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Bridge is unfortunately rife with cheating at the highest levels. It's simply too easy to communicate information with your partner that you're not allowed to t

Bridge is unfortunately rife with cheating at the highest levels. It's simply too easy to communicate information with your partner that you're not allowed to through subtle signals, and this is very hard to police except at the macro level using a statistical analysis of many games to determine if it seems like players are acting on more information than they should have. The only way to play Bridge without cheating is to isolate each player in a separate room, confiscate all electronics, and have them play on provided computers running electronic Bridge that only transmits bids and cards played. So never bet on Bridge. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/07/the-cheating-problem-in-professional-bridge/amp https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/07/the-cheating-p...

BurningFrog 7y ago
I guess bridge is a game where having a poker face is a disadvantage.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  No, you want the poker face; you don't want your opponents to be able to discern anything, and if it seems to a judge that you might be communicating information based on your reactions to certain plays then you could be disqualifed. So you need the poker face, and you need a surreptitious system to exchange information out of band.
thaumasiotes 7y ago
> The only way to play Bridge without cheating is to isolate each player in a separate room, confiscate all electronics, and have them play on provided computers running electronic Bridge that only transmits bids and cards played. You'll still have "cheating" in this scenario. The rules of bridge consider it to be cheating if partners have a bidding convention that they don't explain to the other team. It's stupid, but those are the official rules.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  Oof. The game itself just doesn't lend itself to fair competitive play owing to its very nature. It's like how the overhead press was removed as a powerlifting lift in competition: It's just not possible to judge fairly (too easy to cheat using your legs).
  - vl 7y ago
    This I don’t agree with: they should have left it as leg-assisted overhead press. So what that you helped with your back and legs? It’s a full-body activity anyway.
    - CydeWeys 7y ago
      There already is a "leg-assisted overhead press" widely seen in competition -- the jerk. Except you see it in Olympic lifting, not powerlifting, and it's generally not done on its own, but as part of the clean and jerk. The snatch is another form of leg-assisted overhead press. So if that's what you're into ... take up Olympic lifting!
      - vl 7y ago
        There is no element of overhead press in snatch. In jerk feet are moving. I think it would be beneficial to have third exercise where the final motion is overhead press after pause and feet are not allowed to move.

BurningFrog 7y ago

I guess bridge is a game where having a poker face is a disadvantage.

CydeWeys 7y ago
No, you want the poker face; you don't want your opponents to be able to discern anything, and if it seems to a judge that you might be communicating information based on your reactions to certain plays then you could be disqualifed. So you need the poker face, and you need a surreptitious system to exchange information out of band.

thaumasiotes 7y ago

> The only way to play Bridge without cheating is to isolate each player in a separate room, confiscate all electronics, and have them play on provided computers running electronic Bridge that only transmits bids and cards played. You'll still have "cheating" in this scenario. The rules of bridge consider it to be cheating if partners have a bidding convention that they don't explain to the other team. It's stupid, but those are the official rules.

CydeWeys 7y ago
Oof. The game itself just doesn't lend itself to fair competitive play owing to its very nature. It's like how the overhead press was removed as a powerlifting lift in competition: It's just not possible to judge fairly (too easy to cheat using your legs).
- vl 7y ago
  This I don’t agree with: they should have left it as leg-assisted overhead press. So what that you helped with your back and legs? It’s a full-body activity anyway.
  - CydeWeys 7y ago
    There already is a "leg-assisted overhead press" widely seen in competition -- the jerk. Except you see it in Olympic lifting, not powerlifting, and it's generally not done on its own, but as part of the clean and jerk. The snatch is another form of leg-assisted overhead press. So if that's what you're into ... take up Olympic lifting!
    - vl 7y ago
      There is no element of overhead press in snatch. In jerk feet are moving. I think it would be beneficial to have third exercise where the final motion is overhead press after pause and feet are not allowed to move.