"Full-size" gets thrown around a lot in casino-party vendor copy, but planners rarely know what it actually means — or what to look for when comparing quotes. Here's the equipment glossary we use internally, in plain English.
Blackjack table
A regulation blackjack table is roughly 7 feet long by 4 feet wide, half-moon shape, with a padded leatherette armrest and a chip rack on the dealer side. Seats up to 7 players plus a dealer (sometimes called "seven seats" in the industry). Weighs about 120 lbs, transports folded.
Watch out for: "tabletop blackjack" rentals — basically a folding table with a printed felt on top. Lighter, cheaper, and very obviously not a real casino table. Photos give it away.
Craps table
Regulation craps tables are 12 feet long, deep enough for two stickmen and a boxman in addition to up to 10–12 players standing. Padded rails for chip stacking, full felt layout with all the bet zones, and a built-in chip rack. Weighs roughly 240 lbs and transports in three folding sections.
We also offer a 10-foot version for tighter SF lofts and apartment events. Below 10 feet, the table's no longer really a craps table — it's a teaching prop.
Roulette table
Standard 8-foot roulette table with a regulation American double-zero wheel, full felt layout, and a chip rack for the croupier. Weighs about 180 lbs. The wheel is the show — look for a real wooden wheel with a polished ball track, not the plastic spinning prop versions.
Poker table
Texas Hold'em tables are usually 9 feet long, oval shape, with a padded rail and individual chip wells for each player. Seats up to 9. For tournament play we add dedicated tournament chip sets and a button. Three-card poker tables are similar but smaller, seating 6.
Baccarat table
Mini-baccarat tables are roughly the same footprint as a blackjack table, half-moon shape, with positions for 7 players plus a dealer. Full-size baccarat (the kind in James Bond movies) is 12 feet long and seats 12 — we rent these on request for upscale corporate and wedding events.
Big six / money wheel
A 4-foot vertical wheel mounted on a base. Popular at fundraisers as a "single spin" attraction. Spectacle game; the wheel itself does most of the work entertaining onlookers.
Casino chips
Quality matters here. The industry tiers, roughly:
- Casino-grade clay or clay-composite chips: The real thing. Weighty, satisfying, durable, photograph beautifully. What every actual casino uses. We stock these as our default.
- Ceramic chips: Common at fundraisers because they're cheaper to custom-print with a sponsor logo. Slightly less weight; still acceptable.
- Plastic chips: The Walmart aisle. We don't use them. Look hollow on camera.
Denominations: most events use $5/$25/$100/$500 chips. For tournaments we use tournament-only chip sets with no real-money denominations printed — this avoids any confusion about whether chips are convertible to cash (they're not).
Playing cards
Casino-grade plastic-coated cards. Bee, Bicycle, KEM, or Modiano are standard brands. Cards are replaced regularly — multiple decks rotate through any given night. A real casino setup never uses paper-backed cards.
Felt layouts
Standard felts come in casino-red, casino-green, or black, each with the bet zones screen-printed on. Custom felts (logos, monograms, sponsor branding) are available with 4+ weeks lead time and cost $400–$1,000 per table.
Accessories
- Chip racks sit on the dealer side of every table.
- Shoe — a card-dispensing box for blackjack and baccarat at tables using more than two decks.
- Discard tray for used cards.
- Cut card — colored card that signals when the deck needs to be reshuffled.
- Dealer button for poker tables.
- Dice for craps — we use regulation casino dice and replace them frequently.
How to spot a low-quality rental
- Folding tabletops over standard banquet tables — not real casino tables.
- Plastic chips that feel hollow.
- Paper cards that bend permanently after a few hands.
- Dealers in polo shirts instead of tuxedo attire.
- Photos on the vendor's website that look like the equipment was assembled in a garage.
See the real thing
If you want to see our equipment in person before booking, we can arrange a brief warehouse visit by appointment. Call (415) 564-2121 or request a quote. Browse our past events gallery to see what real setups look like.