Your opponents are psyching.

[Lord Molyb]

Both sides playing SAYC in matchpoints:

[hv=pc=n&s=sakt9876hkj96dqcq&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1sp2spp3dp]133|200[/hv]

You're already mad at your opponents, but before you do anything you must finish bidding. What do you do now?

[gszes]

4s

 

Has to be to play as we cannot suddenly be looking for slam via splinter

or exclusion. P chose to balance with 3d a dangerous come back vs double

which is a lot more flexible. That means p most likely has a serious flaw in

their distribution that prevents them from using x and IMO increasing the

likelihood of them having at least some spade length.

[RMB1]

You're already mentally slapping your opponents but before you take any action against them ...

What have opponents done wrong that deserve "slapping" and have "action" taken?

 

4♠ looks a reasonable shot now.

[JLOGIC]

I really don't think 4S is natural here, I would guess it was some kind of bluhmer (eg hands with 4 small or 5 small spades and a great diamond fit). I will pay off to the first seat white psyche working out this time, I hope it encourages them to keep doing it against me.

[Lord Molyb]

What have opponents done wrong that deserve "slapping" and have "action" taken?

 

4♠ looks a reasonable shot now.

removed offending parts

[Finch]

I think I just have to let them get away with this.

4S is the right call if it's natural, but first seat psyches are so rare that partner won't work it out, he'll think we have something like xxxxx x Axxxx KQ (although perhaps we should bid 4H on that hand).

[RMB1]

removed offending parts

Sorry if my post appeared bullying.

 

Just trying to make the point that psyching is not necessarily illegal.

 

Merry Christmas

[Lord Molyb]

Sorry if my post appeared bullying.

 

Just trying to make the point that psyching is not necessarily illegal.

 

Merry Christmas

I know, I've psyched before (to very good results)

[Fluffy]

since all people wil be on 4♠ the only way to catch up at MPs is 3NT and that's what I'd try. At IMPs 3♥ might be better. Whatever we do we cannot pass, we want to make RHO bid as many rounds as possible, and after first round spade bids will become natural.

[losercover]

let the director sort it out. I would expect to be awarded an average plus.

 

people just don't psych once and their card likely doesn't say frequent pyches.

[bigbenvic]

4♠ and why did I pass 2♠?

 

It can't be slam try as I cannot have a hand that good that passed 2♠.

 

I'm thanking partner for balancing and hoping he trusts me!

[Lord Molyb]

4♠ and why did I pass 2♠?

 

It can't be slam try as I cannot have a hand that good that passed 2♠.

 

I'm thanking partner for balancing and hoping he trusts me!

What would you do over 2♠?

[Bbradley62]

let the director sort it out. I would expect to be awarded an average plus.

Why would you expect that? Is psyching against the rules at your club?

[Fluffy]

Why would you expect that? Is psyching against the rules at your club?

 

Even if it was, I'd bet there is no law against pulling the wrong card from the bidding box.

[losercover]

Even if it was, I'd bet there is no law against pulling the wrong card from the bidding box.

 

First of all, the topic said the opponents were psyching. You shouldn't be penalized for their actions. I would call the director and the director would speak to me privately and then talk to the one spade bidder privately and determine what was going on. Most of my play was in sectionals and regionals. I work and where I live the only club games with a decent number of tables are in the morning and afternoon.

 

We play 19-21 NT range. 2NT rebid is 17-18 and a 1NT rebid is 13-16 instead of the normal 12-14. We've had the director called on this and for a while the responder announced the NT range on the 1NT rebid, like they do on the opening 1NT. Finally, after discussing this with multiple directors we didn't need to announce the range on the rebid anymore.

 

I have called the director to register psyches before and for this example I don't think the director would let it slide if it was intentional.

[bigbenvic]

What would you do over 2♠?

 

Not Pass!

Double is an option (I have 4♥)

3♠ would be a stopper ask, so that's out, 4♠ as strange as it is has to be to play.

 

What would a 4♠ direct bid be? Some kind of voidwood? Since I don't play that it's natural. Partner is going to struggle to believe me but it can have no other meaning for me.

[blackshoe]

First of all, the topic said the opponents were psyching. You shouldn't be penalized for their actions. I would call the director and the director would speak to me privately and then talk to the one spade bidder privately and determine what was going on. Most of my play was in sectionals and regionals. I work and where I live the only club games with a decent number of tables are in the morning and afternoon.

 

We play 19-21 NT range. 2NT rebid is 17-18 and a 1NT rebid is 13-16 instead of the normal 12-14. We've had the director called on this and for a while the responder announced the NT range on the 1NT rebid, like they do on the opening 1NT. Finally, after discussing this with multiple directors we didn't need to announce the range on the rebid anymore.

 

I have called the director to register psyches before and for this example I don't think the director would let it slide if it was intentional.

Unless there is evidence of a CPU, the TD can do no more than record the psych - which is afaik a very unusual procedure in the ACBL. As for mentioning psych frequency on the back of the score card, last I checked that's not legal in ACBL-land.

 

BTW, psychs are always intentional - if the action was not intentionally a psych, it wasn't a psych at all.

 

AFAIK you should never have been required to announce your 1NT rebid range, nor to alert it.

[losercover]

Unless there is evidence of a CPU, the TD can do no more than record the psych - which is afaik a very unusual procedure in the ACBL. As for mentioning psych frequency on the back of the score card, last I checked that's not legal in ACBL-land.

 

BTW, psychs are always intentional - if the action was not intentionally a psych, it wasn't a psych at all.

 

AFAIK you should never have been required to announce your 1NT rebid range, nor to alert it.

 

I started playing bridge in the late 50's and didn't play from 2000-2010. There was a section on the card that mentioned pysch frequency . I see that is no longer there. If the psycher's partner knows that his partner psyches regularly, shouldn't the opponents have that information?

 

"Excessive Psychic Bidding —

 

When three or more psychic When three or more psychic initial actions by members of a partnership have been reported in any one session and are called to the attention of the Director, the Director should investigate the possibility that excessive psyching is taking place. A presumption of inappropriate behavior exists, and it is up to the players to demonstrate that they were not just horsing around. It is up to them to show that they happened, this once, to pick up a string of hands unusually appropriate for psychs.

 

The continued use of undisciplined psychic bids tends to create partnership understandings that are implied from partnership experience."

 

If a player psychs, the opponents should report the psych. It's then the director's decision.

[Fluffy]

you report it AFTER the board is played, if you do it in the middle you ae giving UI to partner, wich will probably ban him from pass any spade bids you make. Calling director on the middle of this board ... I have no words.

[Lord Molyb]

... but before you do anything you must finish bidding. What do you do now?

[mycroft]

And the TDs decision is "it's legal to psych". Sure, the world is divided into "people who have never psyched" and "people who have psyched more than once" - but more than once isn't even close to the "three or more in a session" you quoted from the ACBL regulations. *I* psych much more than most in my area; that would be, this year, once in June and once in November.

 

The law quite specifically states that it's legal to psych, and it's your problem to figure out how to deal with it when they do. It's a -EV, high variance play at the best of times; this time it looks like it's going to work.

 

Sure, report it. It's the only way the TDs can learn who does it repeatedly to establish a pattern if one is actually there (or that there is an implied partnership understanding being created and used, that is concealed from the opponents, which is much more likely). But don't expect A+, and don't expect "a quiet word" - you won't get it; and the attitude most who have called me expecting that makes me feel good to enforce the Law as it is written, rather than as they seem to think it is.

 

In fact, while it's -EV to psych, it's +EV to be known as someone who psychs. I strongly encourage anyone who knows that I sometimes don't have my bid to tell everyone I play against, preferably to their partner, at the table when I get there. Never have to psych again, I don't.

[Free]

I'd bid 4♠ and expect it to be natural. At first I also thought about bidding 3NT, but the psycher is on lead so it won't do us much good (except perhaps when RHO isn't in on the joke and doubles). LHO probably has long ♣s and our stiff Q won't do much good.

 

TD will definitely allow the psych, there's nothing wrong with psyching.

[Codo]

3 NT, 4♠ risks so much more.

It is so easy to see that it must be natural here, but I would not risk it at the table- 1. hand psychs are too rare to handle...

[pigpenz]

let the director sort it out. I would expect to be awarded an average plus.

 

people just don't psych once and their card likely doesn't say frequent pyches.

and what makes you thin the TD is the one to sort it out

and why would you be entitled to an average plus.

 

there would have to be alot of circumstances for that too incur and they would almost

have to along the lines that one partner knew the other was psyching and didnt bid his hand.

 

Psyching is legal unless its stated in the conditions of contest, which most likely would only

be in a club game or novice game.

 

I was a District Recorder....at a tournament level all you can do is report it and if there is a record

that this pair does this regularly you might get some address but I doubt it

[Vampyr]

Psyching is legal unless its stated in the conditions of contest, which most likely would only

be in a club game or novice game.

 

And of course not in a game approved by the WBF or any of its member bodies.