STOP Abusing the STOP Card!

Do you know the proper way to use the STOP card? It has been my experience that very few people (no matter the experience level) use this card correctly all the time. So humor me even if you think you know all the STOP card rules and read on.

The rules for STOP card use are very simple: ANY time (that part is important) you make a jump bid, you must first place the STOP card on the table. Once you've made your bid, you remove the STOP card, and the next person is required to wait 10 seconds before taking his or her call, whether it is a bid or a pass.

In fact, even if your RHO fails to use the STOP card (shame on them), you are still required to wait 10 seconds after any skip bid. Why is that?

In a standard auction, you can plan out your actions ahead of your turn, and usually take no more than a moment to decide on your call at your turn. But a jump bid puts a kink in many plans. Acting quickly following an unexpected jump in the auction passes unauthorized information (UI) to your partner. A rapid bid or double says that your hand is too solid to be concerned about the high level of the bidding, and an immediate pass says that you never had anything to think about even before the skip. In competitive auctions, skip bids tend to create problems for hands with intermediate values, and anyone with such a hand will pause out of necessity. By requiring all hands to pause, we eliminate the UI -- partner can no longer (unethically and illegally) determine the strength of your hand by the speed of your action.

Furthermore, others at the table may have something more to think about, so observing the pause after the skip bid allows the others the time they need so as not to break tempo (giving more UI) at their turn.

That said, the mandated pause is mandated thoughtfulness. Sitting with your hand in the bidding box counting off the seconds is not within the spirit of the rule.

We must strive to obey the STOP card rules when our opponents make skip bids, but also in our own bidding. The only way to avoid passing UI is to use the STOP card every time you make a jump. The STOP card is not there for us to call pard's attention to our irregular bids, or to distinguish between weak and strong bids. It is there to be used consistently with the purpose of eliminating inconsistencies.