14
This is all about your social contract1 - some groups play to win, in which case the behaviour you've described seems perfectly reasonable. Other groups play more for fun, and fun can often be reduced if one player is significantly better at the game than everyone else.
I'd wouldn't go so far as to call it "cheating" as you didn't break any of the ...
13
There's two schools of thought on this subject - one is that you can do anything unless the rules say you can't, the other is that you can only do what the rules say you can. I believe there's a better argument for the second case, because the rules are generally written to define the game, and can't expressly prohibit everything you might try to do. The ...
13
There is no time limit for each turn and etiquette for turn length depends on the group that you are playing in. The best suggestion that I can make for you is to remind your wife that she can start planning her next turn while others are playing. While things will change based on other players move not every action they take is going to impact her choice.
...
12
What is legal?
Cards go on the stack when you cast them. They remain there until they resolve or are otherwise removed from the stack.
According the the Tournament Rules, the current zone of any object is free information. The stack is a zone. Therefore, the presence of an object on the stack is free information.
It does not matter where the card ...
12
Law 20 of The Laws of Duplicate Bridge deals with review and explanation of calls. Quoting partially:
F. Explanation of Calls
During the auction and before the final pass, any
player may request, but only at his own turn to
call, an explanation of the opponents’ prior auction.
He is entitled to know about calls actually
made, about relevant alternative ...
10
There's no time limits in the rules.
In the online version of the game, one can set an amount of time per player. Even 7 minutes per player (total, for the entire game including time spent choosing tickets) is sufficient for experienced players, and 15 minutes per player is quite comfortable. The whole game shouldn't take longer than that. If it does, and ...
9
It's usually easier to prevent these things than it is to fix them.
Set the mood
Make sure everyone's doing alright. Put on some music, get some food and drinks on the table (or a lot of drinks, if you really want to be sure).
Pick the right game
The type of games can also make a big difference. Some games are really harsh on those who fall behind. There's ...
9
While there are no explicit rules in Scrabble to handle this, it's pretty straight forward to do this in Scrabble with minimal disruption. I've done this on several occasions.
Leave any tiles on the board where they are. Even if you could remember which tiles they played, you wouldn't want to. Tiles that are played are essentially communal property, as ...
8
I believe that cases 1-3 are all ethical, but these are simple problems that should have been solved at the end of some earlier trick (In duplicate bridge, after all the cards to a trick have been faced, players should indicate that they are thinking about the hand by keeping their card face up. Play does not proceed until all players have turned their cards ...
7
I think you have to understand the game sufficiently to gauge whether the information really is secret or not. For games where information isn't secret due to being calculatable, it sounds like a good, sporting house rule to instead play openly rather than punishing less acute players.
Good etiquette would mean communicating why you wish to invoke this ...
6
This is a common problem in come strategy games where a "tipping point" is reached, after which victory is assured for one player or faction, but the end game conditions are such that play must nevertheless continue.
Sid Meier's Civilization tends to have this problem, but it also occurs not infrequently in Go. In the latter case, the losing player will ...
6
If your goal is to keep that same game fun even though you're certain to lose, then perhaps you could rebalance on the fly by choosing a more attainable goal, e.g. "We can't deal 15 damage and win, but how about we try to reach 12."
However, if your goal is to have fun playing games, you could also just concede and use the time you save to play again (or ...
6
There is no rule that specifically governs the physical location of cards on the stack, so you should put them wherever makes the game state clearest. That usually means that you should put them in an actual stack in the play area.
Since Instants and Sorceries go to the graveyard when they resolve, if you put them in the graveyard immediately, you are ...
6
I'll take the other side here.
Keeping private notes is always ok (unless the rules specifically forbid it.)
When I'm playing a game like Settlers of Catan, I can keep track of what other players have in their hands without too much difficulty. Am I acting against the rules by simply remembering what's happened so far?
Using a piece of scrap paper to ...
6
It is perfectly acceptable to observe other matches.
If you are not currently playing, and you are not a judge, then you are a spectator by definition. There are a few rules governing spectators mentioned in the Tournament Rules.
Players may request (via a judge) that you not observe their matches. You may not make notes while drafting. You may not place ...
5
Always - it is a recommended action.
As Declarer I always pause for the 5 or so seconds you recommend when Dummy comes down; as East I will do so (by initially playing my card to the first trick face down) whenever Declarer has been so discourteous and undiscerning as to not do so. Occasionally I have to pause longer, for particularly complex hands, but I ...
4
It's against the rules.
The rules call for playing with the cards kept secret, but tracking everyone's resources on paper would be virtually no different than playing with all cards revealed.
It makes the game less enjoyable.
It slows the game down. It leads to "what did I miss" type questions. It takes your attention away from players, reducing social ...
4
The rules (in most spades rulesets) prohibit showing your cards, yes.
That said, what you describe is a pretty common practice in friendly games, as (as you note) the rest of the hand's play is foregone.
Note the Wiki entry's inclusion of the TRAM section (added in 2012, with no cited sources) also includes a paragraph on penalties for doing so ...
4
Absolutely! This type of disruptive behaviour is in no way acceptable by any player.
The Laws of Duplicate Bridge (2017) provide mechanisms under which the Director can act in such a circumstance of disruptive play.
LAW 90 - PROCEDURAL PENALTIES
A. Director’s Authority
The Director, in addition to implementing the rectifications in these Laws, ...
3
Declarer should always pause - for 15 seconds or so, not just 5 - upon seeing the dummy - to give defenders time to analyze the hand without giving away information. The amount of time is even greater at higher levels of play as defenders have more ability to analyze. It can be lower at more casual play where the defenders are not good enough (or too lazy) ...
3
You need, however annoying it may seem, to formalize a policy that deals not only with minor 'take back' adjustments, but with mistakes that were not noticed at the time. Before the next game, ask the group for a rule on which everyone can agree.
Some possibilities are:
No changes after the dice have been rolled (for any reason). This has the advantages ...
3
In my particular view, there are two kinds of information in games. Hidden, and Known. Things which are hidden you do not know, and methods of gaining that information are limited to whatever rules the game supplies. Things which are known, you already know. Nobody would claim that it is unethical to remember that which you know. Further, outside of ...
3
Among people you don't know as well or don't know at all (the key here is familiarity, not exactly what you stated at the end of your question about people you don't see regularly per se), it's typically safe to fall back to the assumption that games are played more socially and less competitively. You can imagine any number of brutal or brilliant ...
3
It's tough for the Type A personalities so often attracted to competitive games like Bridge, but all criticisms of partner should be reserved until after the match. I suggest noting to your partner "Make a note of that hand, and we'll discuss it after the game." One or two violations per game, that accept such a comment with a positive attitude, can be ...
3
Nope it is not cheating and should not be considered such at all. The problem is that assuming you can't would mean that you are limited in what you can do to improve your skill at the game which may make it more enjoyable for you as a player.
You asked "Does reading strategy guides before a game night count as cheating?" and my response is when ...
3
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 leads to some fun, after say 3C-X-p-p; p and partner dropping a 4=4=5=0 four count and hearing "thank you partner, nice hand" from declarer. But just ...
3
I don't know this game at all but will answer this in a broader etiquette sense.
In games people make mistakes or they start taking a move and realise that they want to do something different. When I play games with people the rule is people can take back things provided it has no effect on anything else or a random event hasn't happened.
So if a player (in ...
3
This sounds more like a question of sportsmanship and the play-style of people you choose to play with rather than an actual rules question.
Yes, discarding is the last thing you do on your turn; when you make a meld you do so during your turn before discarding your card.
However, as long as the next player has not taken a turn, or provided any additional ...
2
This behaviour isn't acceptable, but it's not really your responsibility, particularly if you're relatively new to the club. If you're feeling brave, you could mention it directly (and privately) to your partner, perhaps over a cup of coffee. It may be that he or she has gradually fallen into bad habits, and genuinely doesn't see anything unusual, in which ...
2
Hesitating in case 3 is clearly unethical, as West has no problem in playing from either T9 or 67 in this scenario. One may hesitate in order to determine which card to play from a technical perspective, but not whether or not to signal to partner without an accompanying technical problem. Otherwise one would always hesitate when showing an even number with ...
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