A Poker Cloth Primer

There are tons of different fabrics out there that are being represented as the "perfect" cloth for your poker table. It can be downright confusing to try to pick between them all. Velvet, velveteen, felt, moleskin, speed cloth, "suited" speed cloth, billiard cloth, faux suede, real suede, even vinyl. We've seen them all and we've tested them all. But what are they? And why does it matter?

Well, let's start by examining what you want out of a poker table cloth. You want it to look great. You want it to feel good when you pick up the cards, and you want the cards to glide along it nicely when dealt or folded. You want it to be durable, and hopefully at least somewhat stain-resistant and spill-resistant. You don't want it to wrinkle or stretch out over time. And, finally, you want to be able to have a custom logo or design printed onto the fabric (if you didn't, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?).

That's a pretty tall order for any piece of fabric, and many of those listed above do some of those jobs quite well. Having tried them all, we're sold on the casino-quality cloth that we sell, but we believe in being educated too. So let's examine each fabric in a little more detail.

Our casino cloth is 100% woven polyester. It is smooth and has a low, fine pile, exactly like in the casinos. It is thick, heavy, and very tightly woven, which in combination with the nylon composition gives it unparalleled durability and stain- and spill-resistance. The cards glide along it very nicely and it feels great on the hands. It does not stretch over time. Most importantly, our printing process actually dyes your custom logo right into the fabric. Unlike airbrushing or screen printing, the logo can never wear off the fabric. This is the exact same process and fabric used by major casinos everywhere. Why do they use this fabric to the exclusion of all others? Because it looks the best, plays the best, lasts the longest, and is the most economical long-term solution. You and I know that in a casino, the house always has the edge. With our casino cloth, now you can have that same edge on your table.

High-quality velvet is an acetate/nylon blend. It can produce a very luxurious cloth with a nap that almost feels like fur. Cards slide on it nicely and it has some stain-and spill-resistance, but it has a tendency to show wear quickly, and it can't be printed upon without negative effects on the playability of the surface. Personally, while we love the feel of velvet, the acetone content in the acetate part of the fabric leaves some with very dry hands after only short play on a velvet-covered table.

Velveteen is typically a blend of cotton & polyester with a ribbed poly backing. It can be found in many different variations, colors, and piles, and is widely used on amateur poker tables. Like any cotton-based product, it wears fairly well. Because of the polyester, it has better stain- and spill-resistance than untreated cotton. It plays well and takes airbrushing nicely and has good resistance to stretching.

Felt is typically a wool/nylon blend, the craft fair cousin of billiard cloth. Most felt that you find today is very low quality and has a terrible feel, the cards don't slide on it very nicely, and it wears poorly because it pills very quickly. We don't know anyone who has used felt and been happy with it. It's somewhat ironic that people often look for poker "felt," since no casino that we know of has used real felt for many, many years.

Billiard cloth has a much higher percentage of wool and as a result is smoother, feels better, and is more stain- and spill-resistant than felt. It takes airbrushing nicely, and wears well even under heavy use, but still shows some pilling.

Moleskin is a heavy woven cotton twill, although it is sometimes found in a cotton/poly blend. Quality moleskin has a nice, smooth surface which, to some, feels like high-quality flannel. It has good wear characteristics, but poor spill- and stain-resistance. It will typically take airbrushing or screen printing nicely, but the effect of the paint or ink on the fabric can compromise its playability, and of course, they always wear off with time.

Speed cloth and suited speed cloth are also woven nylon. Many times they are found with a fabric treatment that makes them extremely stain- and spill-resistant. They are not typically very soft on the hands and feel sort of like playing on a backpack. But the cards do love to slide on speed cloth, and it's rather durable. Before we found our casino cloth, suited speed cloth was our favorite table surface. But when we saw the difference between airbrushing on suited speed cloth and the printed casino cloth, there was no comparison, and we haven't looked back since.

Faux suede is, frankly, a travesty when it comes to most poker tables. It is very stretchy and the cards sometimes seem to stick to it. Faux suede is 100% polyester, so it usually has a good stain- and spill-resistance, but we've found that it pills badly in gameplay situations. It can be airbrushed or screen printed, but has the same hazards present with any airbrushed or screen printed logo.

Suede is much worse than its industrial counterpart because it has no stain- or spill-resistance.  It would be a poor choice for a poker table.

Vinyl is great for poker table rails, but bad for the table itself. If for no other reason, it just doesn't look right. If you wanted to play on a vinyl table, wouldn't you just as soon roll out the picnic table and play on that? Because vinyl doesn't look or feel right, it's not commonly used to cover the playing surface of poker tables.

The truth is that if you look hard enough, you can find a poker table covered with nearly any fabric. But do you want just any fabric on your table, or do you want the best? If you're looking for a poker cloth that has your logo and design -- even a full-table photograph! -- printed in such a manner as to make it impossible for the logo to wear or fade over time, then our casino cloth is without compare.

Until recently, the technology to produce this fabric in small batches was extremely expensive, but now we've found a way to produce this poker table cloth with your custom design on a table-by-table basis.

The casinos use it for a good reason -- because it's the best value. What are you waiting for? Go to the order page now. Or if you have questions, email them to us by clicking here.

Questions? Click here to email us.

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