The Colony Club poker in London

What the Gaming Floor Actually Looks Like

The Colony Club sits at 24 Hertford Street in Mayfair. It is part of Genting Casinos UK Limited and operates under UKGC licence number 537. This matters because it is a proper licensed casino, but it does not run like a typical open card room.

If you are picturing a big poker area with permanent tables, public seat lists and tournament boards on the wall, that is not the setup here. Poker is wrapped into a private, members-focused club where everything is quite understated. Getting a spot at a table works differently to what regular London cardroom players might expect.

Across the whole gaming floor there are 22 tables, and 6 are allocated to poker play. The formats offered are Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud Poker. These are house-banked casino poker games rather than player-versus-player cash tables. Worth being clear on that before you head across town.

For players looking for higher limits or a quieter spot, there is a separate area called SALLE PRIVÉE. It operates away from the main floor and feels more like a private room than a standard pit. Details such as exact stakes, betting limits and formats are not listed online or on any public schedule. You either confirm on arrival or call ahead and ask staff directly. That is simply how this club chooses to run things.

Anyone who wants a classic open-plan poker room, with cash games and tournaments advertised ahead of time, will notice the contrast with venues like Palm Beach Casino nearby. The Colony Club leans heavily into exclusivity and control rather than big volume of players. Poker sessions still run regularly, but the way they are offered suits people who genuinely prefer a calmer, more filtered environment instead of a busy cardroom traffic.

Getting Access to the Tables

To get near the poker tables, membership is expected. In practice you either need to be a member already or go through their sign-up process before playing. It is not especially difficult, but it is not quite the same as turning up at a regular high street casino and buying in on the spot.

The easiest starting point is to contact the casino. Use [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7495 5000 while they are open. Ask what the current membership rules are, if there is any joining fee, and whether they can arrange guest or short-term access if you only plan a single visit. Places in this bracket sometimes accommodate one-off guests as long as it is agreed in advance, so it is better to ask them directly instead of guessing.

Dress code is important here. Smart dress is required and they mean it. Trainers, sportswear, hoodies, very casual outfits - those do not get you onto the gaming floor. Door staff enforce this at entry, and there is no changing area inside for fixing a borderline outfit once you arrive.

On the night itself the flow usually looks like this:

1. Show your membership credentials at the entrance, or complete the sign-up if you are registering there for the first time.
2. Take valid photo ID with you, typically a passport or UK driving licence. They check age as standard and the minimum is 18.
3. Speak to a member of staff about poker that evening, ask which tables are running, whether SALLE PRIVÉE is open and what the table minimums are.
4. Head over to the main floor table or the private room as directed by staff. Game details are passed on in person, not posted up on the walls.
5. All gaming is in GBP, and cash transactions are handled via the casino cage on-site.

Officially, the casino tends to operate from around midday through to 6am. Some sources mention 24-hour access, but those reports vary a bit. The restaurant and bar are usually active from roughly 7pm into the early hours, closing about 2am. To avoid any confusion, the safer move is to ring them and check the current schedule before travelling across London.

SALLE PRIVÉE: The Private Side of Things

SALLE PRIVÉE is where the more private and higher-stakes poker-style action is hosted. It is not a room that every visitor can simply walk into. Access is usually handled through staff arrangements, or as part of a membership package that includes the use of private gaming spaces.

Nothing about SALLE PRIVÉE is openly promoted in terms of formats. You will not see public adverts for exact stakes, blind levels, or starting times. All of that goes through direct contact with the casino. The approach is in line with how traditional high-end gaming clubs in London have tended to run for years. Higher-value play is kept separate from normal traffic, and the environment stays much more curated. In practice it works in an invitation or pre-arranged style.

If you want to organise a session in SALLE PRIVÉE rather than just see what is running on the main floor, calling ahead is basically essential. Use the main casino number +44 (0)20 7495 5000 for gaming-related questions and to check whether private tables are available on your date. The restaurant and bar team handle their own bookings through +44 (0)20 7317 4743.