Guide for Members
Duplicate Bridge (pairs)
Monday night
Tuesday night
Wednesday night
Thursday afternoon
First Thursday in month - Gladys Palmer Championship and Handicap Teams of Four.
Rubber Bridge
Rubber bridge is played on the third Wednesday of a month, 1pm to 4:15pm. Entry in pairs or singly.
Secretary's Hours
The Secretary will be in attendance at the clubrooms between the hours of 8:00am and 12 noon, Mondays to Fridays.
Smoking Not Permitted
Smokers must go outside the clubrooms before starting to smoke. No smoking is allowed within the clubrooms at any time.
Car Parking
Players are asked to park between the marked lines and to fill the park form the rear first.
Parks alongside the building should be vacant until all spaces on the side away the clubrooms are
filled (so that these angle spaces can be backed into). Backing a car up against the building itself is not
permitted as exhaust fumes blacken the building's paintwork.
Hours of Play
Play commences at 7.30pm on Monday to Thursday nights. Players must be seated by 7.25pm. Thursday afternoon play commences at 1pm and players must be seated by 12.50pm.
Entry for Play
Lists are provided at the bottom of the stairs to record entries for Wellesley Pairs and any Swiss Pairs event. All teams events require entry in advance of the first session.
Name Tags
Members are asked to wear a badge with their name at all sessions.
Table Seating
For all Club events, except where there is permanent sitting status, there shall be a cut of the cards (or a toss of a coin)
with the higher card (or winning call) giving that pair the right to be North/South and sit, or to be East/West and move.
Table Clearance
Except on Monday nights, tables are to be cleared, cloths straightened and bidding boxes or pads returned to the directors table.
Systems
Only authorised systems shall be used and, unless specifically requested otherwise, conventional bids shall be alerted.
Only Green, Blue and Red systems (per definition in NZCBA Manual) are permitted to be played in club sessions, with a
further restriction that, on Monday and Wednesday nights, only Green and Blue systems may be played.
Results on Website
Percentages from the four regular sessions of duplicate are posted on the club’s website - www.polehouse.co.nz/vbc - by
about 10 o’clock the following morning
Beginners’ Lessons
The club runs two series of lessons for those wishing to take up the game. These comprise a set of ten lessons over ten weeks,
followed by two or three weeks of special practice sessions, and usually commence in the last week of February and mid-July.
Use of Bidding Cards
When bidding cards are used, each bid made should be left displayed until the auction is complete.
Opening leader (after asking any questions) should make their lead face down so that the other defender and/or
declarer can also ask questions while all bids are on display. When the opening lead is faced, all bidding cards should be returned to their boxes.
This does not preclude leader’s partner or declarer asking for a complete restatement of the auction (partial restatements are not permitted)
before they play a card to the first trick, nor for any player (other than dummy) to ask at any trick, when it is their turn to play, what the contract is.
Bridge Recorder
A bridge recorder is an experienced player who is available for informal advice, whether this be about an issue of play, bidding or etiquette.
Any member of the club may contact the recorder to help them decide whether to take an incident to formal appeal, or just to report a concern
about another member's behaviour (at or away from the table). Communications with a recorder remain strictly confidential to that person alone.
Victoria's bridge recorder is currently Tony Thomson.
Etiquette
The following acts should be avoided:
- Continuing to talk when the director is speaking, or not listening to instructions given by the director.
- Varying bidding calls (eg, Pass vs. No Bid) or varying the way a bidding pad is marked, or bidding card is displayed.
- Looking intently at any other player during the auction.
- Bidding with excessive haste or reluctance, including marking a bidding pad with special emphasis.
- Passing or doubling with excessive haste or reluctance.
- Bidding when there is still a Stop Card in front of you (put out by your right-hand opponent).
- Making a call with undue delay which may result in conveying improper information to partner (including 'hovering' over a bidding box and/or choosing a bidding card and then replacing it).
- Indicating by facial expression or in any way showing approval or disapproval of partner's call or play.
- Giving by word, manner or gesture an indication of the hand held.
- Giving unauthorised information as to an incident of the auction or the play.
- Giving unauthorised information by asking leading questions; questions that imply a certain distribution of your own hand.
- Asking questions about an opponent’s opening bid (especially one level openings) when this has not been alerted.
- Volunteering information which should be given only in response to a question.
- Attracting attention to the score or the number of tricks won, or the number of tricks still required for success.
- Playing a card with special emphasis, or playing a card with undue delay when it does not need consideration.
- Detaching a card from one's hand before it is one's turn to lead or play, or detaching a card and then replacing it.
- Looking intently at another player’s hand to observe the place from which a card is drawn.
- Preparing to "gather a trick" before all four hands have been played.
- Making remarks or mannerisms which may deceive the opponents.
- Showing an obvious lack of further interest in a deal.
- As dummy, touching a card unless directed to do so by declarer.
- As dummy, leaving the table during the play of a hand, without first asking permission to do so.
Slow Play
Bridge is a timed competition. All players have an obligation to try to complete all deals played on time, so that they are ready to move when the next call is made.
There are many ways to avoid wasting time but most of these boil down to planning ahead (both in bidding and play) and anticipating the actions of others.
Being aware of the time left to the next move or that the next table are waiting for the board on your table should avoid dead times and thus speed up play overall. Once the number of tricks are agreed, all four hands should be returned to their slots immediately.
Finally, it is worth remembering that a director’s independent assessment of slow players is always more reliable than those players’ own assessment of the time they have taken.
Responsibilities
South - writes in the score
East - checks the score and initials the traveller
West - moves board and him/herself ASAP
North - ensures correct board is played
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