The best table for cards isn’t the one with the newspaper on it.
Maybe you’ve been watching shrimp boats along the Intracoastal Waterway. Maybe the seafood came home in a perfectly respectable paper bag. Either way, if you’re planning a boil at the beach house, keep one table dry from the start. Cards, dice, and a heap of shells can all contribute to a memorable dinner. They do very different things to a tablecloth.
Put a few chairs around a clean table in the adjoining room. Friends who finish early can wander over for a trick without hurrying the last person through supper. If the host wants one show for everybody, let coffee and dessert be the invitation to change rooms.
Find out who’s giving the toast.
I like to let that person go first. They can thank the cook while everyone is still together; I can take over without competing with the evening’s reason for gathering. If there’s only one table, tell me that too. I’ll plan to start after it’s cleared instead of making your guests choose between a final shrimp and an honest view of a dishonest deal.