[jillybean]

It is surprising that supposedly intelligent people can make such asinine rules.

Posted in a list of tournament rules:


6. No psyche bids in 1st-2nd seat are allowed. It is forbidden.

[TylerE]

So vote with your feet and don't play not-bridge in not-bridge tournaments.

[billw55]

It's a supply and demand system. Many players like to have lots of protections, so events exist for them.

[kenberg]

I recently made a psychic cue bid on the way to slam. I rarely do this but it worked fine. Hearts were trump, partner cued 5C, I bid 5D on my JTx. My left hand opponent doubled and partner redoubled, relieving my worries about diamonds. Slam bid and made. No one cried foul.

Of course usually the banning of psyches refers to opening bids, I know that. I once had a partner who regularly opened 1S in third position whether he had them or not. I told him that either he had to stop or I had to alert his third seat 1S openings because I was aware of the ambiguity and the opponents were not. He agreed to stop.

One of my more amusing (?) psych stories: I showed up at the local club sans partner and was paired with a guy I had never seen before. A real psych enthusiast. Toward the end of the session he opened 1H first hand. Pass on my right. I held a 25 count and five hearts. I bid 4H. He had three card support and, maybe a 2 count. Plus 620, flat board. The opponents, who perhaps knew this guy and what I was dealing with, raised no objection.

The problem with psychs is that it raises suspicions, often justified. In a more formal setting with professional directors these suspicions can, over time, be addressed. Online games are often directed by unpaid volunteers who really would rather not have to deal with this. I find this understandable. True, psyching is part of bridge (a very, very small part as I play) but online bridge has a large array of choices.

The online trend that bothers me the most is the growing prevalence of speed bridge. I used to play on the acbl site fairly regulaly but they are almost all speed games now. I'll happily deal with the honest occasional psych, but having to play without thinking to keep up with the clock does not appeal to me. I already do enough of that, even without a gun to my head.

[jillybean]

I do not see psyches in live games at all. There was a cry of "psyche" over the weekend when some (young!) guy opened on a 9 count. I've flirted with psyches, it's fun for a short time, I don't do it now but I don't want or expect to be protected from it. My concern with this "no psyche" rule is that uncommon bids are at risk of being seen as a psyche, and the board will be adjusted. The way I play 2C/1M, clubs or balanced can be as short as 2 clubs and has been subject to this "no psyche" rule. (I don't play BBO tournaments now). In comparison, I alert our 2♣/1M and I am occasionally told that I don't need to, when I explain clubs could be as short as 2, they still insist it is part of 2/1. I doubt that banning psyches in online games will fix anything.

As for speedball, I agree with you 100%, see my signature I can't find an ACBL pair game that is not a speedball, I think perhaps there is one or two per day.

[Phil]

I cannot believe this is a tournament rule.

I can believe this is a club rule.

[Bbradley62]

It's an online (probably free) tournament on BBO... these are more accurately described as club games than tournaments, but the software does not make this distinction.

[kenberg]

jillybean, on 2015-January-05, 10:36, said:

I do not see psyches in live games at all. There was a cry of "psyche" over the weekend when some (young!) guy opened on a 9 count. I've flirted with psyches, it's fun for a short time, I don't do it now but I don't want or expect to be protected from it. My concern with this "no psyche" rule is that uncommon bids are at risk of being seen as a psyche, and the board will be adjusted. The way I play 2C/1M, clubs or balanced can be as short as 2 clubs and has been subject to this "no psyche" rule. (I don't play BBO tournaments now). In comparison, I alert our 2♣/1M and I am occasionally told that I don't need to, when I explain clubs could be as short as 2, they still insist it is part of 2/1. I doubt that banning psyches in online games will fix anything.

As for speedball, I agree with you 100%, see my signature I can't find an ACBL pair game that is not a speedball, I think perhaps there is one or two per day.

With one partner I play, as I gather you do, that any 2/1 response other than 2C shows 5. It follows that the 2C will sometimes be as short as 2. Rules on alerts can be complex but I take the simple view: Opponents cannot be expected to know this agreement unless I tell them, even if they play it that way themselves it does not follow that they would know I do, so I alert and include it in my explanation. Generally I find that this common sense approach to alerting keeps me out of trouble, at least it gives me a clear conscience.

I indeed do think that one of the perils of a "no psyche" rule is that one woman's psyche is another woman's imaginative bid. Bridge is a complex game and sometimes you make something up on the spot and hope for the best. We have all encountered players who think that anyone who bids a hand differently from what they would have done should be reprimanded. Let them all go play in the "no psyches" tournament. They can gripe about each other. The rest of us will go elsewhere.

[ggwhiz]

An essential part of the game.

I once played with a beginner (girlfriend of a friend) who was being pushed around in club games and told her that after p - p to her she MUST bid. After the opponents finally called her for a psyche (after 6 of them) the director told her she was only allowed to do it once more tonight. Same opps next hand, she psyched in 2nd.