People
Sunday with the regulars
Sunday is the evening when the house belongs to the people who come most often. The roast is on, the wheel turns slowly and somebody always asks for Five Card Draw.
Club evening
The most settled night of the week
Sunday begins with the smell of rosemary. Lucy has the lamb in the oven by two o'clock, and by half past five the dining room is full of people who have come specifically for it. Many of them have a standing table, a particular chair and a favourite gravy-to-pumpkin ratio.
At seven, the long room opens in a gentler way than on other nights. The first poker table is given over to Five Card Draw, a game that most newcomers find easier than Hold'em, and the wheel turns slowly for a small circle of regulars who have been playing it together for years.
Nobody is in a hurry. Conversation outweighs cards, and the croupiers are usually the ones laughing hardest.
Why Sunday suits newcomers
Five Card Draw is forgiving
Each player is dealt five cards, may swap some of them once, and then everyone shows their hand. There are fewer decisions than in Hold'em and fewer ways to feel lost. Because a hand is settled after a single round of swapping, a game takes only a few minutes, and nobody waits long for their turn. Claire Stevens often teaches it in ten minutes.
The regulars are welcoming
Some of our guests have been coming for years, and they remember being new. They'll pass the salt, explain the order of hands and tell you which seat is the draughty one. It's a kind of unofficial welcome, and it matters more than any sign on the door.
The carving
On Sundays Lucy carves at the pass in full view, and the lamb goes out plate by plate within a minute of the knife. The regulars know to look up when the carving begins, because the smell crosses the room before the plate does.
Last deal, same as always
The last deal on Sunday is called at half past ten, like every other night, and the tea comes out soon afterwards. The front door closes at eleven. Before then, there is time for one more cup, and somebody always takes it.