More great stuff from the mid-week master, with some class clues along the way. A very enjoyable way to spend a bus journey to work.

Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
* = anagram

What a fantastic day this has been. In the morning, Times gave me so much problem (and pleasure). Now in my afternoon ( I do wish the FT can be made available earlier, like the Times and Guardian at GMT 0001hour) I struggled hard and long with all the trickery that Rev John Graham, OBE is throwing at us today.

Indeed, it was a very challenging and at the same time, entertaining puzzle.

Across
1 DRASTIC Cha of DR (doctor) ASTI (wine) C (circa, more or less)
5 *CANASTRA The starred answers are all connected with cards
9 SUGAR SUnk GARden
10 RAIN-WATER Perth is in Western Australia or WA. Thus the ins of WA in RAIN-TER *(trainer) I think ‘butted’ is a typo and should be gutted (rainwater flow through the gutter) BTW B and G are adjacent. Post Script - Apparently there was no typo, butted means being contained in a cask or barrel
11 *VINGT-TE-UN French for 21, similar to pontoon and blackjack
12 ALAMO According to the Medical Officer
13 *WHIST Ins of HIS in WT (weight)
15 *BLACKJACK a short leather-covered club with weighted head. The knave is the fourth highest card in a pack, after Ace, King and Queen
16 PRECISELY Cha of PRECIS and ELY
19 TRAMP TRAM (vehicle) P (piano or quietly)
21 NASAL N/A Sal (ly)
23 ROSE PETAL *(Peter also)
25 ORANGEMAN Cha of ORANG (Utan) EMAN (rev NAME or title)
26 KNELT KNEL, homophone for knell (ring) + T (short time)
27 NIGHTLY Homophone for knightly (chivalrous)
28 ABRIDGE A BRIDGE game

Down
1 DISAVOW Cha of DI (little girl) SAVOUR (taste) - UR (ancient city) + W (west)
2 ARGENTINE Ins of GENTIAN minus A (a missing flower) in ARE
3 *TAROT Odd man out in the series of card games. Cha of TA (thanks) ROT (nonsense)
4 CARD TABLE Cha of CARD (eccentric) TABLE (list)
5 COIGN Homophone for COIN (money or finance)
Chambers : coign of vantage = an advantageous position.
6 *NEWMARKET a card game in which the stakes go to those who succeed in playing out cards whose duplicates lie on the table;
7 SITKA Sitka spruce, a fir tree Charade of SIT (take your place) K (king or monarch) A
8 AIRLOCK Another creative clue from the Master. Hair and lock are what cover your head and bubble trouble is an inspired definition
14 TAIL LIGHT This reminded me of “big head small backside”
16 ABYSSINIA I am not sure about this clue at all. The two asterisks must be a typo since I cannot find this country described anywhere as a card game. Post Script Apparently, there IS a card game called Abyssinia, a variant of poker
17 APARTHEID A PAR THE ID A formulaic clue
18 *PONTOON same as blackjack and vingt-et-un (see above)
20 PALETTE Ins of LET in PATE
22 SLANG Ins of N in SLAG
23 *RUMMY RUM MY (compiler)
24 *POKER An inscrutable face?

A clever &lit and near &lit or two made this a pleasant pastime to enjoy alone. As it were. Especially, 16D. Although there’s the obligatory Britclue which escapes me (13A).

Across

Down