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1. Before You Begin Any Play At All:
a. Sit at a table. b. Get your unique & permanent pair number from the table marker. With fewer than 5 tables, you will be playing Howell movement , sometimes being North-South, and other times being East-West. With 5 tables or more, you will be playing Mitchell movement where North-South never moves & East-West moves from table to table. With Mitchell movement, your pair number will be your beginning table number, plus your playing direction. IN EITHER CASE, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE THROUGHOUT THE GAME. c. LISTEN to the director tell you how many boards are to be played in a board group for each round. d. LISTEN to the director tell you how many tables there are, and how many rounds are to be played. e. From the table marker, identify what board numbers in the board group are to be played on your 1st round, shuffle & deal those boards (along with any others provided by the director). Return any boards not to be played in your 1st round to the director. 2. At The Beginning Of Each Round: a. Check the table marker to verify that you are sitting at the correct table, with the correct pair number opposite you, and with the correct group of board numbers for the round you are about to play. 3. Before The Bidding Of A Hand: a. Check to see that the board to be played is pointed in the correct direction, ie, with the arrow pointed toward North. b. Make sure that board number on the traveler slip (which should be in the North pocket) agrees with the actual board number. c. Upon removing a hand from its pocket, each player is to count the number of cards in the hand without looking at them to assure there are 13 cards. d. Check the board to see who is dealer & vulnerability. 4. During The Bidding Of A Hand: a. Wait for your turn to bid. A bid out of turn requires calling the director. A bid out of turn can be accepted by the opponents. But if rejected, the partner of the offender is barred for one round of bidding . There may also be lead penalties imposed. b. If you bid, it must be suffcient (ie, more than the previous bid). You are allowed to make your bid sufficient as long as it’s in the same suit. If you change suit, the director should be called. c. If you are going to pass, do so quickly. Do not hestiate and then pass. d. Non-Standard bid agreements between you and your partner are alertable. If your partner makes such a bid, then you must alert it. No trump, direct queue bids, stayman, & jacoby are not alertable. e. At your turn, you may ask the partner of the maker of a bid what is meant. The maker of a bid must not explain his own bid. f. At your turn or at the end of the bidding, you may ask for a review. 5. During The Play Of A Hand: a. If you are the player designated as the opening leader, before you lead, place your lead card face down and ask “Are there any questions”. b. After the opening lead, the dummy is to place his hand exposed on the table with trumps on his right. c. Upon the first exposure of dummy’s hand, count to assure that it has 13 cards. Dummy cannot revoke, because all players are responsible for it’s content. d. The dummy is not to participate at all in the game. The dummy is not to query the opponents about their play, including “I didnt see your card, what did you play”. The only query the dummy can make is to the declarer if he shows out of a suit. Dummy must not queue the declarer what-so-ever. |
5. Play Of A Hand - CONTINUED
e. A card is considered played when it touches the table, or if a defender can see his partner’s card, or if the player indicates it as played, or if declarer pauses after calling for a card from the dummy, or if the dummy plays a card not called for. f. Any lead out of turn can be accepted by the opponents either verbally or by the opponent to the left of the offender playing as if it were a correct lead, or by the declarer spreading his own hand as if it were dummy. A rejected lead out of turn by the declarer is simply returned to his hand. A rejected lead out of turn by the defenders becomes a penalty card which is left exposed face up and played at the first proper opportunity. In addition, the declarer can invoke lead penalties wherein he can insist upon the lead or bar the lead of that suit. g. A revoke is correctable up to the point that the offending pair has not played to the next trick or if it occurs in the 12th or 13th trick. If made by declarer, there is no penalty card. If made by the defenders, the mis-played card becomes a penalty card. h. A revoke becomes established once the offending pair has played to the next trick. Score penalties are then imposed, usually resulting in the loss of 2 tricks. i. Do not throw your cards into the middle or mix them with the other players cards. Keep them in front of you, pointing the card of each trick in the direction of the winning pair. j. A trick is done once all the players have turned their cards over, at which point no review is allowed. k. If you are declarer & claim, you cannot deviate from your stated intentions. The defenders are allowed to reject the claim and have the hand played out. 6. At The End Of The Play Of A Hand: a. Each player should recount their cards before placing the hand back in the board pocket. b. North-South should immediately complete the traveler score sheet (and the board group input slip if required) for the board just played, before engaging in any conversation. ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED ON THE SCORE SHEETS ARE: 1) THE BOARD NUMBER. 2) THE PAIR NUMBER THAT PLAYED THE CONTRACT AS DECLARER. 3) AN INDICATION OF WHICH DIRECTION PLAYED IT. 4) THE LEVEL & SUIT OF THE CONTRACT, INCLUDING DOUBLED/REDOUBLED STATUS 5) THE TRICK RESULTS , which are the total tricks taken over book, or the number of under tricks preceeded by a minus. 6) The RAW SCORE. c. No one is to distract the score-keeper. Do not demand to see the score sheet until the score has been entered. d. East-West must review the entree on the score sheet assuring that the board & contracting pair number are correct. e. North-South should check to assure that the board number appears clearly on the outside of the folded traveler slip and insert the travel slip into the North’s pocket of the correct board. 7. At The End Of The Round: a. North-South passes the board group on as indicated by the director. With Mitchell movement, the board group will go to the next lower table number from yours. b. Wait for the director to call the next move. Do not go to the next table until the next move is called. c. Do not talk loudly, because other tables may still be in play. d. Before moving on to the next table, check the table marker to see where you should be playing next. With Mitchell movement, only East-West will move to the next higher table number, unless there is a “SKIP”, in which case East-West goes to the table just beyond the next higher table. |