Club Etiquette and Procedures

POINTS OF LAW, ETIQUETTE AND PROCEDURE

This list is prepared mainly for the benefit of new members. While most existing members will already be aware of the majority of these points, we hope that the list will provide a useful reminder. More experienced players are asked to be tolerant of those who are still learning their way around the intricacies of duplicate bridge and to provide gentle help and guidance where necessary.
       
​         General procedure and keeping to time
  • Please aim to arrive at 7.15pm to be seated by 7.25pm for a 7.30pm start. If you arrive after 7.25, please do not expect to be accommodated since the movement will probably have already been set up.
  • Dress code is smart casual.
  • Please switch off your mobile phone or set it to silent mode.
  • When you arrive at the table , please greet your opponents or introduce yourselves.
  • Once your opponent’s arrive, do not carry on a discussion about the previous round!
  • Always count your cards before looking at them. If you don’t have 13 cards, call the
    director.
  • Leave the board in play on the table, pointing in the right direction until the hand is
    finished. This makes it much more difficult to put the hands back in the wrong slots
    afterwards.
  • When you’re on lead, make your lead face-down in case your partner wants to ask a
    question.
  • Try not to take too long over calls or when playing a card. Best practice is to always
    try and play in tempo.
  • It is discourteous and unfair to keep other pairs waiting.
  • Unless dummy has left the table, declarer should never touch dummy’s cards, even
    to rearrange them.
  • As declarer, if you can clearly see that all the remaining tricks are yours, claim them
    rather than play on. You must specify clearly your line of play, including a statement
    about drawing any remaining trumps.
  • At the end of a board, make sure that all players are agreed on the result before
    putting the cards away. South should enter the score and East should verify it.
  • Don’t spend time talking about a hand until you have finished all the boards in that
    round. If you do want to discuss a hand at the table, do it very quietly (otherwise
    people who haven’t yet played it might hear you).
  • It is East’s responsibility to make sure that boards are passed on to the correct table
    at the end of each round.
​          Bidding and Play
  • Avoid looking directly at partner or opponents or their hands during the bidding and play
  • Use the ‘STOP’ card when making a jump bid (including opening bids) Leave it on the table for 8 seconds then put it aside.
  • During the bidding, you can only ask an opponent for an explanation of a bid made by their side when it’s your turn to call. You must ask the partner of the player who made the bid, not the player who made it.
  • The opening lead should always be made face down. Once the opening lead has been made it can’t be changed.
  • Do not criticise your partner, or make any comment or suggestions to the opponents. Do not offer advice, unless you are asked for it. The only comments you should make are things like “Well done”, “Nicely played” or “Bad Luck”. Do not offer advice like “Why didn’t you...?
  • Make sure both sides agree on the number of tricks won and lost before you collect up your cards. If there is a disagreement, identify the tricks that are in dispute and turn over those cards.
  • If there is any hesitation in the bidding or the play, the partner of the player who hesitated must be very careful not to draw any inference from this and must bid/play as he/she would have done if there had been no hesitation. This is particularly the case if a player hesitated during the bidding and then passes.
  • You should not say anything about the hand while the auction is in progress, or during the play – unless asked for an explanation of a call, or lead/signaling/discard system, by an opponent.
  • You should not touch other players’ cards. You may ask them to show you.
  • You should shuffle your cards after the hand before returning them to the board.
  • Thank your opponents at the end of the round and move promptly to your new
    table.
  • Don’t forget to enjoy the game!
         Calling the director
  • Do call the director at any time if there is a problem during the bidding or the play – he or she is there to help, so don’t try to sort things out yourselves. The director is there to make sure that any problems are dealt with fairly and consistently.
  • Please call the director in a courteous manner. Agree the necessity or politely explain to your opponents the reasons for calling the director first.