House code
Read the house code before you sit down
The house
Keep these customs in the building
Guests in the front room must be eighteen or over and show proof of age at the door whenever asked.
A dining table waits a quarter of an hour beyond the booked time and then goes to the next name on the list.
Please tell the host about allergies and dietary needs when you book, and again when you order your meal.
Children may share a table with an adult until half past six, but the front room is closed to them at all times.
The verandah is the place for conversations by telephone, and the front hall is the place for photographs.
Please treat the staff and other guests courteously, as discourtesy will be dealt with by the floor manager.
Animals are not permitted inside, except for assistance animals, which are welcome throughout the building.
Why a code
Understand why the house keeps a code at all
A house without a code relies on goodwill alone, and goodwill is wonderfully reliable until the evening it is not. We have written the code down so that guests, staff and dealers share the same understanding, and so that a difficulty can be settled by pointing at a line instead of raising a voice. The code is short because most disputes are about the same few things.
None of the rules is meant to be unkind. Each of them exists because, at some point in the life of the house, its absence caused trouble. The ten-minute rule for seats came from a disagreement over a chair. The telephone rule came from a call taken at the roulette wheel. Rules are reviewed each season, and some are retired.
The tables
Follow these customs when you play
Chips are lent for the evening, carry no cash value and must be returned to the dealer when you leave.
No wager of any kind is made between guests, and no prize is given, whether in chips, goods or favours.
Dealers may explain rules and describe options, but they may not advise on which option a player should choose.
Cards and chips remain on the table, and nobody may carry either out of the room.
Telephones are kept silent and out of sight at the tables, and calls are taken on the verandah.
A seat left unattended for ten minutes passes to the next name on the list unless the dealer was told.
Disagreements are taken to the floor manager, who settles them for the evening in an even voice.
Questions about the code
Ask what you like about the rules
- What proof of age is accepted?
- A current driver licence, passport or recognised proof-of-age card. We cannot accept photocopies, photographs on a telephone or expired documents, and we make no exceptions for regular guests.
- May I take photographs?
- In the front hall and the dining room, yes, provided other guests are not included without their consent. In the front room we ask that telephones stay in pockets, for the privacy of everyone at the tables.
- What if I break a rule by mistake?
- Nothing happens beyond a quiet word. The staff would far rather correct a mistake gently than let it spoil a table's evening, and they will always explain the reason for the rule.
- Can the code change?
- It can, and it does. We review it each season with the staff and with a few regular guests, and any change is posted on this page and at the door before it takes effect.
- Who decides in a dispute?
- The floor manager, which means Gillian Novak or her deputy for the evening. Rulings are given quietly, in private if needed, and cover that evening only. Nobody is turned away for good without a conversation first.