Under the lamps
Six tables under the lamps: the casino room upstairs
Roulette, blackjack and poker, dealt on chips with no money value, in a long room on the first floor that stays hushed even when it is full.
Before you climb
Up the stairs, past the lamp
The way up is a timber staircase with a brass rail, polished by every hand that has used it. At the top there is a small landing, a coat stand and a desk where Chloe Gardner or one of the floor staff checks identification. Nobody is asked for anything else. Adults aged 18 and over are shown to a seat, and that is all.
A first visit usually begins at the rail. Guests watch a few spins or hands, learn the rhythm of a table, and then sit when they feel ready. Noel Novak or another croupier will explain the rules of any game at any time, and no question is ever too small to ask.
Every game in the room is played on chips. They are heavy clay counters in four colours, issued at the table and counted back to the croupier when you rise. They have no cash value, cannot be bought or sold, and cannot leave the building. The room does not take bets in money, now or later.
Dress is ordinary: a collar or a clean jumper will do, and nobody minds a coat. Voices stay low, phones stay away, and the music upstairs is nothing more than a faint hum from the dining room below. People often remark that the place feels like a library with a roulette wheel.
There is nothing online. The hall has no app, no website game and no remote play of any kind. The casino room exists only on the first floor of 74 Parke Street, and only for guests who are in the building.
Seats are limited, and that is a deliberate choice. Six tables with six places each would fill the room with thirty-odd people, which is plenty. When the room is full the host keeps a list on the landing, and guests wait with tea and a seat by the window until a place opens. The wait is rarely longer than a quarter of an hour.
The tables
Six tables, three games
The room is long and narrow, and the six tables sit in a line beneath the lamps. At the stair end are the two roulette wheels, each with its own croupier. Beyond them are the two blackjack tables, and at the far end, by the window onto the lane, the two poker tables, where the light is softest.
Roulette is dealt at a gentle pace. The croupier announces each spin, calls the number and clears the cloth before the next. First-time players are guided through the layout, and anybody who would rather watch from a stool at the end of the table is made as welcome as the player beside them.
Blackjack is dealt from a shoe at tables of up to six. The croupier explains hitting, standing and splitting the first time they come up, and there is no hurry at any hand. Several of our regulars say it is the best game for talking, because the cards play themselves while you tell a story.
Poker means Texas Hold'em and Omaha on most evenings, with Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw dealt on Sundays for those who like the older games. Hands are played to a clock, and a croupier deals every one. Nothing is staked, so the only things at risk are a little pride and a stack of clay.
There are no pokies, no gaming machines and nothing of the kind in the building. The hum you may hear is the heater. The casino room is a place for tables, voices and cards, and we have kept it that way on purpose.
The tables stay open until eleven, and the lamps are turned down at half past. A guest who wishes to leave earlier simply stands, thanks the croupier and collects a coat from the stand; nobody ever asks why.
Between games the croupiers tidy the cloth, square the cards and count the chips back into the rack, and these small rituals give the room its rhythm. A guest who has never seen them often says afterwards that the quiet routine was the part of the evening they remember best.
Roulette one
The stair-end wheel, where first-timers are usually seated.
Roulette two
Slightly quieter, with a rail for those who wish to watch.
Blackjack one
Six seats, dealt from a shoe at an unhurried pace.
Blackjack two
Often the table for a mixed group of friends.
Poker one
Texas Hold'em and Omaha, with a croupier dealing every hand.
Poker two
Stud and Draw on Sundays, Hold'em on other nights.
The room, table by table
