# GameRoomTested

> Game room buying guides: pool tables and cues, dartboards and darts, foosball, air hockey, shuffleboard, arcade cabinets and pinball, with room sizes and specs for families and serious players.

GameRoomTested publishes game room equipment reviews, buying guides and reader discount codes. Every review states who the product suits, the current price from the brand's own store, and any active reader code.

## Key pages
- [Reviews](https://gameroomtested.com/reviews): every product we recommend
- [Buying guides](https://gameroomtested.com/guides): how to choose
- [Glossary](https://gameroomtested.com/glossary): game room equipment terms defined
- [How we test](https://gameroomtested.com/testing-methodology)

## Topics
- [Billiards](https://gameroomtested.com/category/billiards): Pool tables, cues, shafts, tips, balls, chalk and cue cases.
- [Darts](https://gameroomtested.com/category/darts): Bristle and electronic dartboards, steel-tip and soft-tip darts, flights, shafts and cabinets.
- [Table games](https://gameroomtested.com/category/table-games): Foosball, air hockey, shuffleboard, bubble hockey and multi-game tables.
- [Arcade & room](https://gameroomtested.com/category/arcade): Arcade cabinets, pinball machines, lighting, cue racks and game room layout.
- [Furniture & care](https://gameroomtested.com/category/furniture-care): Pool table lights, cue racks, game room seating, wall protection, recovering and leveling.

## Buying guides
- [Dartboard Height and Throw Line Distance for Steel and Soft Tip](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/dartboard-height-and-throw-distance): Hang the board so the center of the bullseye is 5 feet 8 inches from the floor. For steel-tip darts, the throw line (oche) is 7 feet 9.25 inches from the face of the board, measured along the floor; for soft-tip, it is commonly 8 feet. Check with a diagonal of 9 feet 7.375 inches from bullseye to oche for steel tip. Protect the wall and light the board evenly.
- [Foosball vs Air Hockey Tables: Space, Build and Who They Suit](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/foosball-vs-air-hockey-table): Foosball tables need little power, little maintenance and space mainly at the rod ends; good tables have heavy cabinets, steel rods and counterbalanced players. Air hockey tables need power for the blower, more end clearance and a flat playing surface; full-size home tables are about 7 to 8 feet long. Weight is a good sign of quality for both, since light tables slide and flex in play.
- [How to Lay Out a Game Room: Space, Lighting and Flooring](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/game-room-layout-guide): Plan the game room around each game's play zone, not just its footprint: a pool table needs a cue's length on every side, darts need a clear lane in front of the board, and foosball, air hockey and arcade cabinets need room for players. Keep traffic out of the dart lane, light the pool table and board evenly, choose firm flooring and add outlets where machines will go.
- [How to Choose a Pool Cue: Weight, Shaft, Tip and Length](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-pool-cue): Most players use a 58-inch cue weighing 18 to 21 ounces, with 19 ounces a common starting point. Standard maple shafts are affordable and forgiving; low-deflection and carbon fiber shafts reduce cue ball deflection on spin shots at a higher price. Tips are usually 12 to 13 mm with soft, medium or hard leather. A separate break cue protects your playing cue's tip.
- [Pool Table Room Size Chart: How Much Space Do You Need?](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/pool-table-room-size-chart): Add the cue length twice to the table's playing surface on each side to get the minimum room size. With standard 58-inch cues, an 8 ft table (44 × 88 inch playing surface) needs a room about 13 ft 4 in × 17 ft, a 7 ft table about 12 ft 11 in × 16 ft 2 in, and a 9 ft table about 13 ft 10 in × 18 ft. Shorter cues can rescue a tight room.
- [Slate vs Non-Slate Pool Tables: Playability, Weight and Cost](https://gameroomtested.com/guides/slate-vs-non-slate-pool-table): Slate tables give a flat, stable playing surface that rolls true for decades, which is why serious players and leagues use them. Three-piece slate, often 3/4 or 1 inch thick, is the common premium choice. Non-slate tables using MDF or similar boards cost less and weigh far less, but can warp over time and roll less consistently. Families who play casually may be happy with non-slate.

Contact: info@gameroomtested.com