House rules
House rules
Eight of them. They are read aloud once, at the door.
- IBlack tie and masks. Masks stay on until the host says otherwise.
- IIThe venue is disclosed to members only, the day before.
- IIINo phones at the table. No photographs of faces, anywhere.
- IVEvery table plays for the named charity. What is raised is published.
- VGuests are the responsibility of the member who brought them.
- VIDoors close at nine. Late is late.
- VIIEighteen and over. Identification may be asked for at the door.
- VIIIThe host's word is final.
Evenings are private functions run by Brand Events Limited. Membership and attendance are at the host's discretion and may be withdrawn at any time. Guests must be eighteen or over.
Why each rule exists
One
A mask means the room has to meet you before it meets your name. Nobody talks their way to the table on who they know. You are read on how you carry a hand, not on your surname.
Two
Small stays small only if the room stays hard to find. A member brings you once, on their word. The address never travels further than the people already trusted with it.
Three
No phone means nobody at that table is a photograph the next morning. A losing hand should cost you money, not a screenshot. What happens at the table is spoken about, never shown.
Four
The charity is the reason anyone is allowed to call this a table at all. A number that is not published is not a donation, it is a rumour. So it gets counted and printed.
Five
A guest is not a member yet, and the room has to trust someone for them anyway. That trust sits with whoever wrote the name down. If the guest is trouble, so is the member.
Six
Nine is not a suggestion. A room that lets latecomers drift in mid-count stops being one evening and starts being a bar. The door closes so the table can start on time.
Seven
A mask hides a face, not a birth certificate. The law does not stop applying because nobody can see who you are, so identification stays part of the door's job.
Eight
Someone in the room has to be able to end an argument before it becomes one. That is the host. Play for money and someone will eventually disagree about a call.