Tuesday, August 08, 2006

This table talk is not tolerable

Here’s the scenario. The opponent on your right leads the King of Clubs. You play the Ace of Clubs and the left-hand opponent plays the 9 of Clubs. Your partner has been watching the Fear Factor contestants chow down on giant Fijian long-horned beetles and isn’t sure about who played what card.


Is it acceptable for you to say to your partner, “I have it with the Ace of Clubs?”

While this happens all the time in our Euchre league, it is technically unacceptable table talk. It is true that you are just stating what happened, but the motivation to tell your partner that you have the trick won is so they don’t over-trump your Ace, pulling down a trick you already have. Was there a reason you didn’t tell your partner what the opponents played? Probably because that wouldn’t have communicated the message that you didn’t want her to waste a trump on a trick you already won.

Your partner should be sharp enough to ask who played what cards if they don’t know. It is fine to respond to the question “Who played the Ace?” But offering information that isn’t asked is akin to telling your partner what she should or shouldn’t play. This is just not right.

Bottom line: Avoid any table talk that would prevent your partner from making a mistake. And play euchre in a setting that doesn’t have tvs showing beetle mastication.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If it is not appropriate to tell your partner what they played, shouldn't the cards be layed out in such a way that that we needent ask? Often times when cards are tossed, rather quickly, they tend go under one-another deceiving the player to know who's played which card.

Perry said...

I completely agree. When you lay down your cards they should be put in front of you so it is obvious who played what.

There is also no problem with a player asking what everyone played.

Unknown said...

Official rules state this

Cards are not to be tossed into the middle of the table. Instead, each player makes their play by placing a card in front of them on the table (forming a "square"). At the end of the hand, each player pushes their card to the winner of each trick.

So you are absolutely right. The idea that this is table talk is dumb in any game that is actually following all the rules and any game where you are breaking this rule you should be penalized esp if you are pushing the idea that this is table talk