Have you ever wondered why a great deal of card tables turned out to be green?

A tabletop decked out in green feels like it’s just naturally part of card games.

If we all played online bridge on a huge gray backdrop, it would probably have been a different game entirely. Can you imagine the backdrop of your bridge game replaced with an optical illusion, a celebrity’s face, or pink?

Most bridge players would be horrified at the very thought.

The first instinct is to say that green is a backdrop for card games because it works. Green feels right. (And let’s not forget, green isn’t an eyesore.)

That doesn’t answer the question, does it?

Card tables definitely aren’t green thanks to the color’s association with jealousy or prosperity.

Here’s how we got to green as a standard for card tables.

Why Felt?

The first thing to say about card tables is that they’re lined with felt.

Simply, felt is used for table games because they’re durable, useful, and don’t catch balls or cards as they move across its surface.

While you could use another material, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective.

Before felt was as readily available as today, it appears as though the choice of green table coverage originated from the world of billiards first.

The choice of green tables might have originally stemmed from a top-down view of a playing field. (Let’s keep in mind that these are all war-games, many of which used to be played on grass.)

Getting More Specific

The allowed shades for comfortable table playing can be specific.

If you’re working on altering, replacing, or repairing these shades, you might need some added help to get the shade right.

I’m pretty sure that the average card player will notice if it’s a shade or two too green.

Look at the Iwan Simonis colour options above to compare what you’ve got with what you’ll need.