Play to the final
From the list at the door to the final table
A tournament at Wollemi Hall is an evening of cards among friends. It is played on chips and ends with honour, never money.
Step by step
The path of a tournament evening
Put your name down
Names are taken at the host's desk or through the booking form. You do not need to have played before, and there is no charge for joining the list. The list closes when the first hand is dealt, so please arrive in time.
Draw for seats
Noel Novak draws names from a brass tin and calls each guest to a table. Seats are decided by the draw alone. Nobody chooses a seat or a table, and friends who wish to sit together may ask to be placed at the same table.
Receive your chips
Every player is given the same stack of clay chips. They are counters, with no money value, and they are collected again at the end of the night. A stack never grows from outside, only from play at the table.
Play the first level
Levels last twenty minutes, announced by a soft bell. The croupier deals every hand, explains any decision in plain words, and keeps the pace gentle for newcomers. Nobody is hurried and nobody is lectured.
Take the break
After the second level there is a break of fifteen minutes. Tea, coffee and slices of apple cake come up from the kitchen, the tables are tidied, and guests stretch their legs on the landing before the cards resume.
Thin the field
As players leave their seats the tables are combined. Anyone who is out may stay to watch from the rail, ask questions of the croupier, or go down for a pudding. Most stay, and the rail is often the liveliest spot in the room.
Reach the final table
The last six players move to the table by the window, under the best lamp. The room lowers its voice, the croupier announces each hand, and the dining room below is told that the final has begun.
Honour the champion
The last player seated is Champion of the night. Their name is written on the honour board by the stairs, in chalk first and in paint at the end of the season. The brass cup stays on its shelf in the room. Nothing else changes hands, and the cup never leaves.
Why we do it
Cards among friends, with a name on a board
Tournaments began at Wollemi Hall because guests asked for them. They enjoyed the tables but wanted something with a shape, a beginning and an end. Todd Gibson suggested a Friday tournament, and I agreed on the condition that it could never be about money. A name on a board seemed the right size of ambition.
The honour board hangs by the staircase, where guests pass it on the way down. Some names appear twice. Others belong to guests who played their first hand that very evening, which is why the board gives the most pleasure to those who have never seen it before.
All tournament play is on chips, with no entry payment, no cash prize and no reward of any kind. The champion receives the title of Champion of the night and nothing more. The brass cup is kept in the house, and each champion is welcome to hold it for a photograph.
Because nothing is at stake, the tone of the room is generous. Players congratulate those who beat them, and the croupiers are as likely to teach as to deal. For an evening of cards, I cannot think of a better arrangement.
Tournament questions
Before you put your name down
Do I need to know the game already?
No. The croupier explains every decision as it comes up, and newcomers are seated beside patient players. Many of our champions had never played poker before the night they won, and several say it was the friendliest first evening they could have had.
How long does a tournament last?
A normal Friday event runs about three hours, from the first bell at half past seven to the final hand shortly after ten. Smaller midweek evenings finish earlier. Tables close at eleven in any case.
What happens if I am knocked out early?
You stay as long as you like. Many guests move to the dining room for a pudding and come back to watch the final from the rail, where the croupier will talk through each hand for anyone who is curious.
Can I watch without playing?
Of course. The rail around the tables is open to any guest aged 18 or over, and tournament nights often draw an audience of diners who come up after dessert to see how the final unfolds.
Is there anything to take home?
Only the memory and the name on the board. There is no money or other reward, and the cup stays in the room. The chips are counted back at the end and put away for the next tournament.
A tournament evening
The clock on a Friday
List opensThe host's desk takes names while the croupiers set up the tables.18:30
Seat drawNames are drawn from the brass tin and players are called to their tables.19:15
First bellLevel one begins and the chips go into play.19:30
BreakFifteen minutes with tea, coffee and apple cake on the landing.20:50
Tables combineThe field is thinned and the tables are drawn together.21:15
Final tableThe last six move to the window table under the best lamp.21:50
Honour boardThe champion's name is written in chalk and the cup is shown to the room.22:30