Table Manners

  • 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.
  • Bickering, bullying, issues involving laws — don’t settle it yourself. Call “Director, please”.
  • Post-mortems are for after the game is over.
  • Above all: Have fun!