How to Build Your Own Craps Table - Construction of Craps Tables

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How to build your own craps table, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Felt

The best way to amp up your craps game is to plunge right in and build your own authentic (or close to authentic) gaming table. Normally, I would suggest, if you're going to build an imitation piece of casino equipment, that you build one as close to casino regulation as possible. Unfortunately, there is no such thing in the world of craps tables and layouts.

That's right – there are no rules or regulations governing what is and is not a standard craps table. It is left up to the individual casino to decide what kind of tables they want on their floor. Table height and width, chip rack construction and materials, types of railings, and height of walls are all relative. Casinos also determine the size of the rubber pyramids, the specific layout material and other design touches. Obviously, there are some standards, or averages, of all these dimensions, based on what is normally found in a casino.

Craps tables I've seen in the casino come in various lengths, most often you'll find 12 foot and 14 foot tables, known in the industry as "aircraft carriers" for obvious reasons. There are also craps tables that are only 10 feet long, known as "mini plates" according to the casino manufacturer I spoke with, and he mentioned some craps tables that are 16 feet long – these are probably outside of your ability to build, assuming you're building in a standard home shop or garage. Go ahead, measure your two car suburban car park and tell me you could handle constructing a 16 foot long table. I'll wait right here.

Now that you've decided on a sensible size for your table, in accordance with the size of your building space, it's time to purchase materials. You can use whatever you want to construct the majority of the table – the aforementioned table manufacturer suggested mahogany, but that was a bit out of my price range, and I'm going to stick with a much cheaper Spanish cedar. You could also consider meranti (also known as luan). You can go as cheap as plywood or as expensive as you can find.

As for the table itself, the traditional material of a craps table layout is felt, but many new tables have several types of synthetics substituting for felt. The reason is simple – synthetics last longer, they often have cool designs and colors, and there are some other creative options available with a synthetic order. Even though felt material will assuredly wear out before a synthetic, I'm suggesting you stick with the traditional felt material. Synthetics are known to be bouncy, and the dice leave the table more often. Rolling the dice all over God's creation is a big no no in the casino, and a pain in the butt in your garage or game room. Plus, if you're looking to build an "authentic" Vegas craps table, your pals will be far more impressed if it follows tradition.

Onto the table's "bottom" – what most people refer to as the "layout" but is known as the "floorette" or "bottom" among table manufacturers – most casinos seem to position the gaming surface about 28 inches off the floor. This is the closest you will come to a "regulation" or average height. If you go to a casino with a tape measure, you'd be hard pressed to find one any shorter or taller – you might also get tossed out on the sidewalk.

Betting areas will be different from casino to casino – though not much different. All craps tables have the pass line winding around the outside of the layout, with the "Don't Pass" area just above it. This is standard. The Field box, numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, is just above the Don't Pass line. The Come area is the same on all tables I've seen -- just above the Field and just below the box numbers of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 which are at the top of the layout. Consider purchasing a pre printed floorette if you don't want to spend half your life lettering and printing.

Some craps table bottoms will feature boxes for miscellaneous hop bets at the top of the Hardways boxes, and other tables will have the Craps and 11 boxes rolling down either side of the other Proposition bets.

Moving right along, in the corners at the top left and top right (top meaning closest to the box person's position) are the Don't Come boxes. In the center of the table are all the Proposition bets. Each of these bet areas is in a box of its own, some floorettes featuring fancy lining to separate them more clearly. Hardway bets of 6 and 8, (under those you have the 4 and 10) run toward the bottom. There you also see the one-roll boxes of 2 and 12, then 3 and 11, then the Big Red (or "Any Seven") at the extreme bottom. Sometimes Big Red can be at the top of the Hardways bets, but most often it lies underneath. Some tables in Vegas show their 6 and 8 boxes on the lower right and left sides of the tables, but I find this awkward for betting purposes. Maybe I just had a few too many cocktails.

Enough about the floorette – what other materials might you need? Head to a billiard supply outlet (if you're in a large enough city, you may be surprised to learn that one or more of this do exist in your town) for things like table rubbers and even pre printed felt and synthetics floorettes. Volara foam underneath your felt or synthetic will provide the right "feel" to the table – this is a synthetic foam used for various padding and even insulation purposes. A standard hardware store (or again, the billiard supply store) will have plenty of thickness varieties for you to choose from. Keep plenty of wood glue handy, as well as silicon adhesive and of course the standard screws and fasteners found in most wood shops and family garages. After all, a craps table is just wood and felt attached in the right places. Sounds easy, right?

Building a craps table ain't easy. Plan to spend plenty of man hours to build this thing the right way. Once you're finished, put plenty of beverages on ice, grab a few pair of dice, and prepare to pocket your neighborhood friend's cash. Just don't get caught gambling for real money. Your state government may not smile on it.