Rules of Pub Bridge
Created | Updated Jan 24, 2006
With thanks to the University of Birmingham Bridge Club for many hours in the pub.
The Rules!
To begin: All you need is one pub, four or more people, a deck of cards and lots of pints (or bottles if you're that way inclined).
You can play any system you like, the more confusing the better. However, those members playing a confusing system must swap around every now and again to avoid superiority/inferiority complexes.
Dummy gets the beers in.
Players must bring their own deck of cards once in a while, to avoid beer-soaking.
Cheating is absolutely and positively allowed, so long as you get away with it.
Try and restrict the amount of making contracts, especially in the first hour of play. Overbidding, stupid contracts and massive penalties are all part of the Pub Bridge experience.
If you do not have an opening hand, open a pre-empt, unless this contravenes rule 7.
If you do not have an opening hand, open a psyche.
If you do not have a sensible call after the opponents have opened, make a weak jump-overcall.
Dummy gets the beers in.
Poker faces are outlawed- so long as they can be maintained.
If a final contract is 1NT or below, the hand must be goulashed.
If a total stranger wishes to interrupt play to show you a card trick, let him do so.
If you forget the contract you are playing in, no player partaking in Pub Bridge may remind you. Socialising far too much is frowned upon.
Vulnerability may only be indicated by a Big Steak Pub Gold loyalty card1.
If not using vulnerability, always assume the vulnerability that gives your side the best possible result. Then point out to the opponents that they should have been in game or sacrificed.
Dummy gets the beers in, if he or she is able to stand up.
In the final analysis, blaming intoxication for your stupid bidding or bad card play is a perfectly good argument in your defence.
