tepsi

I can only speak for myself. I'm a relatively new player, and there are only two bridge-related reasons for my delay in making a bid: (1) I'm trying to figure out if/what to bid - sometimes it takes me as long as 10-15 seconds to count points and tricks, or (2) I'm trying to figure out what my opponents' bids mean. Of course, in online Bridge, there are the additional possibilities of connection trouble, or external distractions (e.g. phone rings, knock at the door, children misbehaving, etc.) I'm not even a sophisticated enough player to understand how a hesitation in bidding COULD give away unauthorized information. On the other hand, I can easily see how hesitating during the play can be deceptive (e.g. before following with a singleton). I'd appreciate if someone would explain how bidding hesitation can be used for unfair advantage. Thanks.