Pull up a chair, we'll deal you in
We run six tables inside the old Barrier Silver Exchange on Argent Street, where brokers once weighed parcels of ore before they went south to the smelters. The scales are gone; six felt tables stand in their place, following the one rule Ces Doyle set when the lease was signed: nothing is ever played for money. There is no online play on this website — every hand of five hundred, euchre or crib is dealt right here, in Broken Hill, and chips carry no value beyond the table. Members only, eighteen and over.
Pull up a chair and deal yourself in
One rule came first, before a single table went in: nothing on the felt is ever played for money. Ces Doyle, a checker at the old Barrier Silver Exchange, set that rule the day the lease was signed and never once bent it.
Doyle took on the empty counting-house in 1974, once the ore had thinned out and the scales had gone quiet, and put down the first felt table where the ledger desk used to stand.
We've kept to that one rule ever since: six tables, one house dealer, chips that count points and nothing more, every hand played here in person.
One house rule
Nothing on the felt is ever played for money — Doyle's rule, still ours.
Six tables
Five hundred, euchre, crib, bridge and a friendly hand of whist.
House dealer
We keep one dealer on the floor so the count stays honest.
Members only
Eighteen and over, photo ID checked at the door, every time.
Come and find the room
Address
290 Argent Street, Broken Hill NSW 2880
Phone
+61 8 8087 3416 · club@wattlecourto.com
Hours
Wednesday to Sunday, five in the afternoon until one in the morning
Read the house rules first
We check photo ID at the door for members and guests alike, eighteen and over, every single time.
We take no bookings online and run no app — every seat is claimed here, in person, at the room.
Chips are for scoring only in our room; they carry no cash value and are never bought, sold or exchanged.
We run no poker machines and allow no wagering of any kind — five hundred, euchre, crib, bridge and whist, all for points.
Our house dealer's count is final at every table; we settle disputes before the next hand is dealt.
We ask for quiet phones — save the flash photography for the gallery, not the felt.
We keep one rule above the rest: nothing here is ever played for money.
We reset the felt every Monday and Tuesday, so the room stays closed those two nights.
Order a tea, keep your hands free for cards
Get a tea or coffee sorted before the hand starts — that's the one rule we ask everyone to follow at the counter.
We keep no kitchen and no menu here: a plate of cheese and crackers does the rounds after nine, and that's the extent of the catering.
Nothing behind the counter touches the felt — chips stay with the cards, and drinks stay at the counter.
Short list
Filter coffee, a pot of tea, soft drink for the drive home.
Late plate
Cheese and crackers after nine, nothing more elaborate.
Kept separate
Chips are never exchanged at the counter, or anywhere in the room.
Ask us before you come
- How do we find the room from the highway?
- Argent Street runs off the main route into town; we're in the stone building near the old rail yard.
- Is there parking nearby?
- Free street parking runs the length of Argent Street once we open the doors at five.
- How do we pay at the door?
- Cash or card both work for the door fee and anything ordered at the counter.
- What age do we need to be?
- Eighteen and over, no exceptions, and we check photo ID on every visit.
- Can we walk in without booking?
- Most nights, yes — we only ask larger groups to call ahead.
Look inside before you visit
Take a seat at any of six tables
Each table seats up to eight, felt stretched tight and re-chalked every fortnight by whoever loses the last rubber of the night.
Five hundred fills the two long tables by the window; euchre and crib run along the back wall, and a quieter table keeps bridge going most Sunday afternoons.
On the odd Friday a table clears for poker among friends — no buy-in, no cash on the felt, points only, and our house dealer sits in to keep it that way.
Five hundred
Two tables running most nights, partners drawn by card at the door.
Euchre & crib
The back wall, where the regulars keep score in pencil, not points.
Bridge & whist
A slower corner for those who'd rather talk between tricks.
Pick a night, any night
Five hundred, two tables, partners drawn at the door
Euchre league, we keep the running score
Crib and a friendly table of poker, points only
Five hundred and bridge, both long tables running
Whist afternoon, quieter tables, tea at the counter
Room closed, felt re-chalked for the week ahead
Room closed, no bookings taken
Count what's changed since 1938
No pokies, no prize money, no app — just a fixed set of tables, a fixed set of house rules and a dealer who already knows how you take your tea.
Come and claim a table
No account, no app and nothing to load — just turn up after five, eighteen and over, and we'll find you a seat at whichever table is running.
Find the room