The Saspherton Klub is a private members' programme operated by Saspherton & Hertford Ltd. These Rules apply, in addition to our Terms of Service, to all members and their guests.
The Klub's purpose is the orderly enjoyment of members' card play, dining, and atmosphere at 22 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, London. The Klub is not a casino, a betting shop, an online gambling service, or any other form of gaming establishment. Members and their guests participate in social card play; table fees cover hospitality; prizes are exclusively in kind.
§ 1 · Membership
1.1 Membership of Saspherton Klub is open to any person aged eighteen or over of good standing. Application is made through the Klub Coordinator at klub@saspherton.co.uk or by post to the registered office.
1.2 Application requires (a) a completed Klub Application Form, (b) two character references from existing Klub members or from members of recognised European card salons or members'-clubs (where Saspherton has reciprocal-recognition arrangements), (c) a brief written statement (no longer than 150 words) of why the applicant wishes to join, (d) the £1,800 annual subscription on acceptance.
1.3 The Klub may admit, defer, or decline any application without giving a reason. The Klub aims to admit new members within twenty-eight days of application; in busy periods this may extend.
1.4 The Klub maintains a soft cap of approximately 240 active memberships at any one time. When the cap is reached, applications are placed on a waiting list in order of receipt.
§ 2 · Application
2.1 Applications open year-round.
2.2 Successful applicants are sent a welcome letter, a Klub-membership token (a small brass-and-cream card kept in a leather wallet, hand-numbered), and a paper copy of these Klub Rules.
2.3 Applicants whose membership is declined will receive an acknowledgement that the application has not been successful, without further explanation.
§ 3 · Klub-evening eligibility
3.1 The four cyclical Klub-evening formats are: Tuesday Card Evening (weekly), The Hertford Deepstack (monthly, last Friday), Marylebone Quarterly Sitting (quarterly, second Saturday), and The Hedera Hour (six times per year, first Friday of even months).
3.2 The Tuesday Card Evening, The Hertford Deepstack, and the Marylebone Quarterly Sitting are open to both members and non-members. Non-members may participate at any of these three formats by booking through the reservation system, subject to availability and to acceptance of these Rules.
3.3 The Hedera Hour is invitation-only for Klub members. Member invitations to The Hedera Hour are issued, six per year per member, by the Klub Coordinator approximately three weeks before each Hedera Hour evening. Members may bring one guest to one Hedera Hour per year, counted against the twelve-pass annual allowance.
3.4 Klub members may use the priority reservation window: bookings up to six weeks ahead. Non-members are limited to two-week-ahead bookings.
3.5 At each Klub-evening, table-allocations are determined by the Card Room Director (Helena Marchwood) in consultation with the Klub Coordinator (Felix Allardyce). Members are seated at the cards based on stated format preference, party affiliation (where indicated on booking), and balanced table dynamics.
§ 4 · Annual subscription and guest passes
4.1 The annual subscription is £1,800 per member per Klub year. The Klub year runs from 1 January to 31 December and is pro-rated for new members joining mid-year (£150 per remaining month, rounded to the nearest month).
4.2 The annual subscription includes:
- six Hedera Hour invitations per year (one per even-month first Friday);
- twelve guest passes per year (transferable to non-member friends, single-use, valid Tuesday through Saturday);
- the priority reservation window (Section 3.4);
- a 10% credit on Saspherton & Hertford Ltd-direct purchases (gift vouchers, take-away, take-home wine);
- a quarterly paper newsletter, posted by Royal Mail signed-for to the address on file.
4.3 Subscriptions are renewable on 1 January each year. Renewal requests are sent in early December; payment is due by 31 December. A late-renewal grace period of fifteen days runs to 15 January; failing renewal, membership lapses on 16 January.
4.4 Lapsed members may re-apply at any time; re-application is processed as a new application under § 1.
4.5 Guest passes are non-transferable to other members and cannot be banked across years. Unused guest passes lapse at the end of the Klub year.
§ 5 · Conduct
5.1 Members and their guests are expected to conduct themselves with consideration for other guests, for the salon's atmosphere, and for the staff. The salon reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to ask any member or guest to leave whose conduct is inconsistent with the foregoing.
5.2 Behaviour expressly prohibited:
- abusive or threatening language;
- intoxication beyond a level the manager on duty considers compatible with the salon's atmosphere;
- racial, sexual, religious, or otherwise discriminatory remarks;
- unsolicited approaches to other members or to staff;
- photographing or recording other members or the card-room tables;
- introducing third-party gambling materials, online gambling devices, or money-stake gaming kits.
5.3 The dress code is "smart casual". Sportswear, beachwear, and trainers are not acceptable in the Card Room or Dining Room. The Hertford Bar is more relaxed.
5.4 Members are responsible for the conduct of any guest they bring; guests must be eighteen or over and must be vouched for at reception.
§ 6 · Suspension and termination
6.1 The Klub Coordinator may suspend a member's privileges for up to three months following a serious or repeated breach of the Conduct Rules (Section 5). Suspension is communicated by registered post and by email; the member may appeal in writing within fourteen days.
6.2 The Klub Coordinator may terminate a member's membership following:
- a determination that suspension has been breached;
- a determination that the member has committed an act materially damaging to the Klub or to other members;
- a determination that the member has provided false information at application;
- the member's conviction of an offence carrying a custodial sentence.
6.3 In the case of termination, the unexpired portion of the annual subscription is not refunded.
6.4 Members may resign at any time by written notice to the Klub Coordinator. The unexpired portion of the annual subscription is not refunded on voluntary resignation.
§ 7 · Personal data
7.1 Personal data of members is processed in accordance with the Privacy Notice at /privacy/. The Klub Coordinator is the principal handler of member data within the Klub.
7.2 Members may request a copy of all personal data held about them by writing to dpo@saspherton.co.uk. Members may also exercise the rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, and consent-withdrawal rights set out in the Privacy Notice.
7.3 The Klub does not publish the names of members in any external context. Members are not identified by name on the website, in marketing materials, or to third parties, except in the manner expressly consented to by the member.
§ 8 · Responsible play
8.1 Saspherton & Hertford Ltd takes responsibility-of-play seriously. Members or guests who feel that their participation in card play has become problematic are encouraged to contact:
- BeGambleAware — https://www.begambleaware.org/ — the UK's leading independent charity for problem-gambling support;
- GamCare — https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ · 0808 8020 133 — confidential one-to-one support;
- GamStop — https://www.gamstop.co.uk/ — UK self-exclusion register for online gambling (the salon respects GamStop registrations and does not knowingly admit members on the GamStop register to its Klub-evenings).
8.2 The salon's age-verification process, eighteen-plus dress-of-house, and prizes-in-kind framework are all consistent with the principles of responsible play.
8.3 If a member or guest exhibits signs of distress or apparent loss of control during a Klub-evening, the manager on duty will quietly invite them to step aside, will arrange a taxi if requested, and will note the incident for the Klub Coordinator's review.
8.4 The salon does not advertise its Klub-evenings in display media using prize values, member names, or implied promises of return-on-stake. The salon does not publish jackpot values, average winnings, or "biggest prize" claims.
§ Closing note
These Klub Rules form part of the contract between you and the salon when you join the Saspherton Klub. By signing the Klub Application Form, you confirm that you have read and accept these Rules and the Terms of Service.
We look forward to welcoming you to the salon.
— The Klub, April 2026