Body language
We all learn at some point in life to read other people and their reactions to some situations. But as Karen Walker warns in the April 2018 ACBL bulletin, better players, at the bridge table, are more accomplished at this technique than others and can and will use their observations against you.
Many of the things we do at the table are completely unconscious but can reflect things about us we don’t understand we’re “saying,” such as posture, voice modulations, nervous gestures, how a card is laid on the table, whether they are relaxed, angry with each other, disinterested, or eager about playing their hand.
The most problematic sign is variations in tempo of bidding and playing. If you or your partner are conspicuously deviating from the norms, you will incur a director call in competition. Opponents may use these many signs but you may not. You must continue to bid as if the infraction was not committed. Any change you make in an expected bid, can cause a penalty against you in scoring for that board. We all need to practice our “poker” faces.
The Friday, May 18 Evergreen GrassRoots FUNd game were: N/S 1st Marie Pugh and Ruth Bowles, (1st overall), 2nd Judy Hurder and Toni Iossi (2nd overall), 3rd Nancy Brandt and Tom Johnson (1st overall in B strat);
E/W 1st Pat Featherston and Dick Brisbin (3rd overall), 2nd Fern Albracht and Judy Weber (4th overall), 3rd Jean and Loyd Hill (5th overall).
Our Tuesday, May 22 Women’s Club game was also a GrassRootsFUNd game. There were fewer winners than usual since the game was smaller. N/S 1st Judy Hurder and Pat Macon (3rd overall), 2nd Fern Albracht and Pat Featherston;
1st N/S in B strat were Mack Brown and Marvin Jones, and Fred Bachl and Wade Lowder were 4th overall in Strat A: E/W 1st Betty Bills and Don Webster (1st overall), 2nd Lawana Ford and Patsy Reynolds (2nd overall).
We will not have any more GrassRoots FUNd games in June. I will try to remember to give you a heads up about higher point games now that I have the e-mail situation resolved.
Sorry I have no featured hand to report. I had no print out or boards to copy. Next week will include a hand.