Before you sit down here
Settle in before the first deal.
A short run-through of how the room works, from walking in off Hastings Street to handing your chips back at the end of the night.
On arrival and at the table
Read this before your first hand.
We open the doors at six and start pouring from the urn not long after, so there's rarely a wait for a first cup once you're settled at a table.
We ask everyone to bring identification, since the room is kept for adults eighteen and over, checked without exception at the door every single evening.
We keep the pace of play reasonable — a slow hand now and then bothers nobody, but holding up a whole table repeatedly isn't fair on the players waiting their turn.
We ask that longer phone calls happen out on the deck rather than at the table, so the dealer's calls and the action can be heard clearly by everyone playing.
Table code, answered
A few questions about how we play.
- Can I bring my own deck of cards?
- You're welcome to, though the house supplies fresh decks at every table already.
- Does the dealer ever join the game itself?
- No — the dealer calls the game and keeps score, but never plays a hand.
- What happens if a table disagrees on a call?
- The house dealer has the final say, and the game moves on from there without further argument.
- Are chips ever exchanged for cash on the way out?
- Never. Chips are tallied back in as points only, and nothing changes hands beyond that.