JoAnneM

I am really ignorant, what are noobs? Am I one?

I have actually said something to opponents who did the "vwdp" thing to their partner after I screwed up a defense, only to find out that dummy was off putting the laundry in the dryer and didn't even watch the hand. Now I try to not let it bother me. I try even harder to not screw up the defense.

Who is Brian?

How do you know you are down 7 imps with 3 boards to go? I realize you know how many boards are left, but in what event do you know what the score is.

this is a 3h rebid by responder, not 2h. Did anyone notice the club void?

Definitely clubs, not nt. If partner had a spade stopper he would have balanced nt. If he has a strong nt he will bid it now.

10 years of online bridge? How about 17 years. Doesn't anyone except me remember the Imagination Network and the bridge you crossed to go into the "bridge house"? It was $10 per month way back then and had lots of great features, and very good players. I am sure there are some of them still around. And I joined okbridge in 1996 and it had a few thousand members on at one time then.

Can we go back to the original post? My understanding is that the stop card is used to require an opponent to bid "in tempo" after a jump bid. This is not a finite number of seconds. This is to mostly prevent quick passes. I believe this is confirmed in a NABC appeals case I read in a Bulletin (I don't remember which one) where the 10 seconds was considered a hesitation that carried UI, and that 5 seconds would have been considered "in tempo". Does anyone else recall this?

The reason you can't leave them out is that it would be a stop card for every bid!

I agree that too much bidding to arrive at a contract just tells the opponents how to defend the hand.

My club recently bought all new bidding card replacement sets from Baron Bridge Supply. As you know these are quite expensive. The Stop Card is smaller than any other card in the box. It lurks down there shorter than the Double card and is the same color. So, it slows down the game while players fumble for it, and you certainly cannot leave laying out on the table for when you might need it. It is just a big pain in the neck. And, I agree about following all the regulations. We have never waived any laws or regulations. We even require the NT announcement and most clubs around here do not.

Is it legal for a club to ban the use of stop cards? Can we just take them out of the bidding boxes? I am a director but too lazy to look this up. I am pretty sure we can waive some of these laws.

Bravo!

Masterpoints are my prize for playing well, of course I care I about them. I am not going to say I don't believe those who say they don't care, but "some" people think they come across as very sophisticated when they say they don't care. Also, masterpoints justify all the money I have spent on bridge, to my husband, a nonplayer. :rolleyes:

What irks me the most is conversations like this - "Sorry partner I didn't notice your jump": "Oh, sorry partner, I should have used the Stop card".

It is said that 25 million people in the US play bridge. Approx. 160,000 are paid up members of ACBL. Some would say the ACBL members are the elite players. I say that duplicate bridge is just a different form of bridge and we belong to the organized part of the game because of its ranking goals, club structure, and tournament play. There are probably non duplicate players out there playing at home who could rival the great players of our time but they just are not interested.

Isn't it true that the timing should start after the bid, not when the stop card is put away? The stop card actually should be put away before the bid, in my opinion. Put out the stop card, put it away, then make your bid.

Thanks for great answers. Vugraph has become one of my favorite topics.

Raising the silver to 75 will probably be the most difficult. Now there will be a clamour to have KO's at Sectionals. Ours does but we had to add an extra day.

"there is an inference that you are interested in bidding if you ask a question." I think this more than clouds the issue, it defines the issue. If you are not interested in bidding ask your questions after the auction is over. Asking questions during the bidding carries a very high risk of UI to your partner. Of course if you are a player who queries every alert (how completely boring) then there is no problem.

You will find this in the minutes of the ACBL Board of Directors meeting held in Las Vegas and it will be effective January 1, 2010. http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/about...082-Minutes.pdf Personally I think it is a good idea since masterpoints have become so cheap.

Hmmm, can tell I am a party of one here. I like fun, entertaining movies. I liked Knocked Up. The one movie that I will stop and watch anytime that it is on is Dave. I like anything made in the 30's. And I like anything that has my son's animations or is written or directed by my nephew.

I haven't heard much from Biden yet, but Michelle hit a homerun tonight, and Ted Kennedy was the best way possible to kick off the convention.

I am probably not a good person to be discussing this. I went back to college and graduated at age 40, simply as a personal quest. Who knew it would lead to a career as a corporate controller. Would I have had that without the degree? No, maybe I could have been a payroll clerk.

This is a silly thread, probably started by someone too lazy to go to college. And for those of you who drank and played through college you probably don't understand either. Knowledge is power. Knowing how to write code and press buttons is one thing, knowing how to communicate effectively, understanding the world and its cultures past and present so you can participate responsibly in the world you live in - that is what college is about.