Family Friendly Bridge Club
St Camillus Church, 1175 Concord Turnpike
(Route 2, Exit 132 (Formerly 57)), Arlington
Family Friendly Bridge
St Camillus Church, 1175 Concord
Turnpike (Route 2) in Arlington MA.
Here are some simple playing tips to incorporate into your game.
They are polite ways to keep the game moving, making it pleasurable and low stress for us all.
1. Pick the right section for you. If you prefer playing fewer hands with more time to spend on each one, please play in the Leisure section. Points are the same in both sections, and we can always accommodate players in either seciton.
2. Watch the clock. If you are falling behind, do everythign you can to catch up, no matter who is at fault. The biggest time culprit is talking about hands that are over. Don't do it!
3. When defending, think about your opening lead early in the bidding process when you can. If you are and partner are silent during the auction, you can often start thinking then.
4. When on lead, make your opening lead before writing the contract down.
5. When dummy, put the cards down quickly & efficiently before writing the contract down.
6. Claim the hand when you can, explaining how you are going to play the cards.
7. Don't talk about the hands until after the game. It takes up so much time, broadcasts information to others who have yet to play the hand, & keeps you from focusing on the hand you are about to play. If someone at your table won't stop talking about hand, it is fine to politely ask them to save the conversation for after the game.
8. Unless you may want to bid, wait until the end to ask for explanations about alerts.
9. When the round is over, move promptly to the next round. If you are still playing, be sure to send the finished boards to the next table (or ask someone to get you a board if necessary).
Practicing these simple, thoughtful habits will make our games better for everyone!
Snow & Flu Season Reminders
SNOW: Above all, when driving conditions are difficult, please be careful & safe & don’t take any chances. Stay home & practice on your computer (BBO (http://www.bridgebase.com/ ), or cook a soup, read a book, make some music, or do something else fun! You can always play bridge another day.
In case of game cancellation, Bob will send an email out at least 2 hours before game time, and the cancellation will be posted here. If the game isn't cancelled, Bob will be there and we'll either have a game or Bob will give a private bridge lesson.
COLDS & FLU: If you have a cold or the flu, please do not come to bridge. You will be jeopardizing the health of everyone. Flu is very dangerous and even possibly fatal to some individuals. Please be respectful to everyone & play bridge some other day. Thank you.
BBO Information
Please read and understand the following:
To call the Director, there is a blue box in the top left corner with 3 white bars. Click on the box, call director and type in opponent is not answering my question. The director will come to the table and resolve. I want all my players to call the director for any irregularity. We don’t want players making their own rulings at the table – especially when they complain about it later.
To inquire about a bid: you can click on the bid in question, then type “What is your agreement about this bid?”.
The opponent’s response will go to you alone. If there is a problem at this point, call the Director.
Please do not type any explanations/alerts to Table Chat, where your partner can see.
Doing so risks the receiving of an adjusted score - if “damage to opponents” is found from the
“unauthorized info” being passed in the Table Chat.
Alert your bids: If opponents have special agreements and they properly Alert them, you will see the bid with an explanation on the top right of your green table area. Note: the partner does not see the explanation, but you and your partner do see the explanation. If you need further information, click on the bid as in the paragraph above. Note: Failure to Alert a “special agreement” can result in an adjusted score that will benefit the injured parties. But ACBL has determined that bids higher than 3 NT do not require “Alerts” - because it is better to ask for explanations of these bids at the end of the auction. You can still ask questions about any specific bid, especially if you are considering to make a bid.
Slow Play: If you encounter a “slow player”, be kind because they may be new to BBO. If you feel there will be a “time problem”
by the end of the round, please call the Director. If you don’t call the Director, don’t complain about it later. The Director will now be aware of the problem, and will probably monitor the table. If you are consistently a “slow player” over more than 1 table, the Director has the duty to penalize you for “Slow Play” and points can be taken away from you. “Slow Play” is penalized at physical clubs in the same way.