If you have a spokeshave, that'll work on the top edge of each leg. Sand, file or scrape the sawn edges smooth. Don't use orbital action if you have that option-the cut will be less accurate. A jigsaw will also do the job, but use a sharp, new blade designed for fast cutting. Transfer the shape to the blanks and cut to the line with a band saw. Cut oversize blanks, then make a 1⁄4-in.-plywood pattern of the leg shape. 'When you're playing on felt, everything runs smoothly.' It feels even better if you've built the table yourself. 'A kitchen table is hard to shuffle on, deal on, count chips on,' says Gene Trimble, who runs poker events for the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

If you're going to host a home game, you should do it right, on a table like the one we built. 'Playing live gives you a true poker experience and elevates the excitement,' says Mike Sexton, a World Series of Poker winner and a commentator for the World Poker Tour. Still, nothing comes close to the fun and feel of actually flipping cards with buddies. Today, the game is everywhere, bankrupting online hold 'em addicts and keeping eyes glued to the plasma. Used to be, if you wanted to find a poker game, you'd have to fly to Vegas or wait for the next steamboat to churn upstream. Master skills, get tool recommendations, and, most importantly, build something of your very own. POP Projects is a collection of new and classic projects from more than a century of Popular Mechanics.

Texas holdem poker table plans