We would rather lose the hand.
Poker is a game of skill played for money, and money makes it possible for a good evening to become a bad habit. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
Here is what we do about it, and what you can ask us for.
What you can ask for.
A limit.
Tell any member of the floor a number, for tonight, or standing. We will hold you to it, including when you ask us not to.
Time away.
A week, a month, a year, or permanently. Say the word and it is done. No form, no explanation, and no conversation you have to have twice.
A quiet word.
Ask us to check in with you, and we will.
No solicitation.
Ask to come off every list and out of every message and it happens the same day. We will not attempt to win you back.
What we do without being asked.
We admit nobody under eighteen, and we check every visit. We do not extend credit to anyone, ever. We do not offer losses-back promotions or any incentive to keep playing. And the floor will start a conversation, gently and in private, when a night has stopped looking like a good one.
That last one occasionally costs us money and occasionally annoys the person on the receiving end. We would still rather be the room that says it.
The signs worth taking seriously.
Playing longer than you meant to, most times. Playing with money set aside for something else. Chasing a loss with a bigger buy-in. Not wanting anyone to know how the night went. Feeling relief when you play rather than enjoyment.
None of these is a verdict. All of them are worth noticing.
Where to get help.
Any member of the floor. Any time. Nothing you say goes further than the person you say it to.