Most duplicate clubs offer
a social, friendly atmosphere, but the bridge played there is a competition, so
the players follow rules designed to ensure an even playing field.
There are Rules and
Etiquette.This is mostly about Etiquette. There are a lot of very specific rules about leading out of turn, revoking etc but the beginner doesn't need to know them in detail. If in doubt call the Director.
Below is a rough survival
guide.
You are expected to play the
boards in a reasonable amount of time,about 7 to 8 minutes per hand
To give yourself maximum
time for the play, try to score quickly and move promptly when a new round is
called.
Limit the discussions.
During the round, try to
keep conversations short to save time for playing the remaining boards
The hand you just finished
will be played later at other tables, so it's important that others in the room
not overhear anything that might affect their bidding or play of the hand.
Lead
first, write later.
When you are the opening
leader, three people at the table are waiting on you to start the play. If you
want to write down the contract in your scorecard, do so after you have made your
lead, while dummy is putting his cards down.
Make your opening lead
face-down.
This gives partner a chance
to ask questions if he needs information about the opponent’s bidding. It also keeps
you from leading when it isn’t your turn. If it wasn’t your lead, someone will
tell you and you can replace the unseen card in your hand.
Stay in your seat if you're
dummy.
You’re actually a
participant, so stay at the table to turn the cards for your partner You are allowed to warn partner if you think he is revoking
or leading from the wrong hand.
Play your cards in tempo.
Try to play in an even
tempo, without hesitations that can give away information about your hand. When you play to a trick, place your card on the table in front of
you. Don’t show your satisfaction or lack of it.
If you decide to claim make
sure you state what you are going to do and only at an appropriate time. Wait
until it is your lead and say “I’m playing xyz to take the remaining trumps and
then my hand is high ” or similar- Claiming saves time and is a courtesy to your
opponents, who will appreciate it if you quickly end a routine hand but Be careful- there
are some players who will take advantage of a mis-stated claim. It is best, particularly , if you do not know your opponents, to play the hand out until you can make avery simple claim
And be very careful not to claim unless you are 200% sure there are no trumps remaining in the opposition hands.
Make your bids in an even
tempo
Try not to use mannerisms that
might convey unauthorised information.
If you have a tough
decision to make during the bidding or play, you’re entitled to take extra time
to think.
Your partner, however, cannot take advantage of the knowledge
that you had a problem.
He must
bid his hand normally, ignoring any information that might be suggested by your
pause for thought. In these situations, the partner of the player who hesitated
should take care not to make any bid or play that might have been suggested by
the hesitation. In most cases, but not all, if your partner thinks for a while
and then passes, you should pass too, unless that would be a totally illogical
action with your hand.
For example, suppose you
open 3 ♠ and your left-hand-opponent bids 4♥ Your partner thinks for several seconds,
then passes.
No matter what action he was considering, you must make your normal bid of Pass. On the other hand suppose you open a
Strong 2 ♣ with ♠ AKQJ10xxxx, ♥void, ♦AK
♣ xx.
Partner bids 2 ♦ (Negative or relay it doesn’t
matter), next hand passes and you bid 2 ♠ (Absolutely forcing)
Next hand
bids 3 ♥ and partner hesitates for say, 5 seconds.
Back to you- Would
you have bid 4 ♠ if partner had passed in tempo?-
Yes of course you would- Then you are allowed to bid it in spite of the
hesitation. There will be situations where you think you are entitled to bid
and both the opponents and, more importantly, the Director thinks you weren’t. In
these instances it is only the Director’s opinion that matters. Accept his
decision unless you are really convinced that you are right, as in the example
above, in which case you are allowed to appeal.
Don't be offended if your
opponents call the director after a hesitation, especially if you think a long
time and then pass. The director was not called because you violated a rule --
it's a standard practice that protects everyone's rights, yours and theirs
Make the best use of
bidding boxes.
If your club uses bidding
boxes, decide on
your bid before you place your hand near the box. If you're still thinking
when you start touching the bidding cards, you may inadvertently communicate
unauthorised information to partner. If, for example, you start to pull the 2 ♦
card and then change your mind and pull out the Pass card, that may suggest
that you have "almost enough" to bid 2 ♦. This amounts to thinking out
loud, and it puts a lot of pressure on partner to ignore it and bid his hand
normally.
As you pull cards from the
box, look at the top card to be sure it’s the bid you want to make.
Occasionally, your thumb may slip and you'll pull out a wrong card. If this
happens, you're allowed to take it back; just say sorry I pulled the wrong
card or similar as soon as you see the wrong card and replace it with the
correct one. Note that this applies only to mechanical errors, not to mental
ones. If you intentionally pull out a bidding card and then change your mind,
no matter how quickly, you are not allowed to change your call.
Place your bidding cards on
the table in the same way you place your played cards -- overlapping, so everyone
can see all the bids you have made in order. Be sure that you don’t communicate
any extra information by tossing the cards.
Be familiar with the Stop
Card warning.
When an opponent makes a
jump bid, you may be surprised to see a red Stop Card go on the table This is a way of warning the next bidder that a
higher-than-expected bid is coming. The warning gives you extra time to plan
your action.
Place the red Stop card on
the table first, and then make your bid. Leave the Stop card there for about 10 seconds,
then remove it and place it back in the bidding box.
After your right-hand
opponent makes a Stop Bid, you should study your cards for around 10 seconds
(or until he picks up the Stop card), and then make your bid.
Use the "Alert"
procedure if you play special conventions.
If you and your partner use
conventions that are not part of Standard bidding, you must "alert" your
opponents to this fact when one of these bids comes up during an auction. To do
this, the partner of the person who made the conventional bid takes the Alert
card from the bidding box and ensures that both opponents can see it
The next player to bid can
then ask you about the meaning of your partner's bid.
.
1NT opening bids. Since
different pairs play different point ranges for 1NT, the partner of the 1NT opener
announces the point range ("15 to 17" or "12 to 14", for
example).
If your opponents use an
Alert, you can look at their convention card or ask them what it means.
To save time and be
courteous, wait until it’s your turn to bid before you ask questions.
If the explanation doesn’t
affect your bidding decision, wait until the auction is over to ask questions.
Rely on the director’s
help.
Call the director. The players should never make their own
adjustments for revokes, leads out of turn, insufficient bids or any other
irregularities. The director is there to do it for you, so call if anything unusual
happens.