Answer 1:
Since you want an “antique” look, why don’t you find an antique table with a heavy pedestal base. If you can find one with a damaged top it should be less expensive. Remove the top and bolt on a piece of heavy plywood in the diameter you prefer. Cover the plywood with padding designed for poker tables, then stretch card table felt across the top, securing it with a staple gun on the bottom edge of the table. Next, have a woodcrafter make a “ring” for you, about 5″ wide, which will be approx. 3″ wider than the able. For example, if your table top is 60″diameter, the ring will be 66″ diameter, thus overlapping 3″ all the way around. On the underside of the ring you need to secure a smaller ring, perhaps 1″wide and 2″ high, which will fit snugly around the table top to hold the ring in place. Pad the 5″ ring with heavy foam, and then cover with naugahyde, etc. Set the ring on top and you are ready to go. You want the ring to be removable so you can change the felt and pad as needed. There are variations to this, but if talk to a furniture maker about the ring and explain the idea. I’m sure he can help. Maybe make the ring out of solid wood that matches the table base. Just make sure the base is VERY heavy and stable. These tables get pretty top heavy. Especially when people lean on the edge while playing.
Answer 2:
Billiard supply stores are the best place, but you can build one for 1/5 the price and it will look better.
Answer 3:
The home game I play in is hosted by an accomplished carpenter. He has built two pretty cool tables- one with five sides, and one with 7. These are extremely well done regular pentagonal and heptagonal- topped tables. One thing I don’t like about the tables is he built in “chip troughs.” So player stakes are out of view- I’m used to knowing what everyone has.