Behind its own door, at the east end of the games floor
The Casino
Small by design: a casino of three tables — roulette, blackjack and punto banco, each with its own croupier — and a private salon for a party that would rather not share the floor.
- Open
- 20:00 — 02:00
- Tables
- Three, plus the salon
- Entry
- 18 and over, photo ID
Inside the casino
Forty-one square metres, three tables, one door
A casino gets its character from how many people can be in it at once. This one holds twenty-eight.
The casino sits at the eastern end of level −1, behind an entrance control of its own, so the billiard room next door never becomes a waiting area. Three tables stand under individual shades, there is a bar at the back with four stools, and one wall is glazed to the sunken garden — the only daylight the floor gets, and by eight in the evening it is the garden's own lighting coming back in. No machines, no screens, no music beyond what the floor bar is playing two rooms away.
The croupiers work a European dealing standard — announced calls, cards dealt face up on blackjack, chips cut and verified aloud. If you have played in Lisbon or in Estoril the rhythm will be familiar; if you have not, each croupier will take a hand through at a slower pace before the table opens properly at eight.
The tables
What is dealt, and when
Minimums and maximums are indicative and are posted at each table before play opens.
| Table | Game | Seats | Minimum | Maximum | Opens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table 1 | French roulette, single zero | 8 at the rail | 10 € | 2 000 € straight-up | 20:00 |
| Table 2 | Blackjack, six decks, dealer stands on soft 17 | 7 | 25 € | 1 500 € | 20:00 |
| Table 3 | Punto banco | 9 | 50 € | 5 000 € | 21:00 |
| The salon | Any of the three, dealt privately | Up to 10 | By arrangement | By arrangement | On reservation |
Single zero only. The house does not deal American roulette, and there are no slot machines on the estate. Chips are issued and redeemed at the cage inside the room and are not valid anywhere else on the estate.
The croupier's side
What the table looks like from the other chair
The shoe holds six decks and is changed on a published schedule rather than on a feeling. The tray in front of the croupier is cut for five denominations and is counted in and out at every shift change, in front of whoever is at the table.
Every croupier here deals in English and Portuguese; two also deal in French and one in German. The announcement is always made in the language of the table, and repeated in English if anyone at the table asks.
- Cards are dealt face up on blackjack, which removes most of the disputes before they start
- Chip cuts are verified aloud and the tray is on camera, as the licence requires
- A croupier will explain any call, any time, and will stop the table to do it
By reservation
The private salon
A fourth room off the casino floor, eighteen square metres, one table and ten chairs, with its own croupier for the evening and its own service. It is taken whole: there is no sharing it with another party.
The table is dressed for whichever of the three games you ask for, and can be re-dressed once during the evening. The room is reserved for a four-hour block from 21:00, and the house asks for the game, the party size and the limits in writing beforehand so the float can be prepared.
- Room
- 18 m², one table, ten chairs
- Block
- Four hours from 21:00
- Hire
- 400 €, redeemable against play
House rules
The things worth knowing at the door
Eighteen and over, without exception, and photographic identification is required every time — a passport, a national identity card or a driving licence. A room key is not identification.
The door keeps a record of entries as the licence requires. That record is covered by the same retention terms as everything else we hold, and is set out on the privacy page.
After 20:00 the rooms ask for a collar and closed shoes. No beachwear, no swimwear, no bare feet — which sounds obvious until you remember that the beach is four hundred metres away and the door is on the same level as the pool changing rooms.
No photography of any kind inside the casino, of the tables or of other guests. Telephones go face down or in a pocket at the table; calls are taken at the bar or outside.
This is not decorum for its own sake. Other people's privacy at a gaming table is the one thing a casino like this is actually selling.
Chips are bought and redeemed at the cage inside the room. They cannot be charged to a room account, cannot be used anywhere else on the estate, and are not transferable between guests.
Winnings are paid at the cage against the same identification used at the door. The house does not extend credit.
You can set a limit for the evening — a maximum buy-in, a time, or both — and ask the cage to hold it. They will, and they will not negotiate it with you later in the evening, which is the entire point of setting it early.
You can also ask to be refused entry for the rest of your stay, or indefinitely. That request is honoured in writing, takes effect the moment it is made, and no reason is asked for.
Casino play is entertainment and is priced accordingly; it is not a way to make money, and the odds on every table favour the house. If it stops feeling like an evening out, the room has the details of the Portuguese support and self-exclusion services and will give them to you without being asked twice.
The tables open at eight
The salon is reserved in writing; everything else is walk-in, with identification.