Just need some help with how big the play area needs to be. currently my wife and I are using a 3x3 table but I am seeing videos of people using something longer. what are the measurements for the play area that people will be using for tournaments? is there a playmat available i can buy (wood tables suck for keeping things still).

Official size - 3x6

I got my mat from Deep Cut Studio, great price and speedy delivery.

I was confused on this as well. I just lay out two 3x3s.

The play are is 3x6, however this doesn't leave any space at the edges for cards and dials etc, so some people use a 4x6 surface with a 3x6 mat on it so you have half a foot each for bits on each players side.

There is some confusion with some people talking about a 3x4 play area. This is not a play area, it is the central portion of the 3x6 that you use to set up a standard game (to prevent people camping in the corners), once the game starts the entire 3x6 is used.

If you are only using the core set contents and playing an introductory game then a 3x3 can be used for that as it is considerably smaller then the intended points size.