Arrive 15 minutes early, in time to buy your entry, get coffee, find your table and settle in.
Not comfortable with electronic scoring? Ask to sit EW when you buy your entry.
Greet your opponents.
Concentrate, focus, pay attention, don’t be distracted.
Remember, it’s a timed event. Pace your bidding and play with that in mind.
Your convention card (identical to your partner’s) should be on the table.
Count your cards (13 is right) before and after play.
Don’t fondle the bidding box. When it is your turn, make a decision and make your call or pass.
Get your elbows, arms, hands off the table.
Sit back.
Count your cards face down before turning them over. Make sure you are seeing 13 cards. Arrange your cards using any system you like.
The opponents make a bid you don’t understand? Wait til the auction ends for an explanation.
Your partner makes a bid and opponent asks for explanation. If you don’t know, say so.
Make sure you know what gets announced or alerted.
On lead? Don’t detach your lead until you have made up your mind.
Hold the opening lead card face down until you’re sure you were on lead.
Partner on lead? Remember the exact card that was led. Figure out why.
Defending? Don’t detach a card from your hand until it is your turn to play.
Are you declarer? Take some time at the start to figure out a line of play.
Be ready to implement plan B if something goes wrong.
Are you the dummy? Partner will tell you what card to play. You must not play a card until declarer tells you to.
When the hand ends, make sure everyone agrees on the result.
Do not discuss results between rounds.
Got a great result? No High-5’s or other celebration. Save it for after the game.
Bad result? Be like a jet pilot; don’t look back. Move on.
Sarcasm (thanks for having to drop the Queen under my Ace) is not appropriate.
Editorializing (OMG, I’m in the wrong contract; I’m going down two) will only give your opponents heart. If your partner passed your splinter , just make the best of it.
