The short rule book
“Short rules, kindly kept”
The rules at Tallowwood House fit on one card. Here they are in full, each with the reason behind it, so they're easier to remember.
At the table
Rules for the felt
- Sit down only when the croupier waves you in. It keeps each table balanced, lets the croupier greet every player by name and means nobody finds a stranger sitting on their chips.
- One voice at a time. While the croupier is explaining a hand, the whole table waits, and questions come afterwards rather than in the middle, so that the next player isn't misled.
- Cards and chips stay in view, in their stacks. Please don't touch the deck, the wheel or the croupier's tray, however friendly the evening feels, because handling them is the croupier's job.
- Say your move aloud, whether it's check, call, raise, fold, hit or stand. The croupier can only act on what they hear, and a nod across the table is easy to miss.
- Phones stay in pockets at the tables. Photographs are fine when no cards are showing, but please ask the host first, because some of our guests prefer not to be in the picture.
- When the croupier calls last orbit, the round in progress is the last one at that table and no new hand is dealt. It gives everyone a fair chance to finish gracefully.
- House chips are for the long room only. They have no value, can't be swapped for anything, and stay in the racks when you leave, however fond of them you have become.
The idea behind them
“Be easy on each other”
Rule books are usually the dullest page of a venue, so we have tried to keep ours short. Every rule on this page exists because it made an evening easier, usually after somebody forgot it. None of them are traps, and nobody has ever been asked to leave over a first mistake.
Claire Stevens trains each croupier to keep the rules with a smile, a nod and a quiet word at the edge of the table. If a guest keeps ignoring them, Colin Bailey has a longer chat, and as a last resort he walks them to the door and thanks them for coming. That's rare.
Most of the rules come down to two things: respect the table, and respect the people around it. If you remember those, you can forget the rest, and the croupiers will happily remind you of anything else.
If you think a rule is missing, tell Colin. The card has been rewritten twice since we opened, and both times the change came from a guest who asked a fair question at the right moment. A rule that nobody can explain doesn't last long in this house.
In the house
Rules for the whole building
- Adults only. Photo ID is checked at the door for anyone who looks under twenty-five, and nobody under eighteen is admitted at any time, whatever the occasion.
- Please don't bring food or drinks in from outside. Our kitchen can look after allergies and diets if you tell us beforehand, and the servery stays open all evening.
- No smoking or vaping inside the building. The verandah is the place for both, and there is a bench and a bin at the end for that purpose.
- Leave the footpath outside tidy and quiet when you go. Our neighbours are asleep by then, and we would like to stay on good terms with them.
- Dinner and a seat at the tables are booked separately, though both can be asked for in one message. Please tell us if your plans change, even at the last minute.
- Treat the team as you would like to be treated. A kind word at the door is all we ask, and it's remembered the next time you come in.
- Coats, bags and umbrellas go in the cloakroom, not onto the chairs of the long room. It keeps the walkways clear for the croupiers and for anyone using a walking frame.