Bridge Ethics & Etiquette

This section is for beginners, or people who may be skilled at rubber bridge but have not become acquainted yet with club/duplicate play. If someone had told me all the things I've written here when I first started playing bridge, it would have saved me a lot of trouble.

• Table Manners
• Tempo
• Psych Bidding
• Falsecards
• Cheating
• Calling the Director
• Skip Bids
• Mannerisms by J.B. Elwell (1906)
• Bridge Axioms by J.B. Elwell (1907)
• The Zero Tolerance Policy in the ACBL

• Be polite to your partner and your opponents. Bridge after all is only a game.
• Never vary the tempo of your bids or plays in an attempt to try deceiving the opponents.
• After a jump bid by your RHO, wait at least a few seconds before making a call.
• Don't psych more than once in a blue moon, and then only when partner isn't expecting it.
• Falsecard as much as you want, but never cross the line between what methods of carding you've agreed to use with your partner, and what methods of carding you're regularly using at the table.
• Never accuse anyone of cheating at the table. Any suspicions you might have in a tournament should be brought to the attention of a tournament official — delicately!
• When in doubt at duplicate bridge, don't hesitate to call the director.