The craft of the card table: poker table rails, casino chips, roulette wheels, leather dice cups, card guards, cancelled casino decks and antique slot machines.
Leather, Foam and Felt: How a Poker Table Rail Is Built
The padded rail of a poker table is upholstery work in disguise. How rails, racetracks and playing surfaces are built, and what to look for in a home table.
How Casino Chips Are Made: Clay, Inlays and Edge Spots
A casino chip is a small piece of industrial design: compression-moulded clay composite or ceramic, edge spots, inlays and security marks. How they are made and collected.
Cancelled Casino Decks: Why Old Cards Get Holes Punched
Casinos retire their playing cards quickly, then drill or clip them before selling them as souvenirs. Why decks are cancelled, and why collectors and makers love them.
Leather Dice Cups and Backgammon Boards, Made by Hand
Backgammon and bar dice games have kept leatherworkers busy for centuries. How a stitched dice cup is made, why it is lined, and where the doubling cube came from.
The Roulette Wheel as a Piece of Precision Engineering
A roulette wheel is turned wood, polished metal and precision bearings, and it has to be perfectly level and balanced. How wheels are built and why casinos check them.
Card Guards and Chip Protectors: Small Metal for the Poker Table
A small weight placed on hole cards protects a poker hand from being mucked by mistake. Why players use card guards, and why machined metal ones are a maker's favourite.
Restoring a Vintage Slot Machine Cabinet
Old mechanical slot machines are cast metal, oak and clockwork. How collectors restore the cabinet and mechanism, and what to check before you buy one.