The tennis top has to come off before the table rotates. Their manual says so in capitals.

Remove the tennis top before rotating, every time

This is a warning in Triumph’s own manual and it is the single most useful thing to pass on to whoever else uses the table. The conversion top is large and light and sits over the playing surface rather than being fastened to it, so rotating the frame with it still in place risks the top sliding, catching or falling, and puts an awkward load through the swivel. Take it off, set it somewhere flat and safe, then rotate. Say it out loud to the household on day one, because the people most likely to spin the table quickly are the ones who did not read the manual.

Level it for the billiards side

Three surfaces, one set of adjustable feet, and only one of them cares deeply. Air hockey rides on a cushion of air and table tennis is played on a top that lays flat, but billiards shows every fraction of slope in how the balls roll, and Triumph’s own troubleshooting points straight at it: if the pool side is not level, adjust the leg levelers on each leg. So set the table up for billiards, check the roll from several directions, and the other two surfaces come along for free. Basements slope, so expect to use the levelers rather than hoping.

The air hockey side needs an outlet

The hockey surface runs on a 110 volt blower motor, which means the table needs household power. Combo tables almost always end up in the middle of a room, which is the one place with no outlet, so plan the cable route before the table is in position rather than running an extension across a walkway afterward. While you are there, confirm the blower runs and that the airflow feels even across the surface, and keep the small holes in the playfield clear of dust and debris, since that is what keeps the puck floating properly over time.

Let the locking system do its job

The swivel has a patented locking mechanism that holds each side firmly in position, and it is what makes the table feel solid rather than like a novelty. Make sure it is fully engaged after every rotation before anyone plays, and check during assembly that the mechanism moves freely and locks positively rather than being forced. A half-locked side is the sort of thing that feels fine for a game and then shifts under a leaning elbow.

MDF and moisture do not mix, which matters in a basement

These tables are built from MDF and PVC with a laminate finish, which is why they are affordable and why they look good. MDF is also unforgiving about damp: it swells at the edges and once it has, the surface never comes back flat. Since basements and garages are exactly where combo tables live, it is worth being honest about the room before the table arrives. A dry, heated basement is fine. An unheated garage or a space that gets humid in summer will shorten the life of any MDF furniture, and no amount of care with the mechanism compensates for that.

Sort the accessories before the first game

The table ships ready to play, with two 57 inch cues, a full set of balls, a triangle, chalk and brush, two pushers, two pucks, paddles, balls, and the net and post set. That is a lot of small items across three games, and they scatter immediately. Give them a home on day one, whether that is a rack, a drawer or a box under the table, because the most common reason a combo table stops getting used for one of its three games is that nobody can find the pieces for it.

Measure for play, not for the table

The frame is 84 inches long, but the space you actually need is larger in every direction. Billiards needs cue clearance at both ends and along the sides, and table tennis needs somewhere to stand and swing behind each end. A table that technically fits a room can still be unplayable on two of its three faces. Pace out the cue length around the whole footprint before you commit to a position, since a combo table is heavy enough that you will not want to move it twice.