line as some have suggested & chips are easily & comfortably still shuffled on the playing surface.

Looks good, chips stack well but the biggest advantage of mine is that it's removable so you can switch out the playing surface in a couple of minutes.

But hey like I've said before I also like NLHE & NAGB chips so I know I'm in the minority here too...

Edit: most of the time I will agree it's better w/o though.

 

[Colquhoun]

Like everything all racetracks are not created equally. It does not act as a betting line as some have suggested & chips are easily & comfortably still shuffled on the playing surface.
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Looks good, chips stack well but the biggest advantage of mine is that it's removable so you can switch out the playing surface in a couple of minutes.

But hey like I've said before I also like NLHE & NAGB chips so I know I'm in the minority here too...

Edit: most of the time I will agree it's better w/o though.

But if all activity…from chip stacks, shuffling, cards, etc are all happening on the felt, what’s the purpose of the racetrack, other than to hold your drinks? You basically have a littler table with big armrests.
I do see the need for a lighted racetrack on the televised games before RFID cards. It enabled the hole cards to be illuminated for the hole cameras.

 

[BGinGA]

Nothing wrong with a racetrack design table that is playable. But to qualify, the racetrack must be:

a) felt-covered (optionally also padded)
b) same height as the center playing surface

Hard surfaces (wood, metal, plastic, epoxy) need not apply (unless covered), and any height transition to the center area (higher or lower) is a negative.

One approach that can capture the elegant look of a racetrack table while retaining the superior feel of a single surface is to have the felt dyed with the racetrack image (woodgrain or otherwise).

 

[merkong]

The racetrack should be narrow enough where a player can handle them and peek while cards stay on the infield. You can even cloth it with a betting line and then chips can live off the track as well if a player so desires.

Way prettier too.

 

[4SUMERZ]

My first table has the racetrack with the cup holders. It looked pretty, but the disadvantage was having the cup holders on the table proper. I removed the race track and moved the cup holders to the new constructed rail. I find it much nicer to play on.
My vote is no race track.

 

[caperalta]

I've worked and played at tables with and without a racetrack, and I'd definitely prefer them without it. I don't see the point; some players leave their chips on it, others don't, and some drinks on it can spill in the middle of the table (I prefer the cupholders that pull out from the rail). When dealing, if the cards reached the racetrack, it was a problem for some players to pick them up. They needed to apply pressure against the center felt of the table, and sometimes applying too much pressure would cause the cards to fly out, spin, end up off the table, etc.