House
How we look after the felt
A table that looks calm has usually had a lot of attention. Claire Stevens walks us through the routine that keeps six tables in good order.
Behind the scenes
Before the doors open
At four o'clock, long before the first guest arrives, the croupiers are in the long room with soft brushes. Each table's felt is brushed in one direction, then the other, to lift dust and lint. It takes about five minutes per table and it's the part of the job Claire says matters most.
Decks are changed on a schedule, not when they look worn, because a deck that looks fine can still stick together. Old decks go into a box for the staff, who use them to play patience in the kitchen on quiet afternoons.
Chips, decks and wheels each have their own schedule. The felt has a routine rather than a schedule, because it needs attention every day and is noticed only when it's neglected. The croupiers take turns, and the table that has just been brushed is always the one a regular chooses.
The weekly and the occasional
Chips are washed
Once a week the chips are tipped into warm soapy water, rinsed, dried on towels and counted back into their racks. A clean chip feels better in the hand, and counting them also tells us if anything has wandered off. It rarely has.
The wheel gets a check-up
The roulette wheel is checked every week for balance, and the ball track is wiped. Claire spins it a few times with no one watching, to hear whether the ball settles evenly. If anything sounds odd, the wheel stays covered until it has been looked at.
Why it matters
A table that is clean, flat and quiet makes everyone at it behave a little better. Cards slide the way they should, chips stack without wobbling, and nobody feels the need to apologise for a stain. Claire says she can tell how an evening will go by listening to the first shuffle.
Felt is replaced before it tires
Felt is a working surface, and it wears. We would rather replace a table's cloth early than let it go shiny and slow. Old felt becomes tablecloths for the staff picnic, which is the closest thing we have to a recycling programme.