How we run the tables
“Few rules, plainly kept”
The lodge keeps its rules short and its manners generous. Here is what we ask at the tables and around the building.
The idea behind them
“Rules are there so that nobody has to raise a voice”
When I built the tables I wrote the rules at the same time, on the underside of the first one, in pencil. They were seven lines long. Over the years we have added a few and removed several, and what is written here is what has survived.
Every rule exists for one reason: so that nobody needs to raise a voice. A table that follows the same small customs, evening after evening, runs without arguments. The croupier is the person who keeps the customs, and the floor manager hears any complaint about the croupier.
The rules are given twice below: first those of the tables, then those of the building. They apply to everyone, including me. I have been asked to put my phone away more than once.
At the tables
“What the croupier will ask of you”
Sit only when the croupier invites you, and tell the croupier before you leave a seat during a hand.
Place and move your own chips, and only while the croupier has said that play is open.
At blackjack, indicate decisions with a clear hand signal; do not touch the cards unless invited.
At roulette, keep hands off the cloth once the wheel has been spun and the spin called.
At poker, keep your cards in view and your talk to a murmur; no one else needs to know your hand.
No coaching: the player beside you is entitled to their own mistake, and the rail is for watching only.
Anyone who disagrees with a ruling may ask for the floor manager once the hand is complete.
In tournaments, seats are by draw only, and a player who leaves for a while forfeits no place.
The croupier may close a table at any time, and will say why if asked, with a smile.
Around the lodge
“What the building asks of you”
Photo identification is shown at the green door for the casino room, however well the host knows your face.
Dinner guests of any age are welcome in the dining room; the casino room is for adults aged 18 and over.
Booked dinner tables are held for twenty minutes, and the host telephones before releasing one.
Phones are silent in the dining room and put away completely in the casino room.
Coats and bags are hung on the pegs inside the green door, not on chairs or in the aisles.
The verandah is a place for fresh air and a quiet word; please keep voices low after dark.
Smoking is not permitted inside, and the verandah steps are the only spot for a break.
Staff politely decline gifts, and nothing is ever collected from guests at the tables.
Any complaint or suggestion will be heard by Glenn Russo or myself, and answered before you leave.
About the rules
“What happens if I break one?”
- What if I break a rule by accident?
- The croupier will correct it quietly and play on. Newcomers are forgiven readily, and the first time costs nothing but a smile. Repeated carelessness is addressed by the floor manager, kindly and in private.
- Can I be asked to leave?
- Yes, though it is rare. A guest who disturbs the calm of the room, ignores repeated requests or is rude to staff is walked to the door by Glenn Russo. Nobody is shouted at, and no scene is made.
- Are the rules the same in a tournament?
- Almost entirely. In a tournament, seats are drawn, levels are timed and tables are combined. All other rules of the casino room apply, and the croupier will announce any difference before the first hand.
- Who writes the rules?
- I do, with the staff. We review them whenever a guest asks a question we cannot answer, which usually leads to a better sentence on this page. If you would like to suggest one, write to the booking address.