- The first place to the dealer’s left is called “seat one,” or “the one seat,” followed clockwise by Seat 2, etc. For most games, the last seat, which is on the dealer’s right, is either Seat 9.
- There’s a reason round tables are out of vogue; they just don’t hold as many people as oval or octagonal models do. Most round poker tables hold 4 people, 5 if you squeeze in. Square Poker Tables.
Seating Players
One of the challenges in starting your poker tournaments is seating your players. There are two ways to seat your players:
- Use the Tournament Director software. Tournament Director automatically assigns random seats to players.
- Assign random seats yourself. Follow the following steps for good results:
- Get the exact number of players – lets call it x.
- Get two decks. Take x number of cards out of one and the identical cards from the other deck
- Set one set at each seats on the tables one by one face up.
- Set the other set face down on a separate side table and shuffle it.
- Have each player pick up a random cards and seat at the corresponding table and seat.
- Collect all the cards and start the tournament.
We never seat more than 9 at a table, except for the final table, we start that with 10. We have over 34 members but not everyone makes it each month so we try to limit it to 27 players although. With so How Many Seats At A Casino Poker Table many Online Casino games to choose from, this will help you decide which ones you like best. The free demo is also a How Many Seats At A Casino Poker Table.
For larger tournaments use the same procedure but instead of playing cards use paper cards and write table and seat numbers on them (two cards for each number). For example you can write 1-1, 1-2, …, 2-1, 2-2, … (table number-seat number)
Moving Players
When do you have to move a player?
In your poker tournament there will be times that players need to be moved from one table to another. Such times arrive when players bust out of the tournament and the tables don’t have the same number of players seating at them. If table A has two, or more players more than table B, a random player has to move from table A to table B.
It is fine for a table to have one player more than another table as you can’t do anything about that.
How do you move a player?
If you are using the Tournament Director, it will automatically realize if a player from a certain needs to be moved or not, chooses a random player, and gives a warning to move the player.
If you are running the tournament by yourself (without the software) you can do the following: If a player is busted out from a table (therefore making the table shorter than another), find out his position in relation to the dealer at his last hand. Then go to the larger table and move the player with the same position and move him to the smaller table. So if the busted player was sitting two to the right of dealer, find the player at the larger table who seats two to the right of the dealer and move him to the smaller table.
You can also try high carding the larger table to move a player. But the first method is faster, creates less confusion, and is more fair; it is more fair because the moved player will have the same position in relation to the blinds and therefore will not pay his next blind earlier or later than he should.
Knowing the optimal number of players that can sit at a poker table is important when running a home game, poker night, or a local pub poker tournament. For those of you who have ever sat at a casino poker table that is full will know what I’m talking about.
How many seats at a poker table? To determine the ideal or max number of seats at a poker table, divide the length of the table by 9″ (23 cm). For example, to fit 9 or 10 players, the table needs to be at least 90″ (228 cm) long, the entry-level size of most casino tables.
Most of the time, there is very little elbow space on even the largest tables when there are 10 people crammed in there. In order to determine the best setup, you must consider the size of the table, the room, as well as a few other factors. My goal for this article is to let you optimize your setup by covering everything you need to know to provide the best “elbow room” for your poker friends and help you make your next event a success.
Ideal Number of Players at Common Poker Table Types
Max players by shape and size:
- Oval Tables: Your typical 72″-84″ (183-213 cm) oval home poker table will seat 8 players comfortably.
- Octagon Tables: Octagon models tend to be about 46″ (117 cm) across and seat up to 6 players.
- Square Tables: Square tables are usually the worse shape for maximizing space as you can only really play a maximum of 4 players.
Be aware that most manufacturers tend to overstate capacity in their product description, so don’t be surprised if my calculations seem low in comparison.
What About Poker Table Mats or Coverings?
Folding poker table toppers and mats will generally hold a similar capacity that a regular folding or permanent table of similar size would. However, it might actually hold more people if the table underneath is larger than the covering.
In my experience playing in pub poker events, often the wooden tables under the poker table topper are much longer in width and you get quite a bit of the wooden table hanging out the ends. This actually works out great and makes the games a lot less cramped. As a bonus, you get more room to eat while you play (assuming you are seated at the end of the table)!
How Many Players Are Ideal at a Casino Poker Table?
There is no set best number of players that is the “perfect” amount at a poker table. It basically comes down to what poker table you choose for your game. However, it is usually optimal to have no more than 10 max at any one table. In my experience, once you get to 9 and higher, the game typically becomes a bit chaotic and just plain overcrowded.
What Are the Best Tables for Short-Handed Games?
Personally, I prefer to play on tables with between 4 and 7 opponents. While some people would consider this short-handed play, I think most players would have a lot more fun due to more action-packed play and a more intimate environment. Conversation is also a lot easier when you have around 5 or 6 players. However, it is all about personal preference and finding the sweet spot for what is most enjoyable for you and your poker buddies.
In my experience, your standard oval poker table is best for short handed games.
Room Size Considerations
Generally, room size will not affect the maximum capacity of your poker table, as long as you provide a reasonable amount of space for people to be able to get in and out of their chairs and move about. Ideally, I like to have at least 3 feet (1 meter) of clearance from the poker table’s edge to the walls. The more space the better!
In a roughly square room with up to 6 players, I recommend using an octagonally shaped table. This will work nicely for most home game setups. If you want to host more players, it is almost mandatory to buy a reasonably-sized (72″+ length) oval table or table covering/mat. Whether you live in a 10000 square foot mansion or a 700 square foot condo, there is almost certainly a good choice for you.
Be sure to space the tables apart adequately. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck and unable to back away from a table to go to the bathroom. You definitely do not want to have to shift the tables around once the even has started. Just use common sense on the spacing between tables and you will be fine.
Does Table Height Effect How Many Seats Are at a Poker Table?
Generally speaking, table height has no bearing on how many players can fit at a poker table. The height for most poker tables is almost universally 30″ (76 cm), which is plenty high enough that people can comfortably sit at the table. The table dimensions and shape are by far the most important factors that determine the level of comfort for your players.
What if there is a dedicated dealer?
How Many Players At Poker Table
If you have a dedicated dealer, be sure to deduct 1 person from the calculation.
How Many Players per Table if Food or Snacks Are Served?
Almost all home poker games serve food and drinks to the players. Therefore, you want to make sure you have ample elbow room for people to eat. As long as you follow the guidelines listed at the beginning of this article, you should not run into any issues.
If you really want to wow your poker buddies, provide some nice mobile tray tables for them to use. There are some really good high-end options on Amazon. Or, if you are more budget conscious, here are some lower priced ones that should do nicely.
What Are the Best Chairs to Use?
If you have spacial concerns, then you probably do not want to invest in heavy duty “fancy” chairs. There is nothing wrong with having quality, fairly compact, folding chairs around your poker table as long as they provide a reasonable amount of comfort to the players. I recommend getting some decent heavy duty folding chairs, like these found on Amazon. Otherwise, whatever chairs you already have, dining room or otherwise, will work just fine.
Related Questions
How Many Seats At Blackjack Table
How many decks of cards per table? If you do not have a dedicated dealer, it is best to have two decks of cards per table. That way, the big blind can be shuffling while the dealer is dealing the cards. After each hand, the cards are moved down to the next big blind and the process repeats. By using a couple of decks there is a lot less downtime and more hands per hour can be achieved. Once you use this method, you will never go back to one deck. Of course, if you have an automatic card shuffler, you only really need one deck of cards at the table.
How many poker chips at each table?Choosing the correct poker chips is an important consideration when hosting a poker home game. If your event is a tournament, you typically will need at least a 500 piece chipset for each table. If you are playing a smaller tournament or cash game with 6 or fewer players at a table, you can get by with a 300 piece set. Typically, chips values are as follows:
- $1- White
- $5- Red
- $25- Green
- $100- Black
- $500- Purple
Final Thoughts
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- The first place to the dealer’s left is called “seat one,” or “the one seat,” followed clockwise by Seat 2, etc. For most games, the last seat, which is on the dealer’s right, is either Seat 9.
- There’s a reason round tables are out of vogue; they just don’t hold as many people as oval or octagonal models do. Most round poker tables hold 4 people, 5 if you squeeze in. Square Poker Tables.
Seating Players
One of the challenges in starting your poker tournaments is seating your players. There are two ways to seat your players:
- Use the Tournament Director software. Tournament Director automatically assigns random seats to players.
- Assign random seats yourself. Follow the following steps for good results:
- Get the exact number of players – lets call it x.
- Get two decks. Take x number of cards out of one and the identical cards from the other deck
- Set one set at each seats on the tables one by one face up.
- Set the other set face down on a separate side table and shuffle it.
- Have each player pick up a random cards and seat at the corresponding table and seat.
- Collect all the cards and start the tournament.
We never seat more than 9 at a table, except for the final table, we start that with 10. We have over 34 members but not everyone makes it each month so we try to limit it to 27 players although. With so How Many Seats At A Casino Poker Table many Online Casino games to choose from, this will help you decide which ones you like best. The free demo is also a How Many Seats At A Casino Poker Table.
For larger tournaments use the same procedure but instead of playing cards use paper cards and write table and seat numbers on them (two cards for each number). For example you can write 1-1, 1-2, …, 2-1, 2-2, … (table number-seat number)
Moving Players
When do you have to move a player?
In your poker tournament there will be times that players need to be moved from one table to another. Such times arrive when players bust out of the tournament and the tables don’t have the same number of players seating at them. If table A has two, or more players more than table B, a random player has to move from table A to table B.
It is fine for a table to have one player more than another table as you can’t do anything about that.
How do you move a player?
If you are using the Tournament Director, it will automatically realize if a player from a certain needs to be moved or not, chooses a random player, and gives a warning to move the player.
If you are running the tournament by yourself (without the software) you can do the following: If a player is busted out from a table (therefore making the table shorter than another), find out his position in relation to the dealer at his last hand. Then go to the larger table and move the player with the same position and move him to the smaller table. So if the busted player was sitting two to the right of dealer, find the player at the larger table who seats two to the right of the dealer and move him to the smaller table.
You can also try high carding the larger table to move a player. But the first method is faster, creates less confusion, and is more fair; it is more fair because the moved player will have the same position in relation to the blinds and therefore will not pay his next blind earlier or later than he should.
Knowing the optimal number of players that can sit at a poker table is important when running a home game, poker night, or a local pub poker tournament. For those of you who have ever sat at a casino poker table that is full will know what I’m talking about.
How many seats at a poker table? To determine the ideal or max number of seats at a poker table, divide the length of the table by 9″ (23 cm). For example, to fit 9 or 10 players, the table needs to be at least 90″ (228 cm) long, the entry-level size of most casino tables.
Most of the time, there is very little elbow space on even the largest tables when there are 10 people crammed in there. In order to determine the best setup, you must consider the size of the table, the room, as well as a few other factors. My goal for this article is to let you optimize your setup by covering everything you need to know to provide the best “elbow room” for your poker friends and help you make your next event a success.
Ideal Number of Players at Common Poker Table Types
Max players by shape and size:
- Oval Tables: Your typical 72″-84″ (183-213 cm) oval home poker table will seat 8 players comfortably.
- Octagon Tables: Octagon models tend to be about 46″ (117 cm) across and seat up to 6 players.
- Square Tables: Square tables are usually the worse shape for maximizing space as you can only really play a maximum of 4 players.
Be aware that most manufacturers tend to overstate capacity in their product description, so don’t be surprised if my calculations seem low in comparison.
What About Poker Table Mats or Coverings?
Folding poker table toppers and mats will generally hold a similar capacity that a regular folding or permanent table of similar size would. However, it might actually hold more people if the table underneath is larger than the covering.
In my experience playing in pub poker events, often the wooden tables under the poker table topper are much longer in width and you get quite a bit of the wooden table hanging out the ends. This actually works out great and makes the games a lot less cramped. As a bonus, you get more room to eat while you play (assuming you are seated at the end of the table)!
How Many Players Are Ideal at a Casino Poker Table?
There is no set best number of players that is the “perfect” amount at a poker table. It basically comes down to what poker table you choose for your game. However, it is usually optimal to have no more than 10 max at any one table. In my experience, once you get to 9 and higher, the game typically becomes a bit chaotic and just plain overcrowded.
What Are the Best Tables for Short-Handed Games?
Personally, I prefer to play on tables with between 4 and 7 opponents. While some people would consider this short-handed play, I think most players would have a lot more fun due to more action-packed play and a more intimate environment. Conversation is also a lot easier when you have around 5 or 6 players. However, it is all about personal preference and finding the sweet spot for what is most enjoyable for you and your poker buddies.
In my experience, your standard oval poker table is best for short handed games.
Room Size Considerations
Generally, room size will not affect the maximum capacity of your poker table, as long as you provide a reasonable amount of space for people to be able to get in and out of their chairs and move about. Ideally, I like to have at least 3 feet (1 meter) of clearance from the poker table’s edge to the walls. The more space the better!
In a roughly square room with up to 6 players, I recommend using an octagonally shaped table. This will work nicely for most home game setups. If you want to host more players, it is almost mandatory to buy a reasonably-sized (72″+ length) oval table or table covering/mat. Whether you live in a 10000 square foot mansion or a 700 square foot condo, there is almost certainly a good choice for you.
Be sure to space the tables apart adequately. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck and unable to back away from a table to go to the bathroom. You definitely do not want to have to shift the tables around once the even has started. Just use common sense on the spacing between tables and you will be fine.
Does Table Height Effect How Many Seats Are at a Poker Table?
Generally speaking, table height has no bearing on how many players can fit at a poker table. The height for most poker tables is almost universally 30″ (76 cm), which is plenty high enough that people can comfortably sit at the table. The table dimensions and shape are by far the most important factors that determine the level of comfort for your players.
What if there is a dedicated dealer?
How Many Players At Poker Table
If you have a dedicated dealer, be sure to deduct 1 person from the calculation.
How Many Players per Table if Food or Snacks Are Served?
Almost all home poker games serve food and drinks to the players. Therefore, you want to make sure you have ample elbow room for people to eat. As long as you follow the guidelines listed at the beginning of this article, you should not run into any issues.
If you really want to wow your poker buddies, provide some nice mobile tray tables for them to use. There are some really good high-end options on Amazon. Or, if you are more budget conscious, here are some lower priced ones that should do nicely.
What Are the Best Chairs to Use?
If you have spacial concerns, then you probably do not want to invest in heavy duty “fancy” chairs. There is nothing wrong with having quality, fairly compact, folding chairs around your poker table as long as they provide a reasonable amount of comfort to the players. I recommend getting some decent heavy duty folding chairs, like these found on Amazon. Otherwise, whatever chairs you already have, dining room or otherwise, will work just fine.
Related Questions
How Many Seats At Blackjack Table
How many decks of cards per table? If you do not have a dedicated dealer, it is best to have two decks of cards per table. That way, the big blind can be shuffling while the dealer is dealing the cards. After each hand, the cards are moved down to the next big blind and the process repeats. By using a couple of decks there is a lot less downtime and more hands per hour can be achieved. Once you use this method, you will never go back to one deck. Of course, if you have an automatic card shuffler, you only really need one deck of cards at the table.
How many poker chips at each table?Choosing the correct poker chips is an important consideration when hosting a poker home game. If your event is a tournament, you typically will need at least a 500 piece chipset for each table. If you are playing a smaller tournament or cash game with 6 or fewer players at a table, you can get by with a 300 piece set. Typically, chips values are as follows:
- $1- White
- $5- Red
- $25- Green
- $100- Black
- $500- Purple
Final Thoughts
Providing a comfortable atmosphere for your friends and family to enjoy a poker game is a key component to running a successful home game or local tournament. Understanding the max number of players at a table is important. By following the guidelines in this article, you should be well on your way to hosting an outstanding and memorable event. If you have any questions or there is anything I missed, be sure to post a comment.
