bidding boxes falling among other things

[Fluffy]

At my local every evening there is at least 2 bidding boxes meeting the floor if not some glasses or stuff.

 

The main hazzards for bidding boxes and other things are women's bags, women's jackets and foulards.

 

Is this only common in my local? have you found a solution to this?

[Elianna]

At my local every evening there is at least 2 bidding boxes meeting the floor if not some glasses or stuff.

 

The main hazzards for bidding boxes and other things are women's bags, women's jackets and foulards.

 

Is this only common in my local? have you found a solution to this?

What is a foulard?

 

And I find that men's elbows are just as hazardous to bidding boxes as women's purses.

 

And why are women's jackets hazardous to them and not men's jackets?

 

It sounds like you should just bar women from your club.

[PhantomSac]

At the nationals here there are metal bars that you can stick into the side of the table, and then attach the bidding box to, so that they can't be knocked off the table.

[gwnn]

I think foulard is a scarf.

[barmar]

At the nationals here there are metal bars that you can stick into the side of the table, and then attach the bidding box to, so that they can't be knocked off the table.

It's not that hard to knock them off the bars.

 

But the more common problem there is that people seem to have trouble closing the bottom of the bidding box properly. So even if the box stays attached to the bar, the cards often slide out of them.

[PhantomSac]

At the nationals here there are metal bars that you can stick into the side of the table, and then attach the bidding box to, so that they can't be knocked off the table.

It's not that hard to knock them off the bars.

 

But the more common problem there is that people seem to have trouble closing the bottom of the bidding box properly. So even if the box stays attached to the bar, the cards often slide out of them.

Yeah I agree people forgetting to close the bottom is the biggest problem, but it's still far better than without the bar where people constantly knock the boxes over imo.

[matmat]

And why are women's jackets hazardous to them and not men's jackets?

Real men don't wear jackets. :ph34r:

[Free]

It's very rare in all my local clubs, so it must be something Spanish.

 

Solution: don't allow women, nothing falls to the ground and you have a higher level of bridge (joking) :blink:

[Ant590]

This probably happens once every two sessions in my local club. IMO the likelyhood is directly proportional to the amont of debris on the table --- not uncommon to find cups of tea, system notes, convention cards, scorecards on the tables :S Small side-tables are certainly the way forward.

[Fluffy]

At my local every evening there is at least 2 bidding boxes meeting the floor if not some glasses or stuff.

 

The main hazzards for bidding boxes and other things are women's bags, women's jackets and foulards.

 

Is this only common in my local? have you found a solution to this?

What is a foulard?

 

And I find that men's elbows are just as hazardous to bidding boxes as women's purses.

 

And why are women's jackets hazardous to them and not men's jackets?

 

It sounds like you should just bar women from your club.

because 90% people at my local are women, and because men's jackets are tight, and women's are loose.

 

Maybe its a cutural thing, but women have a much more things hanging from them here than men.

 

But you are right, women were responsible yesterday of the 3 falls so I was a bit biased, my elbow has been guilty many times as well. The last time when I was trying to a stop a player from looking at a pack of cards wich wasn't hers :blink:

[helene_t]

Maybe its a cutural thing, but women have a much more things hanging from them here than men.

Sound like I need to go back to anatomy class :blink:

[Hanoi5]

On Wednesday this same topic came up in a class I had and I told my students a solution but it's also a business idea so I don't think I'll let it out for free...

[shyams]

On Wednesday this same topic came up in a class I had and I told my students a solution but it's also a business idea so I don't think I'll let it out for free...

Using iPads for bidding? with lots of fancy interface between 4 iPads :) :)

[jjbrr]

old people are clumsy and uncoordinated imo

[helene_t]

Young people are wild and careless imo. Accidentally hitting the bidding box when demonstrating their new baseball bat. Those kind of things.

[jjbrr]

touche

[CSGibson]

Maybe its a cutural thing, but women have a much more things hanging from them here than men.

Sound like I need to go back to anatomy class :)

LOL!

[Aberlour10]

Steel boxes are the only way out. Toledo Steel!!!

:)

[mycroft]

It isn't a real tournament until I do at least one round of bidding box solitaire.

 

Add to the list: beer bottles, pulling convention cards out from under them, moving them off the table and missing the side table, coats - remember this is winter in Canada, here, coats are *big* and frequently held over the arm when going to one's seat,...

 

Oh, and misjudging the distance to the bidding row. I do that about once or twice a year. Probably literal lack of dexterity (leftie, you know).

 

But the worst is those insanely dangerous alert strips you're supposed to 'tap' on the ACBL standard boxes. Luckily they disappear in a year or two of use, because their only use is to knock over the box, either on purpose, due to an overeager 'tap', or accidentally, when moving one's hand to the 1C opener.

[jdonn]

I would never have guessed what a foulard is.

 

I think men are responsible for most bidding box mishaps. They are usually the ones scrambling around the room like crazy people, bumping into the edges of tables.

[PhantomSac]

old people are clumsy and uncoordinated imo

Ban old people and women, it's agreed :(

[blackshoe]

And young people and men.

 

Have we left anyone out? Bar them too!

[Benoit35]

Here we put a chair at the South-East corner and one at the NW corner of the table for coffee cups, novel-sized convention cards, etc. to minimize table clutter. It doesn't prevent all accidents - we have our 75-year-old left-handers just like everyone else - but it helps.

[Siegmund]

I don't care for the metal bar solution - if something happens to those boxes they head straight for the floor, while one on the table you have a few inches before it goes over the edge.

 

Another solution is larger tables. One club I regularly attend plays on tables 4 feet across; our local sectional is at a site that provides round tables nearly 5 feet across (reaching the boards in the center of the table is a stretch sometimes - but there's no shortage of room for bidboxes, convention cards, and drinks!)

 

More practical at most sites, probably, is benoit's extra-chair (or end-table) solution. Two clubs in my area provide these - one has nice little wooden tables about 16 inches square that one of the members made (see a picture if you are curious); the other bought cheap plastic stacking tables the same size, and puts two of them next to each card table.

[jdonn]

Let's just bid verbally without the bidding boxes. Someone should have thought of that a long time ago!