Game Room Code of Conduct

The JG500 club needs a Game Room Code of Conduct. Here is a suggested code based on The International Online Bridge Club.

Ethical 500 Card Playing:
adapted from The International Online Bridge Club
www.bridgeclublive.com

Code of Conduct

1. I will be polite, friendly and courteous at all times – whether chatting or contributing to the Forum.
   
2. I will respect other members' rights to have different opinions or ways of thinking.
   
3. I will conduct my chat in a proper, mature and inoffensive manner taking into account that the internet environment is without feelings and deprives us of the real voices and smiles that take the ‘sting’ out of face to face chat.
   
4. I will assist new members and guests and try to show patience and understanding.
   
5. I will ALWAYS make sure that a "HAND" is completed. What this means is that I will not leave any table without first being sure that the score has been registered.

The ‘Dos’ and ‘Do nots’
The DO'S:

1. DO announce your bidding system and any additional conventions BEFORE you start play. Make sure you know what system your partnership is playing before starting play.
   
2. DO wait for a player who has disconnected from your table – whether an opponent or partner. Despite modern technology, the internet can still cause bad connections. If you are disconnected or your computer froze, or some other emergency, DO send an email or Forum note of apology to the other 3 players explaining the situation.
   
3. DO Kibitz - but quietly please. We all love to watch others, but when kibitzing, please don’t dominate the chat during the bidding or the play.
   
4. Misbids and Misclicks DO happen. If you misbid or misclick, it is better to say nothing at the time and then, at the end of the hand explain what happened.
   
5. DO enjoy the game. But be thoughtful of the other players.
   
6. If you open another account DO inform the membership that you are playing with more than one account.

The DO NOT'S:

1. DO NOT ever leave the table before finishing a hand.
   
2. DO NOT deliberately lose a game to another member.
   
3. DO NOT discuss the bidding or the hand during the play of the hand. This is called “Table Talk”. This includes text references such as “WTF!!” and “Hmm” as well as smilies such as or .
   
4. DO NOT swear or use abusive language anywhere in our club – it is a friendly place. Please do your part to maintain this atmosphere.
   
5. DO NOT criticise or gloat at your opponents’ expense.
   
6. DO NOT take excessive time to play a card or to play the next hand. It is absolutely correct to take some time to think during a hand but try to keep the game moving at a comfortable pace. If the phone or doorbell rings or if you have a minor emergency - type 'brb' (be right back) BEFORE you leave to deal with the interruption. Be as fast as you can. Also when a hand is finished, some post-mortem analysis is reasonable, but not too long and certainly not spilling over into the next hand.
   
7. DO NOT forget your table manners when sitting down or leaving a table. Say hello or welcome when you join, and goodbye/thank you before you leave. Otherwise you will be thought of as a rude and unsociable person.
   
8. Other than using the game's chat to hold a post-mortem after a hand DO NOT discuss an ongoing game with your partner outside the game environment (eg MSN, phone, Skype etc).

Enough with the table talking already!

1. 

Table Talk: rude at best and cheating at worst

My favorite table talk (TT) from JG500 last week:

Daffy: PASS (sitting on 3 uncalled aces)
Member's Partner: Someone is lying
Member: Daff
Daffy: No TT pls
Member's Partner: Sorry
Member: That wasn't TT. I never TT! Don't you accuse...blah blah blah....

This particular member was asked to stay away from my rooms after 2 more episodes of this kind of table talk over the next two days. Interestingly, on most occasions his partners were complaining as much as I was.

Fortunately there are still many grown-ups on JG500 who continue to enjoy honest competitive play. Our room code of conduct is simple - no table talk at all about the hand in play, either in the room's chat window, or on MSN, or on the phone. We define table talk as ANY comments or discussion about the hand in play. Comments such as "Sorry p", "Arggggg" and "Umm" are just as much table talk as "I wanted misere". We also enjoy critiquing hands after they have finished. These post-mortems require robust egos and are often as interesting as the hands themselves. Members with frail self-esteem should think twice before playing with us. Whinging about losing is also considered poor form.

Table talking is RUDE at best and CHEATING at worst. I know many who don't agree, and I appreciate their staying away from my rooms. This site is big enough to avoid members you don't enjoy playing with.