[Wylecoyo]

Manufacturer: Instant Poker Tables, LLC
Retailer(s): Instant Poker Tables, LLC
Average Price: $24.95 for reviewed model, but may vary with size and/or customization.
Material: Red and Green Polyester.
Member Review by: Wylecoyo

As my profession requires I move every 18-24 months, portability and durability tend to be near the very top of my list of desired features when looking to add to my portable poker setup. My latest acquisition is an "instant poker table," a table cloth type of playing surface with integrated cording to allow it to be tightened and form fitted to your table. Over the course of the last year I have gone through two different "folding" table tops, both of which I hated immediately upon receiving due to their poor quality of construction, shapes and sizes ill-fitted to my table, and really shabby felt covering. In the end I simply resorted to using a velour blanket over my dining room table because it offered the best compromise between feel, fit, cost, and portability – that was until Excelsior posted a link to the "Instant Poker Tables" website.

Price

Instant Poker Tables are available in 60'x60' squares, 74'x48' rectangles, and 98'x58' rectangles. These seem to be selling pretty well, so expect specific sizes to be unavailable from time to time as they sell out. Prices range from $24.95 to $28.95 depending on size, color, and padding features. Expect to pay about $9.95 for shipping.

Construction/Durability

Instant Poker Tables are made out of 100% polyester material with some type of interior padding, which is probably the same exact material as the "bonus" padding which was included as part of an ongoing promotion. The edges are very securely sewn and house a 1/4' diameter piece of elastic bungee-cord which is used for cinching the cover over the top of your table. The overall construction is top notch and should last for a very long time provided your players are not unnecessarily hard on it. Although I have not had any spills on mine, the Instant Poker Table covering is machine washable and seems like it should hold up pretty well. According to the tag on the cover, all you have to do is: "Machine wash cold. Lay flat to dry or machine dry no-heat."

The Instant Poker Table website has recently begun to offer two basic construction methods - the"Single" layer and the "Double" layer; however, the only real difference between the models appears to be whether or not the "bonus" padding is sewn into the tabletop or included as an additional piece. I ordered my table top before this distinction was made, so I ended up with the "single" layer model (see pictures below). While the "bonus" layer of padding works just fine, I would recommend going with the "double" layer model - the main advantage would be not having to see the bonus padding stick out from underneath the playing surface.

Installation

Installation could not be simpler – just spread out the sheet of under-padding, lay out the Instant Poker Table on top of the padding, center both pieces on the table, and cinch down the elastic cords on opposite ends of the table (if you have a long table, the elastic cord has a hook which can be used to tension the playing surface by stretching the cord under the middle of the table and hooking it to the opposite side's cord). The polyester material is very stretchable so the covering will nicely mold itself to the size and shape of your table as it is being tightened down. As you can see in the pictures below, the instant poker table will stretch in order to conform to the shape of your table. This characteristic will even allow this product to be used on round tables; however, if you have a round table you would probably achieve much better results with a square covering as opposed to the rectangular ones.

Looks/Feel

Instant Poker Tables come with a silk-screened "Instant Poker Table" logo; however, all of their models are available without the logo upon request. I was not interested in the logo, so I simply entered "no logo" into the comments section of the order form and they took care of the rest. The material has a very nice feel, is soft to the touch, and has a fair amount of padding even without the bonus under layer. Chips stack without any problem and cards slide with ease across its surface. The only minor flaw with the design is that it is impossible to prevent some small amount of wrinkles or creases from forming in the surface of the cloth as it is in play; however, this can be minimized by using the under the table hook feature mentioned above (I personally don't normally utilize this and even without it have never experienced any degree of wrinkling which would detract from the utility of the playing surface). This is a very minor detail and has not been a problem for my games because it is still worlds better than the blanket we used to use. Beyond the small amount of wrinkles which will develop during play, the cover itself does not bunch up or slide while in use - at least I have not experienced any problems with this in any of my games. The closer the table covering is in relation to the size of the table it is used on the less you will experience wrinkling, but even when the covering is significantly larger than the table you should not have any problem with bunching or sliding.

Reviewers Comments

Once again, I cannot praise this product enough – I LOVE IT. It is a very simple, yet effective design and should be a perfect solution for anyone who wants to achieve the closest look and feel of a high-end table without investing a small fortune to do so. Best of all it is easy to install, easy to remove, and takes very little space to store or transport. Unless you have a ton of money and a dedicated game room, I think you would have a hard time finding a better or more cost efficient playing surface. Someday I plan on buying or building my dream table, but until then this is as close to nirvana as I will probably ever get.

Pictures