[blackshoe]

Shugart23, on 2024-January-15, 08:54, said:

Later that night we got a call from the club saying something to the effect that they don't like players arguing and said there is a 30 day penalty on her and the declarer. . And that was the last day we played bridge.

"Take your 30 day penalty and stick it where the sun don't shine. We won't be coming back."

[mycroft]

Yep, that's what happens. I don't think that's the wrong response from [player's wife]. I'm disappointed, but I don't think it's wrong.

Now, of course, the director should have been there before it got that bad. The players need to know to CTFD rather than argue, but also the director should have enough of a mind on the game that they pre-emptively go over when the volume gets high enough that it's affecting other tables.

Yes, it was the players that got punished. But it was truly the Officer's fault for letting it happen. ISTR something like that in Starship Troopers, oddly enough.

To give the club credit, though, even if one of the players did nothing wrong, they absolutely did something wrong when they decided that having "a scene", distracting the rest of the game, was the right thing to do, rather than CTFD. I'm not thrilled that the punishment was solely for the argument and not for some of the insinuations in the argument - which would show with different lengths of suspensions (but again, we only have one side of the story). But if the rule is "we don't like arguments; we suspend people that cause 'a scene'; here's how you solve your problems without causing 'a scene'", then to quote somebody else, "the only thing wrong with [the rule] is that people don't follow it [/believe it should apply *to me*]"

Yes, I have a serious problem with "if you have a problem, [please] call the director". I'll invite people to review my history on that one. If they don't "want to call the director, just continue to grouse" (and lots do), then *you* now have a problem - so CTFD!

Spoiler

I will note that the only Recorder form I ever submitted *as a player* was from exactly this. Opponent decided the topic of conversation today should be my partner's opening EHAA weak 2, and my explanation, and how we weren't Doing It Right. I happened to have the booklet with me, and said "it's systemic, and it's systemic the way I explained. Here, you can read it." - and he slapped the book out of my hand with "I don't want to read anything, you just should have to..." Oddly enough, I didn't call the director then (but should have), but when this grousing continued throughout the next auction and into his partner's thinking about the opening lead, then I did. OL even said "I know why they called the director, I have taken about 40 seconds working out what to lead"; I responded "Actually, that's not a problem. We're in a clear misfit auction to 3NT, and the opening lead might make or break the contract. The reason I called was that it seems RHO has an issue with the previous hand." Of course, now RHO said "oh no, there's not a problem." and the director went away. IMMEDIATELY, he starts up again "but you really have to agree that..." "Director!" "[This] happened. Either there's a problem, and I'd like you to rule on it, or there isn't, and I am requesting that talking cease at this table, except for bridge-related questions ON THIS HAND, for the rest of the round."

That was a particularly obnoxious version of what he *always* did - talk through the entire round, hopefully distracting his opponents - so at the end of the round I went up and asked for a Recorder form, in case other people noticed this tendency.
I know it was reviewed, because I had a call from the Recorder a couple of weeks later, for clarification. I don't know if anything happened. I moved back west shortly thereafter, so it became a non-issue for me.

[etha]

fairly simple is to play 1♣ 1♦ 1♥ as all strong hands. Now when pard bids 2 minor they are limited at least.

[blackshoe]

mycroft, on 2024-January-18, 11:18, said:

Yes, it was the players that got punished. But it was truly the Officer's fault for letting it happen. ISTR something like that in Starship Troopers, oddly enough.

SGT Zim, the senior drill instructor, failed to prevent a recruit (Hendricks, I think) from blackening his (Zim's) eye in anger. The company commander tried to reduce the legal impact of this when Zim brought Hendricks before him, but Hendricks couldn't keep his mouth shut. IIRC, he talked himself into a court martial and was cashiered. Zim later got a private (except that Recruit Private Juan Rico overheard it) ass-chewing from the CO.

Tell the truth, somebody slaps my system card out of my hand, either he's gonna pick it up, or the director is gonna pick it up. In my younger and less easy-going days, I would have invited him to slap me again and when he did I'd break his hand.