For a DIY poker table, the best fabric is speed cloth over a thin layer of closed-cell foam. Felt is the cheaper, softer alternative, and wool baize is the traditional British choice. Green is the safe colour, and a thin foam layer underneath matters as much as the cloth.
That's the short answer. If it's all you needed, you can stop here. If you're deciding between cloth types, the sections below show what each one gives up.
What's the best fabric to put on a DIY poker table?
Speed cloth, for a table you'll use every week. It's the casino-style surface, and the one a 2015 Lifehacker build guide chose for an eight-seat table that cost around $300 in materials.
That guide pairs green speed cloth with 2 yards of ¼in closed-cell foam. The foam matters as much as the cloth, and the padding section below explains why.
Felt is the better pick in two cases. One is a removable cover over a table you already own. The other is a casual game that runs a few times a year.
A 2022 sewing tutorial from Faith and Fabric makes that split plainly. It suggests wool felt if you'll play a lot, and acrylic felt for casual players, and its author bought acrylic.
What is the material on a poker table?
It's usually a cloth or felt, and the two words cover several fabrics. A 2023 guide from Card Player Lifestyle says "cloth" and "felt" can mean actual felt, suede, velveteen, polyester or baize.
That's why the question "speed cloth vs felt" has no single answer. Here is how the main options compare.
| Fabric | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Speed cloth | Regular games, cards that slide | Needs padding and neat fitting |
| Felt (wool or acrylic) | Casual games, removable covers | Acrylic suits casual play only, per one tutorial |
| Wool baize | A traditional, hardwearing top | Sold by the metre; layouts are printed elsewhere |
| Pool-table felt | Not a card surface | One poster says it grips, so cards won't slide |
Card Player Lifestyle describes "speed" as how easily dealt cards glide to their destination. That is what you pay for in speed cloth.
Quality varies a lot. Posters on a Poker Chip Forum thread about suited speed cloth, undated on the page, say cheap imported cloth wears faster and may not be properly waterproofed. One reports a dedicated-dealer surface showing wear after seven years.
A PokerForum.ca builder thread, also undated, goes the other way on pool felt. One poster likes its look but says it wears quickly, and notes that balls need friction to roll while cards need to slide.
Opinions on speed cloth differ too. The same thread has a poster who didn't like it after playing on it in St. Louis. That is one account, not a verdict.
Is wool baize worth it?
Only if you want the traditional look and don't mind paying for it. A UK baize supplier, Baize and Wool Fabrics, says British baize grips cards when dealt and is tightly woven. It lists its standard and extra-wide baizes as a 95% wool, 5% nylon blend.
That is a seller describing its own stock, so treat it as a description, not a test result. The supplier also says it doesn't print layouts itself, so a printed poker layout means taking the fabric elsewhere.
Baize suits a table you'll keep for years and play on often.
What colour should a poker table be?
Green, unless you have a reason not to. The Lifehacker build used green speed cloth, and the baize supplier lists green first among its printable colours.
Card Player Lifestyle gives two rules worth following. Avoid colours that blend in with the cards, because the surface then distracts from play. Avoid light colours, because they stain and show wear.
Dark shades pass both tests. Dark green, burgundy, blue, black and brown are also the playing-surface colours offered on the Luxury Oval Poker Table, 96in x 48in, which comes in black, burgundy, brown, green or blue, with custom colours available.
If you plan to print a layout, check which colours your fabric supports first. The baize supplier above lists only certain colours as printable.
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Do you need padding under the cloth?
Yes. Cloth stretched straight over wood plays hard and wears fast.
Card Player Lifestyle says that without padding, a wooden surface is "extremely hard" and nicks and tears appear sooner. It names foam as the most common padding, at roughly $5 to $10 per square foot in the US.
You can estimate your own bill. A 96in x 48in oval has an area of about 25 square feet (3,619 square inches), so US foam prices of $5 to $10 per square foot work out at roughly $125 to $250. That is a computed estimate from a US price, not a UK quote.
The Lifehacker build used a thin ¼in layer. Keep it thin and even, because a lumpy layer shows through the cloth.
How do you fit it?
Slowly, and with sharp tools. A 2014 video from Tony Chan, a custom-cloth seller, lists a heavy-duty staple remover, an upholstery stapler and spray adhesive for fitting a cloth. That is all the video's description says about materials.
Card Player Lifestyle is blunt that bad upholstery shows after only a few sessions. It recommends a professional for cloth you've paid a lot for.
If you only want a cover, skip the stapler. The Faith and Fabric tutorial adds 8in to each side of the table measurements and uses elastic in the hem, so it needs no tools beyond a sewing machine.
The same guide lists heat, humidity, temperature changes, smoke and grease as enemies of a good cloth. If your room swings between hot and cold, read the humidity and temperature guide before you pick a spot for the table.
Where can you buy poker table felt?
From a fabric supplier or a casino-supply firm, not from a table retailer. Premium Pool Tables doesn't list loose cloth, felt or padding, so you'll buy those elsewhere.
Search for "speed cloth", "baize" or "poker table cloth" in the width you need. Check the cloth's width against your table before you order, and ask whether it comes plain or printed.
Buy a little more than you measure. The Faith and Fabric method alone adds 8in on every side, and a table you staple needs enough to wrap the edge.
Read the seller's wording with care. Sellers praise their own cloth, as the baize supplier and one forum vendor post do, so look for independent comments before you buy.
When is a ready-made table the better buy?
When you want the rails, legs and cup holders as well as the cloth. A DIY cloth job is cheap, and Lifehacker called its build "way cheaper" than buying a table with the same features. But you still have to build the frame, rail and legs.
A ready-made table costs more than the materials, and that's a fair reason to build. The Luxury Oval Poker Table is handmade to order and takes around 8 weeks to build plus delivery, so it doesn't suit a game this weekend.
If you'd rather compare, the poker table collection shows what's available, including the round octagonal and 8 to 10 player rectangular models. For a table that doubles as dining furniture, the pool dining table buying guide covers the same idea.
Questions about your poker table? Message Rossa on WhatsApp → +44 7348 956 222
Or email support@premiumpooltables.co.uk