[panthershutch15]

Manufacturer: Pit Boss/Great Lakes Darts
Retailer(s): Pricegrabber
Average Price: $199.99-$249.99
Member Review by: panthershutch15

The following review is of a portable folding texas hold-em poker table. The table itself folds in half, while the legs fold underneath the table the same way the legs fold underneath on standard banquet tables. the legs and the table fold in half for easy storage, and it only takes a minute to set up and take down. When this table is folded for storage, the dimensions are as follows: 43.7 in. x 43.7 in. x 10 in.

Feel

The stock felt is not the greatest, but the owner can easily secure new material over the stock felt with a little effort. The stock felt is really thick and "squishy" and the cards do not slide across the table very well. Also, since it is so thick, chip stacks sometimes are uneven depending on how long they have been unmoved because they kind of sink into the table (like a Tempur Pedic mattress). This problem of the table being to "squishy" is no longer a problem if you choose to cover the stock felt with a new material.

The padded rails are very thin, but feel pretty good. However, if you have a player that uses the arm rest as a leaning rail, the marks from their forearms or elbows will not be going away very soon and will be imprinted into the rail (again, think Tempur Pedic).

Looks

This is a very nice looking table for the price. The felt is not a very attractive color (lime green), but again, it is extremely simple to secure a new material over the stock felt. There is also a crease down the middle of the table where it is folded, but this crease does not effect the cards at all and I usually forget that it is even there during a game. When I covered the old felt with a new material, I noticed that the original felt is glued to the wood VERY well and will not be coming off. However, the instructions that came with the table did state that the felt could be 'replaced', but did not give any directions. I also do not believe that there is any padding under the stock felt and that it is just a thick, felt-like material. The padded rails look great and have the look of an expensive real casino table. The cup holders are very small (about 1" tall), which means it is very easy for a glass to tip out of them, which has luckily not happened to me as of yet.

When I applied the new felt, I simply unscrewed the padded rails, laid the new material over one half of the table and pulled tight (with the help of a friend), then I punctured the new material with scissors, then screwed the armrails back in through the felt to hold it in place. I did this to both sides over the stock felt, because the stock felt acts as a great foam when a new material is pulled tightly over it. The middle was tricky since it is a folding table, so I just left a two inch flap that hangs off over the middle that I pull tight and hold in place as I flatten the table out upon set-up. I believe that the felt could be secured in the middle of the table, but that would require the unscrewing of the frame of the table, which I was too nervous to do as I did not want to completely ruin my investment.

When looking at the table, the legs have a sign on it that says "pit boss" and has a fan of cards, which I believe is a cool little extra that makes the table look appealing and expensive.

Durability

I have used this table weekly for about 4 months and it has held up very nicely. Again, the felt was beginning to ball up, just a little bit, but I replaced it just last week and it is great now. If you do not replace the felt I could see this becoming a problem in the future because cards do not slide well on the table straight out of the box, and they slide even less the more the felt balls up. Trust me, it does not ball up as much as cheap fabric store felt, but it does to the point that it is worth mentioning.

The table can also hold enough weight for a regular game without having to worry about the table bending, so you don't have to worry about it collapsing with people resting their arms on it. I would not be confident enough to have a person stand in the middle of the table, just because it was not meant to hold that amount of weight. Players at my game are usually pushing down on it pretty hard, and it has withstood the weight without any bending whatsoever.

The legs are very thick and sturdy and will definitely not bend with weight applied. The table folds in half and really takes no more than 2 minutes to set-up wherever you want it to go. It folds up into a half table, which is great for storage, then locks into place with a metal loop and hook mechanism which keeps the table securely closed. I store this table behind my bedroom door and I forget it is even there, which is very convenient.

The hinges on this table seem very strong and should not prove to be an issue. I have folded and unfolded this table several times and the hinges seem as strong as they did the day that I purchased the table.

When storing this table upright, some creases may form on the padded armrest. This won't be a problem for those who have the ability to store the table laying flat.

Reviewers Comments

If you are looking for a portable table, I definately recommend looking into this particular table. I needed something that I could store in my room and open up in the living room for my games, and this is perfect! Many local stores will have it set-up such as ****'s or Sport's Authority, so if you want you can go check it out for yourself. It is truly a good product for the price. No regrets here on the purchase of this table.

Table Pictures