Conversation

[nicegirl]

My partner has trouble concentrating on his bridge when people are talking at the table. Are the opponents allowed to continue their discussion after he has taken his cards from the holder?

[barmar]

L74A2:

A player should carefully avoid any remark or action that might

cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might

interfere with the enjoyment of the game.

L74B2:

As a matter of courtesy a player should refrain from:...making gratuitous comments during the auction and play.

[bluejak]

So the answer is no in effect. But how to go about it in practice is a question. For many - including me :) - bridge is a chatty game, and it is quite normal to chat. Best in my view is to say something simple like "Hey, guys, I have difficulty concentrating, can we keep it quiet now please." Of course, if they will not shut up then you might have to do something stronger, eventually calling the TD.

[peachy]

One solution is to put your hand down on the table and wait for them to finish their conversation. Reasonable people will "get it" and maybe even apologize, and those who don't stop need to have TD ask them to stop. I would not do or say anything at a club, only in serious competition. If it is my partner who is having the focus problem, it is his problem and he should be the one to deal with it, one way or another.

[mycroft]

The only time I have felt the need to write up a recorder form was for the gentleman that talked throughout the round, every round (I had played against him before, and he did the same thing every time I was there). I asked him to stop, and he ignored me. I reiterated my request (phrasing it no longer as a request), to no avail. I called the TD, and explained. He asked the gentleman to stop talking, save for bridge, until the end of the round. When I called the TD back (guess why...) over and above what the TD did, I asked for a recorder form.

 

I can't say for sure that he did it because he could concentrate through the discussion and many of his opponents couldn't; but bringing it to the attention of the Recorder allowed him to investigate. Never played against him after that; don't know if he still does that.

[axman]

The only time I have felt the need to write up a recorder form was for the gentleman that talked throughout the round, every round (I had played against him before, and he did the same thing every time I was there). I asked him to stop, and he ignored me. I reiterated my request (phrasing it no longer as a request), to no avail. I called the TD, and explained. He asked the gentleman to stop talking, save for bridge, until the end of the round. When I called the TD back (guess why...) over and above what the TD did, I asked for a recorder form.

 

I can't say for sure that he did it because he could concentrate through the discussion and many of his opponents couldn't; but bringing it to the attention of the Recorder allowed him to investigate. Never played against him after that; don't know if he still does that.

I'll point out that yakking during a hand involves intimidation and distraction. Along with rummaging through purses, painting one's face, consuming food, making notes on a scorecard. And for you poker players it creates tells [you know, those gesters that pard might be able to read about what he is thinking].

 

Which is to say that the person who is yakking as well as those who are participating are not paying much attention to the important stuff. And that means that they are going to use additional extra time for their bidding and play.

 

This is what I do: Nothing. I merely wait for everybody to be ready to play. Whatever they are doing must be more important so let them finish it and they'l be more ready to speed along the things you feel are important. This way they are most likely to do their best and do it a lot sooner, and almost always within the time allotted no matter how many boards behind we are at the beginning of the round.

[bluejak]

Yakking does not necessarily involve intimidation. I tend to play a social game, and find my opponents often wish to do the same. If anyone does not like me talking, I shut up. But playing a sociable game as this you need to look at the circumstances before you decide whether a player who chats is doing so for intimidation or not, and whether they are upsettihg opponents or not.

[JoAnneM]

I am all for a chatty game also, but it must be before the cards come out of the trays. If the opps are still talking I just sort my cards and wait. If I am dealer I will ask "Is everyone ready?" Another thing, I do not put my first bid on the table until everyone has sorted their cards. I like even the first bids to be in tempo. So my cards might be sorted but they will be face down on the table until everyone is ready to start.

 

And, it's always nice to chat after the round is over while waiting for the round to be called. You do all wait for the round to be called, right? :D

[jillybean]

I dislike chatty games. In particular the players who have finished their round and now chat and walk around, raising the noise level in the room and distrupting those still playing. This is one of the challenges Ive found moving from online to live bridge - so many distractions from noisey players!

[JoAnneM]

Did you ever notice how some voices carry and others don't? And, of course, the accoustics of a room make a huge difference. To the bathroom or directly to the refreshment table, that's the only place they should be headed. And a good director will not be placing playing tables anywhere near the refreshment table.

[mycroft]

from Hurry Up and Think - the rest of which isn't all that appropriate to this thread:

 

Greeting the opponents: too many of us don't greet our opponents. But some of us do so with such profusion that by the time the first bid is finally made, other tables have played three tricks already. The happy medium is to greet and pull cards from the slot simultaneously. This keeps everybody happy. If someone wants to tell a story, fine, but don't let it hold up the bidding. Correct form is something like "...so Freddie went up to the officer and said 'Sir, I respectfully--redouble--I respectfully submit that...'" If you are not confident in simultaneously bidding and being the jovial raconteur, simply mention that you have a funny story to tell after the round, and almost certainly you'll have time--trust me.

 

I like a chatty game, around the cards. It quietens down except for between hands, but sure. And yes, some people talk because it's more distracting to the opponents than to them. I don't like them. The number of the garrulous that fit in that category are, like all the deliberately improper at the table, very small.

[blackshoe]

You do all wait for the round to be called, right?  :)

I do. Most players around here do not. The TDs don't generally keep control of the movement either, with the not unexpected result several times that half the field is a full round ahead of the other half. :(

 

We have a TD here who has the bad habit of waiting until sometime during the first or second round, and then saying, loudly, "now that it's quiet, I have a couple of announcements..." I hate that. I've told him so. He still does it. <_<