diff --git a/lib/marked.js b/lib/marked.js
index 55b06b4aff..05be0b5dfc 100644
--- a/lib/marked.js
+++ b/lib/marked.js
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ block.gfm.paragraph = edit(block.paragraph)
  */
 
 block.tables = merge({}, block.gfm, {
-  nptable: /^ *(\S.*\|.*)\n *([-:]+ *\|[-| :]*)\n((?:.*\|.*(?:\n|$))*)\n*/,
-  table: /^ *\|(.+)\n *\|( *[-:]+[-| :]*)\n((?: *\|.*(?:\n|$))*)\n*/
+  nptable: /^ *([^|\n ].*\|.*)\n *([-:]+ *\|[-| :]*)(?:\n((?:.*[^>\n ].*(?:\n|$))*)\n*|$)/,
+  table: /^ *\|(.+)\n *\|?( *[-:]+[-| :]*)(?:\n((?: *[^>\n ].*(?:\n|$))*)\n*|$)/
 });
 
 /**
@@ -245,34 +245,36 @@ Lexer.prototype.token = function(src, top) {
 
     // table no leading pipe (gfm)
     if (top && (cap = this.rules.nptable.exec(src))) {
-      src = src.substring(cap[0].length);
-
       item = {
         type: 'table',
         header: splitCells(cap[1].replace(/^ *| *\| *$/g, '')),
         align: cap[2].replace(/^ *|\| *$/g, '').split(/ *\| */),
-        cells: cap[3].replace(/\n$/, '').split('\n')
+        cells: cap[3] ? cap[3].replace(/\n$/, '').split('\n') : []
       };
 
-      for (i = 0; i < item.align.length; i++) {
-        if (/^ *-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'right';
-        } else if (/^ *:-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'center';
-        } else if (/^ *:-+ *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'left';
-        } else {
-          item.align[i] = null;
+      if (item.header.length === item.align.length) {
+        src = src.substring(cap[0].length);
+
+        for (i = 0; i < item.align.length; i++) {
+          if (/^ *-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'right';
+          } else if (/^ *:-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'center';
+          } else if (/^ *:-+ *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'left';
+          } else {
+            item.align[i] = null;
+          }
         }
-      }
 
-      for (i = 0; i < item.cells.length; i++) {
-        item.cells[i] = splitCells(item.cells[i]);
-      }
+        for (i = 0; i < item.cells.length; i++) {
+          item.cells[i] = splitCells(item.cells[i], item.header.length);
+        }
 
-      this.tokens.push(item);
+        this.tokens.push(item);
 
-      continue;
+        continue;
+      }
     }
 
     // hr
@@ -412,35 +414,38 @@ Lexer.prototype.token = function(src, top) {
 
     // table (gfm)
     if (top && (cap = this.rules.table.exec(src))) {
-      src = src.substring(cap[0].length);
-
       item = {
         type: 'table',
         header: splitCells(cap[1].replace(/^ *| *\| *$/g, '')),
         align: cap[2].replace(/^ *|\| *$/g, '').split(/ *\| */),
-        cells: cap[3].replace(/(?: *\| *)?\n$/, '').split('\n')
+        cells: cap[3] ? cap[3].replace(/(?: *\| *)?\n$/, '').split('\n') : []
       };
 
-      for (i = 0; i < item.align.length; i++) {
-        if (/^ *-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'right';
-        } else if (/^ *:-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'center';
-        } else if (/^ *:-+ *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
-          item.align[i] = 'left';
-        } else {
-          item.align[i] = null;
+      if (item.header.length === item.align.length) {
+        src = src.substring(cap[0].length);
+
+        for (i = 0; i < item.align.length; i++) {
+          if (/^ *-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'right';
+          } else if (/^ *:-+: *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'center';
+          } else if (/^ *:-+ *$/.test(item.align[i])) {
+            item.align[i] = 'left';
+          } else {
+            item.align[i] = null;
+          }
         }
-      }
 
-      for (i = 0; i < item.cells.length; i++) {
-        item.cells[i] = splitCells(
-          item.cells[i].replace(/^ *\| *| *\| *$/g, ''));
-      }
+        for (i = 0; i < item.cells.length; i++) {
+          item.cells[i] = splitCells(
+            item.cells[i].replace(/^ *\| *| *\| *$/g, ''),
+            item.header.length);
+        }
 
-      this.tokens.push(item);
+        this.tokens.push(item);
 
-      continue;
+        continue;
+      }
     }
 
     // lheading
@@ -927,13 +932,13 @@ Renderer.prototype.paragraph = function(text) {
 };
 
 Renderer.prototype.table = function(header, body) {
+  if (body) body = '<tbody>' + body + '</tbody>';
+
   return '<table>\n'
     + '<thead>\n'
     + header
     + '</thead>\n'
-    + '<tbody>\n'
     + body
-    + '</tbody>\n'
     + '</table>\n';
 };
 
@@ -944,7 +949,7 @@ Renderer.prototype.tablerow = function(content) {
 Renderer.prototype.tablecell = function(content, flags) {
   var type = flags.header ? 'th' : 'td';
   var tag = flags.align
-    ? '<' + type + ' style="text-align:' + flags.align + '">'
+    ? '<' + type + ' align="' + flags.align + '">'
     : '<' + type + '>';
   return tag + content + '</' + type + '>\n';
 };
@@ -1310,10 +1315,16 @@ function merge(obj) {
   return obj;
 }
 
-function splitCells(tableRow) {
+function splitCells(tableRow, count) {
   var cells = tableRow.replace(/([^\\])\|/g, '$1 |').split(/ +\| */),
       i = 0;
 
+  if (cells.length > count) {
+    cells.splice(count);
+  } else {
+    while (cells.length < count) cells.push('');
+  }
+
   for (; i < cells.length; i++) {
     cells[i] = cells[i].replace(/\\\|/g, '|');
   }
diff --git a/test/new/gfm_tables.html b/test/new/gfm_tables.html
index 70bec827e3..1c596573c9 100644
--- a/test/new/gfm_tables.html
+++ b/test/new/gfm_tables.html
@@ -9,11 +9,11 @@
 </table>
 <table>
 	<thead>
-		<tr><th style="text-align:center">Header 1</th><th style="text-align:right">Header 2</th><th style="text-align:left">Header 3</th><th>Header 4</th></tr>
+		<tr><th align="center">Header 1</th><th align="right">Header 2</th><th align="left">Header 3</th><th>Header 4</th></tr>
 	</thead>
 	<tbody>
-		<tr><td style="text-align:center">Cell 1</td><td style="text-align:right">Cell 2</td><td style="text-align:left">Cell 3</td><td>Cell 4</td></tr>
-		<tr><td style="text-align:center">Cell 5</td><td style="text-align:right">Cell 6</td><td style="text-align:left">Cell 7</td><td>Cell 8</td></tr>
+		<tr><td align="center">Cell 1</td><td align="right">Cell 2</td><td align="left">Cell 3</td><td>Cell 4</td></tr>
+		<tr><td align="center">Cell 5</td><td align="right">Cell 6</td><td align="left">Cell 7</td><td>Cell 8</td></tr>
 	</tbody>
 </table>
 <pre><code>Test code</code></pre>
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@
 </table>
 <table>
 	<thead>
-		<tr><th style="text-align:left">Header 1</th><th style="text-align:center">Header 2</th><th style="text-align:right">Header 3</th><th>Header 4</th></tr>
+		<tr><th align="left">Header 1</th><th align="center">Header 2</th><th align="right">Header 3</th><th>Header 4</th></tr>
 	</thead>
 	<tbody>
-		<tr><td style="text-align:left">Cell 1</td><td style="text-align:center">Cell 2</td><td style="text-align:right">Cell 3</td><td>Cell 4</td></tr>
-		<tr><td style="text-align:left"><em>Cell 5</em></td><td style="text-align:center">Cell 6</td><td style="text-align:right">Cell 7</td><td>Cell 8</td></tr>
+		<tr><td align="left">Cell 1</td><td align="center">Cell 2</td><td align="right">Cell 3</td><td>Cell 4</td></tr>
+		<tr><td align="left"><em>Cell 5</em></td><td align="center">Cell 6</td><td align="right">Cell 7</td><td>Cell 8</td></tr>
 	</tbody>
 </table>
diff --git a/test/specs/gfm/gfm-spec.js b/test/specs/gfm/gfm-spec.js
index 3589a5f3e5..bf768bda8c 100644
--- a/test/specs/gfm/gfm-spec.js
+++ b/test/specs/gfm/gfm-spec.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ var messenger = new Messenger();
 describe('GFM 0.28 Tables', function() {
   var section = 'Tables';
 
-  var shouldPassButFails = [192, 195, 196, 197];
+  var shouldPassButFails = [];
 
   var willNotBeAttemptedByCoreTeam = [];
 
diff --git a/test/specs/gfm/gfm.0.28.json b/test/specs/gfm/gfm.0.28.json
index 87d12d35ee..d045f8af62 100644
--- a/test/specs/gfm/gfm.0.28.json
+++ b/test/specs/gfm/gfm.0.28.json
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     "section": "Tables",
     "html": "<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>abc</th>\n<th>def</th>\n</tr>\n</thead></table>",
     "markdown": "| abc | def |\n| --- | --- |",
-    "example": 197
+    "example": 198
   },
   {
     "section": "Task list items",