Why Are Casino Card Tables Green?

Casinos have become such a large part of modern day culture and in order for casinos to fulfil their potential, every little detail is thought through. One of those details is the color of the card tables so why are they colored green?

Casinos are No Accident

From the moment you step into a casino you are entering a world where every element of the environment you are coming into is designed and arranged in order to give the casino the best chance of making as much money as possible. That is not to say players are being manipulated, but it does mean that in a casino everything is as it is for a reason.

You only need to look at the layout of the casino floor, the design of the room, the lack of windows and natural daylight, the absence of any clocks, the sound effects and color schemes, plus the subtle factors such as free drinks and complementary offers.

Green is the Color!

One of the more low-key aspects of a casino that are taken into consideration when presenting their casino floor is the color of the card tables. You may or may not have noticed, but the vast majority of card tables are colored green. Perhaps you felt that was just the way it was. Similar to how snooker tables are also green. It is the way they have always been and always will be.

If only casinos were that innocent when presenting their casino tables. The reality is much more intentional. The reasoning behind the decision to color casino card tables in green is all to do with color psychology. The color green is often deemed to be one that evokes feelings of calmness and relaxation.

It’s Psychological

To delve deeper into the psychology of the color green, it acts as a color that represents stability. It offers the balance between warm colors such as yellow, orange, red, and the cool colors of blue and purple. The theory is that it will make players feel comfortable in the setting of the live casino table which ordinarily might be considered quite an intimidating atmosphere in a close confined space where money is being gambled alongside complete strangers.

There is also the argument that green is quite a positive color. It is associated with the action of “go”. Traffic lights use the color green to instruct cars that they can move. It is a call to action and that is no different at the casino table. It is telling players that it’s ok to be at the table and it’s ok to go with their gut instincts or careful decisions at the table.

Go West!

In Western culture, green also represents wealth and prosperity. This is in contrast to Eastern culture where the color red is deemed to be prosperous and lucky. Financial security and money are often linked to the color green. Financial spread sheets will show profits in green. Bank notes are green. It is everywhere around us. This is the exact mentality that casinos want players to be in when they approach the tables. They want players to feel that it’s ok to gamble their money. It wants players to be filled with optimism that they can win at the tables and become wealthier themselves.

All About the Baize

There is another theory away from the color psychology angle that could explain why casinos color their card tables green. The baize material was originally used to cover snooker tables, due to its texture slowing the balls down sufficiently to aid the tactical side of the game whilst maintaining a smooth flow. The material was dyed green to make it imitate a grass lawn. The material was then used for poker tables and other card games to help the dealer slide the cards across the table to the players at the table.

It has also been suggested that baize was used for card game tables because when illegal card games took place the games took place on baize pool tables that allowed the players to write on the table in chalk. That way, if the game was interrupted hastily by law enforcement officers, then the chalk could be wiped off and there would be no evidence of a game taking place.

Green with Envy?

There are a number of theories about why casino card tables are green, but as casinos modernize and evolve, it is being seen more and more that colors such as blue and red are being used as color schemes on card tables within casinos.

The day of the green casino card table is far from gone and it is no coincidence that there is a link between color psychology and the colors chosen to be used on the card tables. Green is definitely the most popular color for casinos and it’s the traditional card table color. There may well be a reason behind it being used, but there is no doubt that a casino card table that is not green just does not feel the same. We may all be getting manipulated by the casinos, but we all know we love it!