Whether you’re at a land-based or an online casino, the playing tables you’ll see are almost always colored green. This casino color scheme doesn’t seem to change no matter where you go, leading many players to wonder why. Is it just a coincidence or a trend someone started and everyone else has adopted?
In this article, we’ll discuss the three main reasons behind the green color of a casino card table and its origin.
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Green Card Tables History
According to some accounts, the pervasive green color of a poker card table, or any casino card table for that matter, comes from snooker. Namely, at some point in history, snooker tables started using baize material as it helped the balls glide over the table smoothly without sliding too fast.
The material was then dyed green to be reminiscent of a lawn. So how did the concept apply to casino card tables? Unlike the highly popular snooker, gambling was illegal in the 19th century. As a result, people used snooker tables to play poker without getting in trouble with the law.
In addition to being conducive to ball-rolling, the baize material of snooker tables also turned out to be great for chalk writing. Poker players would take advantage of this to jot down their wagers and wipe them off quickly if there was ever a raid.
As gambling became legal across the country, players found the baize snooker tables preferable for playing card games. The material allowed the dealer and players to slide the cards smoothly across the table.
Because of that, most land-based casinos adopted green baize playing tables. Years later, those even became commonplace in online casino-style games, too, intending to offer an authentic casino experience.
Casino Colors Psychology
Another theory about why most card tables in casinos are green has to do with psychology. As you may already know, different colors carry different meanings, with yellow symbolizing happiness and energy and white denoting peace and purity, for example.
Based on this notion, many people believe casinos have adopted the green color for their playing tables as it makes players comfortable. This is indeed helpful if you want to stave off the fear of financial losses in a game of chance.
What’s more, green has been known to help our eyes relax, which can be helpful during those long poker games where you’re looking at the table constantly.
Another reason why green may be the preferred color for casino game design is the fact that the color symbolizes wealth, making the players feel hopeful about snatching a huge load of cash.
Moreover, in our minds, the color green also has the meaning of GO, as represented on traffic lights and other signs. Casinos may be taking advantage of this fact to signal to the players that it’s acceptable and even desirable to join card tables and stay there.
Final Thoughts
Although it may seem like a coincidence to the average person, the color green dominating the casino card tables is anything but. Casinos, much like restaurants and supermarkets, use different tactics to try and attract and keep customers. While the history of green casino tables originating from snooker tables makes sense, it’s also quite plausible that gambling venues have kept this color for its relaxing influence and the symbolism of wealth.
Do you want to know more? Read also: Why Slot Machines Have a BAR Symbol on Their Reels
