A few weeks ago, I popped into another bridge website as an anonymous kibitzer, lurker and eventually player.

The site allows you to join with a randomized username and then go on to either create or join a table: I’m not a regular visitor there, since it feels a bit like the dingy and badly-lit bar in the middle of town where you go when you need to speak to people who “get things done” for money, but it seemed like a good idea to stop by.

It took a while to find a room to join. Most of the tables had about two members, but one would leave the moment a third member entered. This resulted in a bizarre game of musical bridge table that lasted a good ten minutes.

The table I finally got to join would take this a step further. The game got a few tricks in until someone on the opposing team left a few messages in the public chat and then disappeared. I’m not fluent in French, but I know enough to identify a few insults.

How well would a bridge game on a cruise ship go if the game started and one of the members got up from the table to throw themselves overboard? Not very well. The same rings true for online bridge games.

Deserting the table. Why do it?

Here are a few reasons why it can happen – and why repeated deserting gets you banned.

Emergencies Are Acceptable

Emergencies happen: You sit down for a comfortable bridge game on BBO, find a table to join and as the game starts, the pot on the stove starts smoking or the cat walks over and vomits at your feet. 

Sometimes these events are unavoidable, and if you’re forced to desert the table for something you could not have helped or something that was a life-and-death emergency, even though it’s not the most pleasant situation possible, it’s usually an understandable one.

…Up to a Point

If emergencies become a repeated problem and you have to keep leaving games (and often your bridge partner) hanging, maybe you should take a clearer look at your schedule and change when or where you’re playing bridge.

Repeated table deserters will eventually be banned if they inconvenience everyone else, whether it’s an emergency or not.

When It’s Not an Emergency, Don’t Do It

Just because it’s easier to click on an X or < button to leave a bridge game doesn’t mean that you should. It’s the equivalent of getting up during a bridge event, yelling “I’m out, everyone!” and then standing behind a potted plant pretending that nobody can see you.

It’s not cool, and when it’s not an emergency with a decent explanation, it gets you banned because you’re inconveniencing everyone else.

Have you ever had to desert a bridge game for a serious emergency in person or online? Share your stories!