Which rules govern the tables and the house?
Two short lists and a note on how they are applied. The first concerns the door and the dining room, the second the tables, and the note explains that the rules are meant kindly.
What is expected at the door and in the dining room?
- Guests of eighteen and over may enter the casino room; younger guests may dine with an adult until half past six.
- Please give your name at the host's desk, and tell us at once if you are running late or cannot come.
- Tables in the dining room are held for fifteen minutes past the hour booked, and then given to the waiting list.
- Allergies and dietary needs should be mentioned when you book and again when you order, so the kitchen can act on them.
- Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the building, and the front step is the place for anyone who needs a breath of air.
- Please keep voices low after the bell at half past seven, since the dining room and the casino room share a wall.
- Belongings are kept at the host's desk if guests prefer, and the house cannot be responsible for items left on chairs.
- Pets are not permitted in the building, with the exception of assistance animals, which are welcomed at every table.
- Photographs are permitted in the dining room, but not in the casino room, to protect other guests' privacy.
- Any guest who is rude to staff or to another guest will be asked to leave, and will be welcome back on another evening.
What is expected when you are sitting down to cards?
- Chips are lent for the evening, carry no value at all and must be returned to the dealer when you leave the table.
- Cards and chips remain on the table; none of them may be taken away or hidden in a pocket.
- Dealers explain the rules of a game but do not advise on how to play a hand, so please do not ask them to.
- Wagering between guests, in chips or in anything else, is not permitted at any table, even for fun.
- Please keep your cards visible to the dealer, and do not touch another player's chips or cards for any reason.
- Let each hand finish before discussing it, and avoid remarks that might reveal what another player holds.
- If you must leave the table, tell the dealer; your seat is kept for ten minutes and longer if you ask.
- Mobile telephones are silenced at the tables, and calls are taken in the front hall or on the step outside.
- Disputes are referred to the floor manager, whose ruling is final for the evening and is given calmly.
- Tournament seats are drawn by lot, and no player may ask to change a seat once the first hand is dealt.
Why does the house keep so few rules?
A house with a long list of rules usually has a short supply of trust. We have tried to keep the opposite arrangement: a modest number of rules, kindly applied, and an expectation that guests will behave as they would in a friend's dining room. In more than a decade of evenings, very few guests have had to be reminded.
When a rule is broken, the response is always the same. The nearest member of staff says quietly what has gone wrong, offers a way to put it right and moves on. Nothing is announced to the room, nobody is shamed, and the evening continues. If the problem recurs, the floor manager will have a longer conversation, in private.
Rules are also reviewed. Last season we changed the hour at which children leave the dining room, and the year before we moved the tournament interval. If you think a rule is unfair or unclear, tell me at the host's desk or write to the address on the contact page, and I will bring it to the next meeting of the staff.