Read what we ask of guests
Plain rules for a friendly house: how we look after the door, the tables, the dining room and each other.
Rules for the casino room
- Guests must be 18 or over. We ask for proof of age when there is any doubt, and a driver licence or photo card will do.
- Chips are borrowed for the evening and stay in the room. They cannot be bought, sold, swapped or taken home.
- Nothing at the tables is played for money, goods or favours, and anyone who tries to arrange a wager will be asked to stop.
- Please keep phones silent and face down at the tables, and step to the landing if you need to take a call.
- Cards, chips and the wheel stay where the croupier puts them. Only the dealer touches the cards at blackjack.
- Act in your turn, and wait for the dealer to finish a hand before you ask a question about the last one.
- Cheering is welcome, but commentary on someone else's cards is not, particularly at the poker tables.
- If you need a break, tell the dealer and your chips will be minded at your seat for a short time.
Rules for the dining room and the house
- Tell us about allergies before you order, not halfway through the main course. The kitchen takes them seriously.
- Tables are held for fifteen minutes past the booked time, after which we may give them to walk-ins.
- Please keep the stairs clear: no bags, coats or prams on the steps, and use the handrail on the way down.
- The verandah is a lovely place to sit, but it is not a place to play. Cards stay inside.
- Be gentle with the furniture. Several chairs are older than the staff, and the long tables are the original timber.
- Children and teenagers cannot be admitted at any hour, as the whole house is for adults only.
- Photographs of the room and food are fine. Please ask before photographing other guests or staff.
- If something isn't right, speak to Todd or whoever is on the floor and we'll put it right on the spot.
Why we keep them short
We've tried to keep the list of rules short and the reasons obvious. Nobody likes being told off in a restaurant, and nobody likes a card game that comes with a lecture. Each rule above exists because something went slightly wrong once, and Todd wrote the lesson in his notebook.
The age rule is the one we cannot bend. Gidgee House is a venue for adults, with a casino room as one of its two halves, and our croupiers are trained to ask for identification politely and without fuss. If you've left your licence at home, we're sorry, but the answer will still be no.
The chip rules are just as firm. Chips here are a way of keeping score and sharing a table, not a currency, and we do not wish to host anything that looks like betting. That's why there are no prizes, no side deals and no swapping of chips between guests. The tournament winner gets applause and a name on the board.
The remaining rules are simply good manners with a few practical notes attached. If you're ever unsure what to do, copy the regulars: they've been coming for years and have a knack for being quiet when it counts and noisy when it doesn't.
We update these rules as we learn. If you think something is missing or unfair, tell us at the door or write to us, and we'll consider it properly.
Some rules we have left out on purpose. We don't tell people what to order, how long to stay or whether to speak to the stranger beside them. We don't ask you to dress up, and we won't pester you to try the upstairs room if you're happy with the soup. A house works best when guests are trusted to be sensible, and nearly all of them are.
