22
votes
Accepted
Is it unethical to "mislead" partner if s/he is the weakest player at the table?
Playing cards in such a way as to not accurately reflect your hand is perfectly fine - as long as that's actually what you're doing. There are plenty of hands where you're on defense and you know ...
- 3,998
10
votes
Is it unethical to "mislead" partner if s/he is the weakest player at the table?
Is it ethical? Sure, and it's done all the time (for real bridge reasons, see Joe's answer). It is not required to help declarer when it won't help partner.
What's not ethical is telling the ...
- 2,548
7
votes
Player pays too much for houses in Monopoly?
This question is not about Monopoly, but about gaming ethics.
If this happens in an official tournament, then a referee will probably not allow a refund.
If this happens in a friendly game, better to ...
- 3,940
7
votes
In duplicate, is it ethical to base your play on other people's body language?
Under no circumstances is one entitled to draw inferences from the actions of a partner or teammate.
Under certain circumstances one is entitled to draw inferences from the behavior of the opponents ...
- 11.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Are there bridge behaviors that are technically within the rules that could be considered unethical?
First: I'm speaking sanctioned duplicate bridge. What happens in the rubber clubs is out of my experience; the Laws are different, and obviously when money is on the line, different things are ...
- 2,548
5
votes
Is it ethical to "hesitate" (for thought) when a problem becomes foreseeable, but is not immediate?
In bridge, Ethics are defined by the Laws (and Regulations, created as allowed by the Laws) in what used to be the Proprieties section (Laws 72-75). The relevant part of those laws to coffeehousing (...
- 2,548
4
votes
What are the rules regarding play of a singleton?
Let's look at the relevant Bridge Laws.
Law 16B1 says:
Any extraneous information from partner that might suggest a call or play is unauthorized.This includes remarks, questions, replies to questions,...
- 1,197
3
votes
Accepted
Is it ethical to "hesitate" (for thought) when a problem becomes foreseeable, but is not immediate?
It's quite common for a defender to have something to think about at their first discard, enough that tempo sensitive carding agreements (eg odd-even discards, which can cause unauthorized information ...
- 2,064
3
votes
Is it ethical to "hesitate" (for thought) when a problem becomes foreseeable, but is not immediate?
The answer to this question differs a bit between online play and in-person play.
In person, if your problem isn't about your current play, you shouldn't hesitate now, but instead you should not turn ...
- 5,618
3
votes
What is the etiquette behind "thanking" partner for dummy?
As you say, whatever you do, be consistent. Good contract, bad contract, plays itself, requires incredibly careful play, whatever. If you do not do that, the opponents know.
Yes, sometimes that ...
- 2,548
3
votes
Can a Pit Card Game be Won if two players refuse to trade with another particular player?
This is actually deceptively simple. A full set includes every card of that type in the game. If you possess a card in a specific set, then nobody else can complete that set. If you possess cards ...
- 12.5k
3
votes
Are there bridge behaviors that are technically within the rules that could be considered unethical?
If your partner knows your psyching tendencies, then they have become an implicit agreement that has to be disclosed to your opponents.
If, in certain situations, your psychs are frequent enough that ...
- 2,064
3
votes
Accepted
Can one use alternate evaluation methods, e.g. "K&R" to defend actions that appear to violate your convention card?
This issue was discussed on the Bridge Laws Mailing List a few months ago:
Do players have to describe what they play?
Cribbing from my own post there:
Edgar Kaplan (the "K" in K & R) wrote ...
- 1,002
2
votes
Can one use alternate evaluation methods, e.g. "K&R" to defend actions that appear to violate your convention card?
Because the evaluation mechanism you have adopted is generating more variation than typical, I strongly recommend that you note its use on your (and partner's) convention card. I would also suggest ...
- 11.7k
2
votes
Are there bridge behaviors that are technically within the rules that could be considered unethical?
It's very hard to psych ethically. Making any bid that is outside of your agreements should be exceedingly rare, because otherwise you'll nearly inevitably have some implicit partnership agreements ...
- 3,998
2
votes
What are the rules regarding play of a singleton?
There are two issues with this pause:
it's too long just in general, with a timing issue (but I would caution people that my "I thought for 15 seconds" is the opponents' "it was 2 ...
- 2,548
1
vote
Is it ethical to "hesitate" (for thought) when a problem becomes foreseeable, but is not immediate?
Strong players consider foreseeable problems before they eventuate, rather than hesitating as each problem arises. Hesitating at critical moments telegraphs information about your hand, which often ...
- 42
1
vote
Is it ethical to "hesitate" (for thought) when a problem becomes foreseeable, but is not immediate?
Delaying ahead of time on an obviously straightforward play is even worse than delaying when you make the choice, because it suggests there will be a choice coming up. That could communicate the ...
- 3,998
1
vote
What are the rules regarding play of a singleton?
On the opening trick, a "pause" is justified, even when a player has no problems because of the forced play of a singleton. That's because everyone ought to be spending time to study the ...
- 21.7k
1
vote
What is the etiquette behind "thanking" partner for dummy?
Once dummy's hand is laid down, there is no restriction on declarer's speech as far as hiding information goes, as dummy is a non-participant in play beyond turning over cards at Declarer's behest. ...
- 3,998
1
vote
Can a Pit Card Game be Won if two players refuse to trade with another particular player?
Suppose you're playing a three player game with wheat, barley, and corn. For one of the trading players to win with wheat, the two trading players must have nine wheat between them, which is the same ...
- 2,797
1
vote
Can a Pit Card Game be Won if two players refuse to trade with another particular player?
(I'm mostly ignoring Bull and Bear rules here, but I think they can be added in with a little fiddling.)
If you just want to know whether it's possible, then it's not a question of probability but of ...
- 11.2k
1
vote
Can one use alternate evaluation methods, e.g. "K&R" to defend actions that appear to violate your convention card?
There are many ways to evaluate a hand, and you and your partner are at liberty to choose whichever you wish. But you are not entitled to insist that your opponents use the same system; if you tell ...
- 2,608
1
vote
If you decide to play for "top or bottom" in duplicate, are you supposed to consult with partner?
It's neither - it's simply terrible bridge. Good bridge is to make those choices during the play instead of during the bidding, when one actually has enough information to make a sensible risk ...
- 11.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible