[jillybean]

ACBL - two very experienced opponents.

(P) P (1C) 1S
(P) P (X) 2S
(X)**

In the first two rounds doubler passes in tempo, when the double card is played it is placed on the
table and held there by the little tab, doubler looking intently at partner. The auction continues,
the double card is still being held.
(X) P (3C) AP

"Partner!! this was a penalty double", partner "I know but...."

This type of infraction is making me think twice about playing at a club, you simply can't call them on it
although if the auction had gone X P P P I think I would have.
Meanwhile, I feel contrained by my partners little hitches etc and probably bend over backwards to not take
any advantage of it.

[Fluffy]

lol today at the club I had a lol making this:

(1♥)-2♠-(3♣)-3♠
(pass)-pass-(4♣*)

4♣ was made after hesitating and somehow the lady would never total release the bid, and when she did she kept her hand around it. 4♣ was passed out for a 100% pick for them, but not before she asked me to see a card played on a trick after everyone turned their cards. She got offended when I refused to

Next board:

(2♣)-2♦-(2♠)-pass
(3♥)-pass-(3♠)-pass
(4♠)

now the 4♠ bid was throwed to the table to estate that it was final, 4♠ made exactly for 75%. I couldn'resist and at some point I told her that she should make every call exactly the same and keep her hands "quiet"


Well, I am professional, I have to play in the clubs, and I am not so sure it is good for my image to get into arguments with all lols, but I don't se why you wouldn't have some fun making director struggle for his wage.

[bluejak]

jillybean, on 2012-October-13, 10:30, said:

ACBL - two very experienced opponents.

(P) P (1C) 1S
(P) P (X) 2S
(X)**

In the first two rounds doubler passes in tempo, when the double card is played it is placed on the
table and held there by the little tab, doubler looking intently at partner. The auction continues,
the double card is still being held.
(X) P (3C) AP

"Partner!! this was a penalty double", partner "I know but...."

This type of infraction is making me think twice about playing at a club, you simply can't call them on it
although if the auction had gone X P P P I think I would have.
Meanwhile, I feel contrained by my partners little hitches etc and probably bend over backwards to not take
any advantage of it.

You don't call the TD for every little misdemeanour in a club, certainly. I let opponents get away with a lot.

But this one is different: to call the TD is completely automatic at any level of the game except novice/beginner games.

[Cyberyeti]

bluejak, on 2012-October-13, 18:12, said:

You don't call the TD for every little misdemeanour in a club, certainly. I let opponents get away with a lot.

But this one is different: to call the TD is completely automatic at any level of the game except novice/beginner games.

Welcome to Norfolk, worse happens at most sessions and the directors do nothing about it, and people wonder why I don't play much club bridge. Now my club has decided they won't pick people for club representative teams who don't play enough club bridge, so I'm playing less and less.

[Bbradley62]

It sounds like bidder when out of her way to do the right thing. Maybe after the game she appropriately chastised her partner for such shenanigans.

[Bbradley62]

Of course, if I had been to offender's left, I would have asked "Is it my turn now? Are you done holding that double to get your partner's attention?" In metro-NY we could get away with such things; they'd kick me out here.

[aguahombre]

Bbradley62, on 2012-October-13, 20:09, said:

It sounds like bidder when out of her way to do the right thing. Maybe after the game she appropriately chastised her partner for such shenanigans.

Exactly. NEXT.

[jillybean]

Bbradley62, on 2012-October-13, 20:09, said:

It sounds like bidder when out of her way to do the right thing. Maybe after the game she appropriately chastised her partner for such shenanigans.

aguahombre, on 2012-October-13, 22:20, said:

Exactly. NEXT.

Ah, no need to call the director because we hope this players partner will point them to the laws after the game. This is playing nice.

The reason given for not passing the double was 'I didn't have my opening bid' nothing to do about "doing the right thing"

[Trinidad]

Bbradley62, on 2012-October-13, 20:09, said:

It sounds like bidder when out of her way to do the right thing. Maybe after the game she appropriately chastised her partner for such shenanigans.

That is perfectly possible.

I can still laugh about a similar case. I played against 2 very experienced players who normally never played together.

At MPs, I held something like:

♠Kxx
♥AKQJxx
♦AQ
♣Kx

and opened 2♣ as dealer. My partner responded with the one bid that I didn't want to hear: 2♥, immediate double negative. We were the only pair in the whole room (if not the whole country) who played 2♥ as double negative, so it meant that in a heart contract we were going to be the only one who had the weak hand play it, so I decided to rebid 2NT which I got to play.

Now, LHO starts asking about 2♣:
"What does 2♣ mean?"
- "Strong and artificial, and 2NT shows 22-24"
"But does it say anything about clubs?"
- "No, it doesn't say anything about clubs. It just shows a good hand."
"So it doesn't say anything about clubs?"
- "No, it doesn't."

She leads a small spade, my partner puts a Yarborough in the dummy and RHO wins the ace. With a smile on his face he thinks for about 10 seconds, and returns a spade. LHO is extremely agitated as I put down the king. RHO winks his eye at me. I take my 8 tricks, and as the hand is over, RHO "innocently" says to me: "You had six hearts? You rascal." as he winks again. Now LHO calls the TD since I bid 2NT with an unbalanced hand. And 2NT hadn't been alerted. The TD does what he needs to do: explain that if I bid 2NT more often with a six card major, it will become an agreement and needs to be alerted.

The TD is ready to leave the table when my RHO says: "Oh yeah wait... I also did something wrong..."

And as we all turn to him and wonder what he possibly could have done wrong, he says:

"I forgot to alert my partner's questions."

Rik

[aguahombre]

Jilly:

IMO, we should pick our shots. In this case, the double IS a penalty double regardless of the gyrations of the opponent to make that clear; and her partner pulled it anyway. How about at least waiting for a situation where someone makes use of UI?

[Fluffy]

Trinidad, on 2012-October-14, 01:08, said:

That is perfectly possible.

I can still laugh about a similar case. I played against 2 very experienced players who normally never played together.

At MPs, I held something like:

♠Kxx
♥AKQJxx
♦AQ
♣Kx

and opened 2♣ as dealer. My partner responded with the one bid that I didn't want to hear: 2♥, immediate double negative. We were the only pair in the whole room (if not the whole country) who played 2♥ as double negative, so it meant that in a heart contract we were going to be the only one who had the weak hand play it, so I decided to rebid 2NT which I got to play.

Now, LHO starts asking about 2♣:
"What does 2♣ mean?"
- "Strong and artificial, and 2NT shows 22-24"
"But does it say anything about clubs?"
- "No, it doesn't say anything about clubs. It just shows a good hand."
"So it doesn't say anything about clubs?"
- "No, it doesn't."

She leads a small spade, my partner puts a Yarborough in the dummy and RHO wins the ace. With a smile on his face he thinks for about 10 seconds, and returns a spade. LHO is extremely agitated as I put down the king. RHO winks his eye at me. I take my 8 tricks, and as the hand is over, RHO "innocently" says to me: "You had six hearts? You rascal." as he winks again. Now LHO calls the TD since I bid 2NT with an unbalanced hand. And 2NT hadn't been alerted. The TD does what he needs to do: explain that if I bid 2NT more often with a six card major, it will become an agreement and needs to be alerted.

The TD is ready to leave the table when my RHO says: "Oh yeah wait... I also did something wrong..."

And as we all turn to him and wonder what he possibly could have done wrong, he says:

"I forgot to alert my partner's questions."

Rik

This guy is my hero

[sailoranch]

aguahombre, on 2012-October-14, 04:07, said:

Jilly:

IMO, we should pick our shots. In this case, the double IS a penalty double regardless of the gyrations of the opponent to make that clear; and her partner pulled it anyway. How about at least waiting for a situation where someone makes use of UI?

Or we can have the director yell at the opponents so there isn't a next time? This was an experienced player who should know better, and the director needs to have a word sooner rather than later.

[Bbradley62]

jillybean, on 2012-October-14, 00:25, said:

The reason given for not passing the double was 'I didn't have my opening bid' nothing to do about "doing the right thing"

That is likely what I would say in front of the opponents. But later, in private, I could read partner the Riot Act.

[Bbradley62]

Was I the only one who read OP's "very experienced opponents" description as subtle/polite for "who drove over from Shady Pines for tonight's game"?

[jillybean]

sailoranch, on 2012-October-14, 13:40, said:

Or we can have the director yell at the opponents so there isn't a next time? This was an experienced player who should know better, and the director needs to have a word sooner rather than later.

This is what should happen but it is so uncomfortable calling the director for this type of infraction, no one does.

Bbradley62, on 2012-October-14, 14:12, said:

Was I the only one who read OP's "very experienced opponents" description as subtle/polite for "who drove over from Shady Pines for tonight's game"?

There was no innuendo intended.

[barmar]

Bbradley62, on 2012-October-14, 14:12, said:

Was I the only one who read OP's "very experienced opponents" description as subtle/polite for "who drove over from Shady Pines for tonight's game"?

I interpreted it as "who should know better".

[billw55]

Funny stories.

Personally I draw a very hard line between club games and tournament games. At club I let this stuff go, it's a just an evening out for most people. At tournaments, zero tolerance, and willing to call director every board if I need to. In practice, the people doing these things at club seem to rarely show up at tournaments. I think most tournament players either learn to knock it off, or stop coming to tournaments.

Nevertheless, people probably have examples from tournament play, which may be even more amusing.

[Vampyr]

billw55, on 2012-October-15, 14:26, said:

Nevertheless, people probably have examples from tournament play, which may be even more amusing.

Well, I was at a major tournament, playing with a promising junior whose partner was much less experienced than she. My partner overcallled 1NT, and when asked I explained it as 15-18 balanced. At his next turn he overcalled 2NT, and the turn after than he overcalled 3NT. When asked, I said that we had an agreement only about the 1NT overcall, that it was 15-18 balanced. Promising junior said, "Well, it's not that now, is it".

[Vampyr]

jillybean, on 2012-October-14, 14:59, said:

This is what should happen but it is so uncomfortable calling the director for this type of infraction, no one does.

why?