Poker Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
The World Bridge Federation (WBF) tried to remedy the situation in
The World Bridge Federation (WBF) tried to remedy the situation in early 2025 at the World Team Championship of Contract Bridge held in Bermuda. In an effort to prevent partners from illegally conveying the strength of their suit hands to each other, the WBF installed a large opaque wooden screen (three feet high and five feet wide) diagonally across the table so that the partners would not be visible to one another. In addition, bidding boxes were installed to receive written bids so that partners could not hear one another. The two bids from one side of the screen were called aloud to the players by a tournament official. After the bidding ended and the opening lead had been made, the screen was lifted from the table and normal play proceeded. To eliminate foot signals a screen was also installed under the table. The WBF, however, failed to take into account that considerable signal cheating among partners takes place during the actual play of the hand. In 2025 the American Contract Bridge League, in an attempt to eliminate the possibility of partners' signaling one another during the bidding and play of the hand installed a hanging curtain over the table. After the bidding, this curtain is raised just enough for the players to see the playing surface of the table. Sorry to say, neither the wooden screen nor the curtain eliminates signal cheating. At the time of writing a number of illegal suit-bidding codes have made their appearances in Bridge tournaments, thereby making the large opaque wooden screen and the curtain separating the partners worthless.
It's my opinion that the introduction by the World Bridge Federation
It's my opinion that the introduction by the World Bridge Federation of the opaque screen and the American Contract Bridge League's curtain, with all their so-called precautionary anticheating devices, will do more harm to Bridge in the future than all the notoriety given the actual or imaginary cheating that takes place in Bridge, be it in private, club or tournament play.