[Cascade]

blackshoe, on 2011-October-04, 16:31, said:

No, there isn't. There is a law that says that after four cards have been played to a trick (and so presumably not before that) each player turns his card face down. There is a legal difference between "turns" and "must turn".

Oh I have just realized another meaning that you may have intended.

If one is not instructed to "must turn" would it therefore be acceptable to leave all of one's cards face up on the table?

[Cascade]

blackshoe, on 2011-October-04, 16:31, said:

No, there isn't. There is a law that says that after four cards have been played to a trick (and so presumably not before that) each player turns his card face down. There is a legal difference between "turns" and "must turn".

Oh I have just realized another meaning that you may have intended.

If one is not instructed to "must turn" would it therefore be acceptable to leave all of one's cards face up on the table?

[Vampyr]

mycroft, on 2011-October-04, 15:05, said:

So what do *you* do, Alex, when it's clear that the only reason RHO's asking to see the card is so that partner understands his signal? Or do your opponents never do that?

I sympathise with your problem, but that does not make your practice legal.

[blackshoe]

"When" has several different meanings. None of them suggests immediacy to me.

[barmar]

I think 65A is intended to specify 2 things:

1. Part of correct procedure is that all the cards are turned face down between tricks.

2. No cards should be turned UNTIL all 4 cards have been played to the trick.

It doesn't say immediately, and it's normal courtesy to allow some reasonable time for all players to see the whole trick. And 66A allows any player to request that cards be kept face up until he has turned his card. It literally only allows him to ask for the cards to be faced, but since he can keep doing this over and over, there's no practical difference. Deliberately turning your card down immediately, and forcing him to ask over and over (interrupting his ability to think), would probably be considered a violation of 74A2.

[jules101]

Ooops - i posted reply twice - deleted this one!

[jules101]

Thanks for answer to supplementary questions.

I have been declarer, and thought before playing from dummy, but wanted to think some more about the hand after WINNING trick one before leading to next trick. This seemed reasonable. I didn't want to think for ever-and-a-day, but a short time to think about the whole hand again seemed reasonable.

Perhaps it is my weakness that I wanted to all trick one cards left face up because I find it easier to visualise the whole hand.

LHO was being "Mr Ungracious" (having made a wrong judgement and a poor score on the previous hand!). He'd turned his card over, and on request, had flipped his card up for a moment, but refused to leave his card face up.

Next time I know I have right to ask for cards to remain face up (Law 66A, and in relation to being pain in the @%&!, then Law 74A2).

Cheers

[Cascade]

barmar, on 2011-October-05, 02:52, said:

I think 65A is intended to specify 2 things:

1. Part of correct procedure is that all the cards are turned face down between tricks.

2. No cards should be turned UNTIL all 4 cards have been played to the trick.

It doesn't say immediately, and it's normal courtesy to allow some reasonable time for all players to see the whole trick. And 66A allows any player to request that cards be kept face up until he has turned his card. It literally only allows him to ask for the cards to be faced, but since he can keep doing this over and over, there's no practical difference. Deliberately turning your card down immediately, and forcing him to ask over and over (interrupting his ability to think), would probably be considered a violation of 74A2.

Surely the purpose of showing your card is so that the opponents can see what has been played.

The law allows for a card to be faced. This prevents an opponent quitting a card and not allowing you to see it.

I would think that a player that repeatedly asked for a card to be faced was either being difficult or paying insufficient attention to the game (L74B1) if he really had not seen the card.

[barmar]

Cascade, on 2011-October-06, 11:22, said:

I would think that a player that repeatedly asked for a card to be faced was either being difficult or paying insufficient attention to the game (L74B1) if he really had not seen the card.

Some people find it easier to visualize if they can see the entire trick. They're thinking about the hand, and having to remember all the spots is an extra effort that should be unnecessary because you can request it be faced.