The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word CARD TABLE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
A
R
D
T
A
B
L
E
More clues leading to the result CARD TABLE
- Spooner’s wire covered by pitch where hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds are used.
- Diamonds that can be transported outside – you’ll find some on this
- Where happy families brag and patience may be welcome
- Bridge playing here, warranting caution, takes time
- One in recreation room playing darts mostly! Boring guy
- Eccentric to suggest smooth surface for bridge?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "where hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds are used" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case where hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds are used = card table.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.