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Seasoned fine woodworking collectors could take a look at many of John Knecht’s exotic hardwood creations and come away awe-stricken. He’s that kind of rare artisan. After all, he’s been in handcrafted woodworking for over 25 years, a good portion of which he spent hand selecting exotic hardwoods for high-end guitars by the likes of companies such as PRS (Paul Reed Smith), Gibson, Schecter, Ted Megas Guitars, and others (making the kind of guitars which sell for $15,000 and up).

John Knecht has a second obsession, however, and that obsession is poker. Arguably, this obsession may be genetic. You see, the Knecht family history is rich in poker lore. Two of John Knecht's sons share a middle name, Calvin or Cal. Their namesake, Calvin Clark, is the stoic and somewhat determined looking fellow in a dated black and white photo hanging in the Knecht family poker room. If you make your way into John Knecht’s adjoining office, you’ll find another really dated black and white. This one is of a hotel and saloon in Skagway, Alaska in the 1890s. The saloon featured a bar, a poker room, and a pool room, and the proprietor was none other than John Knecht’s Great Great Grandfather, John David Harbst. Look a little more closely at this photo and you’ll see the infamous outlaw, card player, and grifter Soapy Smith on horseback.

Go back another generation in the Knecht family and you’ll find another poker aficionado, and this one, like John Knecht today, also a fine wood worker in his own right. In the latter part of the 1800s he spent some time in a gold rush town on Indian land in Dakota Territory called Deadwood. Ever heard of the poker hand called Aces & Eights? It was fittingly coined “Deadman’s Hand” in Deadwood on August 2nd, 1876. That’s the hand Wild Bill Hickok was dealt right before he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall at Nuttal & Mann’s “Saloon No. 10”… at what is likely the most famous poker table the Knecht family has or ever will build.

The Aficionado Poker Table puts forward an exquisite marriage of John Knecht’s two passions, fine woodworking with hand selected exotic woods from around the world and poker. The result is a stunning ten-sided teak and maple adorned table with precisely matched joinery, flowing lines, and an artistic uniqueness difficult to adequately describe in words. The matching maple base features John Knecht’s signature, an intricate inlaid maple diamond design repeated ten times around the supporting decagon support column. Each table is handcrafted from the fine Indonesian teak and Northwest maple, each piece hand selected personally by John Knecht.

John Knecht’s signature inlaid maple diamond design

What the Press is saying…

“A poker table made by John Knecht is not just a piece of furniture; it’s a work of art. His tables are the hand-crafted pride of a passionate player and master wood worker. Made from the best and most exotic hardwoods in the world, a Knecht poker table is a remarkably handsome attraction.”

- Poker Player Newspaper (July 24, 2006)

Notables:

• The unique ten sided design of the Aficionado Poker Table is characteristic of John Knecht’s unbridled design mentality. Being a serious lifelong poker player and a designer, he dismisses the idea of using oval “Texas Hold’em” tables in home games as foolishness, and simply naive mimicry of a far different casino environment, one where a dedicated dealer needs access to quickly cover the money. Without a dedicated dealer, there is no reason for a table to be anything but round or a regular polygon. The ten sided design is ideally suited for up to a ten person Texas Hold’em game as it clearly defines each player’s territory and allows all players to easily see and read the faces of all the game’s participants.

• The polished teak and maple hardwood rail, in usual John Knecht fashion, bucks the trend of conventional padded rails that are seen on most casino poker tables. He views the notion of a padded rail being more comfortable than a well designed wood railing to be false construct. Perhaps it looks like it should be more comfortable? It just isn’t. Irish pubs have known this for centuries. Another bad idea perpetuated until it unwittingly becomes the norm. Who knows? Perhaps it’s done because it is just that much cheaper to build some sort of synthetic padded railing than to do a fine hardwood one.
  

• Designer signature – The maple base features an intricate inlaid maple diamond design repeated ten times around the supporting decagon support column, an instantly recognizable signature that it’s a John Knecht original.
  
  
• Stunning beauty - This table will fit nicely in even the most luxurious homes, estates, or yachts in the world.
  
  
• Stable, solid, and durable - From the precisely matched joinery to the capped and covered 2 inch finish nails, this table is designed to last a lifetime. For those that don’t know, handmade fine woodworking craftsmanship like this is vastly superior in terms of durability to today’s mass production techniques.
  
  
• Purposefully sized – At 57 inches across and 29 ½ inches tall, the Aficionado Poker Table is equally suited to accommodate Texas Hold’em games with up to ten players, or more traditional card and parlor games with fewer players.
  
  
• Optional beveled glass top – Since poker is a typically a once in a while type of thing, that doesn’t mean the poker table has to be hidden in a back room. With the optional beveled glass top, this exquisite piece can be used for a multitude of more everyday purposes.