[Sue601]

Returning to Rubber bridge after long absense. I'm actually "teaching" a few other friends how to play -- pretty much the blind leading the blind since I was never really much of a player to begin with.

I recall from years ago a one bid ( 1 NT, 1 Suit) wasn't played. What I can't remember is if the 1 Bid was scored for the bidding partnership OR if the hand was thrown in as if a Pass Out round.

Thanks for any response,
SueW

[kenberg]

I learned rubber bridge in about 1961. I remember the idea of not playing out one bids. It was simply a custom, not a rule. In some places, 1S-P-P-P was awarded the 30 points below the line. Most people I played with did not do this. If you wanted your 30 points you had to take your seven tricks.

There definitely is no such rule, only the custom. I suggest you do not establish the custom, but if you do so then (it seems to me) you could do it however you wished.

Ken

[Gerben42]

It sounds like a strange rule. Usually the hands that end at the 1-level are not so easy!

[scoob]

with this rule in effect, i'd be psyching a whole lot of 1NT opens

[kenberg]

scoob, on Jun 27 2005, 10:08 AM, said:

with this rule in effect, i'd be psyching a whole lot of 1NT opens

There is a context here. This is like "It's raining so we can't go to the lake. Let's play some cards or maybe Monopoly." One of the reasons bridge had more players long ago is because many of us learned this way and, later, switched to a more serious game.

I had been playing for a while and joined a lunch game for a penny a point with someone who "played a little duplicate". I had no idea what that meant. He opened a spade, I raised to four, they doubled, I redoubled, he went down about five and asked if I had never heard of a psych. I hadn't. I had heard of opening one spade when you had spades.

Forty some years later I am still trying to figure it all out.

[SoTired]

The rubber bridge custom (not rule) when an undoubled Part Score was bid that did not complete a game, you don't play it out and just get credit for bidding and making 1 less than your bid. Unless you bid 1-level, then you get credit for making your contract.

This speeds up the game by not playing out those boring 2spade contracts. Just give them 30 below and deal the next hand.

[MickyB]

Slightly different, but I quite like playing without overtricks counting. Finding safety plays feels quite good, and low level contracts can be quite interesting if they are close, but it still gives you plenty of time to practice your shuffling and dealing instead of playing!

[Gerben42]

Overtricks are worth 30 ABOVE which is irrelevant at Rubber.

I sorta think that giving them 30 below (tactical advantage on the next deal) when you were due 50 or 100 points yourself is silly. This way you can just bid anything you like as long as you won't get doubled.

[SoTired]

Gerben42, on Jun 28 2005, 04:11 AM, said:

I sorta think that giving them 30 below (tactical advantage on the next deal) when you were due 50 or 100 points yourself is silly. This way you can just bid anything you like as long as you won't get doubled.

Not playing out part scores does change the strategy some. You fight for the part score a little harder. In exchange for not playing out these usually dull hands, you play about twice as many hands in the same time.

[helene_t]

I've never heard about such a rule or custom, but some people would just claim 7 tricks if it's a trivial contract. Obviously, the opps would reject your claim if you psyched a 1NT opening and the contract is due to 5 downtricks or such.

[MickyB]

I guess you double part-scores more often as well - doubling for one off becomes worthwhile, and opps may well have overcompeted.