Casino tables come in various shapes, sizes, and conditions. There is a wide variety of functions that people rent Casino tables for. Casino tables can be broken down into the following five categories: Festival, Vinyl Party, Oak Party, LED, and Premium tables.
The most basic table is the Festival table. Festivals rent Casino tables for gaming. It’s important to note that these tables are used outside and often have drinks on them. The construction of a Casino table used for festivals is typically sturdy, but not pretty. They are either easy to break down, or covered in cloth of the cheapest variety so it can be inexpensively replaced. I say this not to “knock” festival casino tables, they are inexpensive option and are great for what they are used for. The selection of Casino tables is different for festivals as well. Festivals are trying to make money, and are not necessarily interested in catering to educated gamblers. Instead, the Casino tables they employ cater to a more entry level player. Games like; Beat the Dealer, Prize Wheels, Black Jack, and Mug-slides prevail in these scenarios. The Casino tables that festivals might rent are also designed to take peoples’ money… so features that are in the house’s favor are left on the tables and often enlarged. One example of this is: the Insurance Line on a Black Jack table, and another is the “Dealer Wins All Ties” in Beat the Dealer.
The next level of Casino tables that people rent is the Vinyl Party table, sometimes called the Felt table. Vinyl and Felt tables are made from those materials, with a vinyl bumper around the outside edge, and it’s supposed to look like leather. It should be noted that within this group there is a wide range of quality. Some Casino tables within Casinos are beautiful. Under the felt is a thick padding. The vinyl is ample and without blemish. Some of these tables have inlaid cup-holders, chip trays, and rakes. Other Casino tables (and the ones more typically used for casino rentals) are less expensive. These tables often have nicks in the vinyl and metal legs. Casino rental companies often cover these blemishes with skirting, and the more audacious of these companies actually charge their guest for the skirting! The tables which are offered, changes when they are used for private parties versus festivals, and so most companies with these tables offer Craps, Roulette, Black Jack, and Texas Hold’em first, before any others. Some discerning clients may ask what the condition of the tables is; or have the tables been re-covered to take away sucker bets? In a party scenario, guests should be winning not losing.
Oak tables are a much prettier and more durable option. For the Casino table rental company, Oak tables are more expensive than simply buying a felt or vinyl table from china, but the people who rent these tables will be pleased with their lack of nicks and skirting. Not all Casino rental companies have this as an option, and as they are made by carpenters, the look of these tables varies widely. Your Casino rental company should be able to provide you with pictures of their tables prior to rental. As the tables are being built by the company, they can cover them how they like. This offers another chance to ask about how the game play will be structured… winning versus losing.
LED tables are the latest craze in the Casino rental world. LED tables are a much more expensive rental, due to the high cost of manufacturing, and the low volume of rentals for such a product. LED tables can be vinyl / felt with inlaid LEDs. If you want them more extravagant, they are custom built with wood frames and clear, acrylic panels, that are back lit. In both cases the colors of the tables can be changed to just about anything one can imagine. These tables are great for high end, corporate parties, parties with attitude, or something like a Bar / Bat Mitzvah where image matters.
Just as with the LED tables, manufacturing expense went up while volume of rentals went down. Premium tables are one step beyond. These tables are typically not rented. They are very heavy and it is unlikely that a Casino table rental company would ever recover the 10,000 – 40,000 dollars they cost to make. Premium tables are often a combination of all of the previous elements. Many clients who desire these top of the line tables simply buy them, or settle for what is available for them to rent, and then turn the lights down a little.
Author Dave Willacker is the owner of The Cincinnati Circus Company and rents out Oak and LED Casino tables.
