Online Bridge Etiquette

[Allegro]

One of the first things I learned in rubber bridge (before I learned duplicate) was not to gloat when a mistake in bidding or play by the opps gave my side a positive result. When I began to play dulplicate, this was even more important since the opps were usually strangers. The "rule" was and still is to wait to share happiness with partner about the positive result until we had left the table.

 

Aside from the occasional rude, abusive player, the thing that bothers me the most about online bridge is when an opp, usually dummy, says "VWDP" when his partner was handed the contract or overticks by a bonehead play by me or by my partner. This happened to me tonight when I gave the opps an overtrick by a poor discard. Since its effects were immediately clear to everyone there, and I was embarrassed, I apologized to partner. Yet dummy, who is "advanced," congratulated partner as if he had played brilliantly.

 

Are "bridge manners" different Online from in clubs or tournaments? I should add that this breach of manners happens quite often on the Zone than here. I play here most of the time now.

[inquiry]

Try to remember, dummy may have gotten up and walked away while the hand was being played. Perhpas he went to get some refreshment, maybe to watch a few minutes of TV, or to take a personal hygeine break. When he left, maybe he was sure his pratner as down and was stunned to see that his parftner made it.

 

If not, maybe he mistaken thought his partner had you in a squeeze. Or maybe he thought his partner cleverly played for a pseudosqueeze that you feel for. So maybe, he thought his partner did something clever.

 

Having defended you opponent, I will now say, I agree with you. There is entirely too much vwdp, etc being spewed about when totally unjustified and potentially embarrashing to the defender.

[Rain]

As well as declarer...I feel really horrible when partner says "wdp" when its hardly the case. And vice versa and all...however, I try to look at a person's intention before I get too annoyed, lol.

 

Did that dude mean to be sarcastic? Or did he/she genuinely want to be nice and say gtp (when you miss an obvious play). On the whole I believe people are nice. The bad ones are all banned anyway!

 

R.Dog :D

[Allegro]

[Did that dude mean to be sarcastic? Or did he/she genuinely want to be nice and say gtp (when you miss an obvious play). On the whole I believe people are nice. The bad ones are all banned anyway! ]

 

No, the defender wasn't being sarcastic, just happpy to have gotten a good score, but unfortunately, at my expense. It seems to stem from a lack of bridge etiquette or from very poor manners. Or general thoughtlessness. One would expect advanced+ bridge players to use their common sense.

 

It would be useful if this sort of thing were covered in the guidelines.

 

BTW, rude players may be banned but I have encountered 3 of them this week. I play about 2 hours a day, so that's not a bad percentage, but when it occurs at your table, the game loses some of its lustre.

 

Thanks...

[irdoz]

I used to get annoyed by the 'vwdp' - particularly when you'd misdefended or misplayed. However. in my experience 99.99% of these vwdp's are typed by people who do not know better and who do not know it is a breach of bridge etiquette. On the zone it is very common - and there it is mostly done by weak players with the (good) intention of making their partner feel good and who actually think they are being a polite and well mannered partner.

 

The best strategy when these 'vwdp'. 'nto' etc. acronyms appear inappropriately is to deliberately not 'see' them. Reacting to them may make you lose focus...then the thoughtless produces an undesired outcome on you. In the vast bulk of cases I do not beleive this is deliberate rudeness. And very often a vwdp will be produced by the same person when their partner has made say 10 tricks in a 4 major contract, matchpoint scoring, when they were cold for 11 tricks. Have a chuckle about it...and focus on the next hand. While I know it can be annoying, there's a lot more important things worth being annoyed about.

[BurnKryten]

I read a post by Gil Comeau on rec.games.bridge.okbridge that addresses this better than I ever could:

 

Re: Comments at the Table

 

In short, give people online some slack. It can be hard, especially in new partnerships. Most people are not trying to be rude.

 

John

[mr1303]

I disagree that it is a breach of bridge ettiquette to say wdp if your partner makes a contract through misdefence.

 

If I make a contract, be it through good luck or good play, I would like my efforts to be acknowledged by my partner, and would consider it ruder for my efforts to be ignored. Especially so, if either I or my partner had overbid (as happens fairly frequently), and we knew we'd overbid, then knowing that your partner was not angry at your bidding relaxes you, and enables you to play well on the next board.

 

There are times in a new partnership, where I have said wdp, even when the contract was cold and the play simple, and my partner has told me not to say such things as they are "insulting" to the opponents. I certainly do not feel relaxed in this situation, and generally do not play for much longer at the table.

 

If people take offence to comments such as well done, there are plenty worse things that someone could say that are more worth taking offence about.

 

Mark

[luke warm]

I disagree that it is a breach of bridge ettiquette to say wdp if your partner makes a contract through misdefence.

 

If I make a contract, be it through good luck or good play, I would like my efforts to be acknowledged by my partner, and would consider it ruder for my efforts to be ignored. ~snip~

Mark

the thing is, if the contract is made not thru your good efforts but thru errors by the opponents, i don't see the point in seeking acknowledgement

[badderzboy]

My view of the subject is there is nothing wrong in congratualting people on making an easy contract or because of bad defence making a difficult one.

 

The rule of thumb I use is wdp or gtp when it's a straight forward hand OR opps make a mistake and is simply being polite.

 

In the BIL I will always encourage partner or opps regardless of ease/difficulty of the contract because it is a friendly environment and people are learning to play.

 

Use of stronger english like Vwdp or great defence opps with a tough hand well played or well defended ie when I really mean it.

 

My partner and I will discuss afterwards hands well or badly played so we take the other comments with a pinch of salt.

[paulg]

Like many I'm pretty relaxed about the wdp/vwdp abuse that goes on although personally avoid it unless partner has done something positively good. I feel that most people are doing it automatically and independent of actual events, as if congratulating partner solely for finishing the hand so that we can play the next board :D

 

I'm more pleased to report that I rarely see any disparaging comments to the opposition on how they could do better - this would be a far more serious offence.

[JRG]

With my regular partner I tend to stick to "Thank you" when dummy goes down and (usually) "Good luck" when I am dummy.

 

Occasionally I'll throw in a "Nice try" or "Well done" when I think it is deserved.

 

On the other hand, I'm more liberal with saying "Well done" or "Well bid" when it is directed to the opponents (even if partner or I made a "mistake"). I feel this is especially important if I think the opponent(s) is new to the game or to online bridge.

 

I'm also a little more encouraging of beginner and intermediate players that I play a few hands with. Often the implication is really, "That was better played than you have been -- you are improving, GREAT!". Unfortunately that might be condescending and it is a lot to type. When I get the chance, I will often tell someone I know is trying to learn, that they are improving (or not doing as badly as they sometimes seem to think they are).

 

I've more or less got to the point that I ignore opponents' chat of "vwdp" or similar. I think they are pretty meaningless, much in the same way way as when someone says to me "Nice weather we are having" or "How are you?". 99% percent of people, including friends and acquaintances don't REALLY want to know how I am -- they are simply making small talk (I stink at small talk!)