[oryctolagi]

Are there guidelines on this practice, or is there a BBO policy?
Pete.

[phil_20686]

Stay within the laws of bridge? Its fine to pysche but don't do it so often that it becomes an implicit agreement, and be careful that your partner isnt fielding it, since there is no TD to redress outside of tournaments.

Generally I would follow the guidelines outside tournaments, i.e. in the main bridge club:
1) Don't pysche when playing with or against people who you do not know.
2) Don't pysche in Team Matches unless you know your teammates, many people think its rude.

Inside tournaments do what you like.

[Bbradley62]

phil_20686, on 2015-November-15, 17:53, said:

Inside tournaments do what you like.

No. Inside tournaments you obey the posted rules of the tournament. The vast majority of free non-robot (non Express) tournaments on BBO specifically say "no psyching" in their rules.

[oryctolagi]

phil_20686, on 2015-November-15, 17:53, said:

1) Don't pysche when playing with or against people who you do not know.

Good point. I was kibitzing, in the Acol club, the other day and saw an example. Partner and opponents were not best pleased, one of them got up and left. I think, if it happened on a table I was at, my gut reaction would be to post in the chat, "please, do not psyche". Is that too direct?

[Zelandakh]

That is a little like writing "Please do not bid game". Both are fully legal tactics. From your description, it is clear that partner of the psycher was not in on the joke so there should not really be a problem.