Ben Kingham
(ABF Adapted)

Bidding Box Regulations

A call is made by the player selecting the appropriate card from the bidding box and placing it on the table in front of them. Players should not touch any bidding cards before they have determined their call. Subsequent calls should then overlap neatly and evenly from left to right so that every call is visible and faced towards partner.

Alerts are made by saying “Alert” clearly and noticeably as well as placing an alert card on top of the alertable call. The alerted player must acknowledge the alert before their next call.

A call is considered made when a bidding card is removed from the bidding box and held face up, touching or nearly touching the table; or maintained in such a position as to indicate that the call has been made. Players should not hold, or remove and replace, bidding cards from the bidding box when under consideration as it may convey unauthorised information and restrict partner’s actions.

A call selected may be changed if, under Director consultation:

• it is determined that the call was selected unintentionally; or
• it is required by rectification following an irregularity; or
• it is a change following the correction of an opponent’s irregularity.

A player who removes his bidding cards from the table with the intention of passing is deemed to have passed.

All the bidding cards should remain on the table until after the opening lead has been faced, after which all bidding cards from all players are restored to the bidding boxes.

After the bidding cards are restored to their boxes a player may, at their first turn to play, require all previous calls to be restated. Only an opponent shall respond to this request.

https://abfevents.com.au/events/tournregs/ABFWBBBRegs2018.pdf

All players should take time to read the Rules on Alerting at the Bridge table.

Here is the ABF official document - it's quite readable, and there will be a test at the table! ()

All pairs should have a system card available for perusal at the table by each opponent.  
Blank cards are available at the RACV sessions.   The ABF standard form can be downloaded for completion and printing, from the ABF website here:  http://www.abf.com.au/member-services/system-cards/

Players can often feel guilt or intimidation over calling the director.  I urge you to bypass these feelings -  whenever an infraction occurs at the table, you must call the Director.

It is the role of the Director to maintain and restore equity of procedure and play.  Having the director at the table in times of dispute can also aid to restore emotional balance at the table.
Players should not attempt to make their own rulings or they will give up their rights to any potential rectifications they would have otherwise been entitled to.

It is good table manners to advise your opponents before calling the Director.
 

(Extract from the June VBA Newsletter ....) 

Rude behaviour by opponents is the one thing that will drive new players either back to the supervised or right out of your club.  People see ‘rudeness’ as the use of bad language, or saying unpleasant things to your opponents.  It’s more than that.  I’m sorry, but each of the following also constitute rude behaviour at the bridge table:

- Failing to greet your opponents at the start of a round
- Post-morteming a hand where you have gotten a bad result
- Calling the director without telling your opponents that you are about to do so
- Offering partner or opponent technical bridge advice

Behaviour that is not ostensibly rude can easily be seen as rude: it’s all in the eye of the beholder.   It’s actually hard to avoid rudeness, and many perfectly pleasant people can behave quite poorly at the bridge table.

So how to help those transitioning from supervised to cope with rude behaviour?   There are two ways:
First is to ‘pre-alert’ them to the fact that things won’t be quite as friendly in the duplicate as they are in the supervised. Forewarned is forearmed to a degree.
Second is of course to do all you can to promote good behaviour at your club. That’s a big topic, outside the scope of this article, but there is one thing you can do.

At any duplicate where someone from the supervised is competing for the first time, make an announcement at the start of the session about the newcomers and tell everyone to be welcoming and to look after them.

(Statement by the ABF ...)

Bridge enjoys immense popularity partly because of the high standards of ethics and etiquette which are observed by the players who are expected to conduct themselves in a highly civilised manner.

Violations of proper etiquette are quite common from inexperienced players, either through ignorance or inadvertence.  A well-mannered opponent who is the victim of a violation by such a novice player will, if comment is considered necessary, be at pains to make it clear that the comment is intended to be helpful and will never make a newcomer feel ill-at-ease.

Bridge is an extremely ethical game. All good players strive to ensure that their bridge ethics are impeccable and no more serious charge, other than outright cheating, can be made than to accuse a player of bad ethics.
Unlike poker, in which all sorts of mannerisms, misleading statements and bluff tactics are part and parcel of the game, Bridge is played with a ‘pokerface’!
Beginners are, of course, excused for their lapses and in social games nobody minds very much, but in serious competition your bridge demeanour must be beyond reproach.

When you are dummy, it is poor form to look at either opponent’s hand or at declarer’s. If you do, you lose your rights as dummy.  Do not stand behind declarer to see how you would play.
In tournament bridge, do not discuss the previous hand with your partner if another hand is still to be played.
After the play of a hand is over, do not take an opponent’s cards and look at them without asking permission.

As a kibitzer (onlooker) try to watch only one hand and above all, make no facial expressions during a hand. Do not comment or talk during or between hands. If the players want the benefit of your views, they will ask for them.

Conversation at the table in serious games is generally unwelcome. Post-mortems after each hand, if limited, can be useful as long as they seek to be constructive. It is best to keep all post-mortems until the session is over and you can go over the score-sheets with your partner at leisure. During the session, conserve your energies to do battle at the next table. It is extremely poor taste to abuse or criticise partner or an opponent.

Experienced players should go out of their way to make novice players feel at ease, so that they see bridge as a pleasant recreation, not a battleground. Never try to teach anyone at the table.

Never let a harsh word pass your lips and you will be a sought-after rather than a shunned partner. Prefer to say too little than too much. If partner has bid or played the hand like an idiot, say ‘bad luck’ and leave it at that. Do not harp on past errors.