About Lone Star Bridge Club

Where We Meet

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

Lone Star Bridge Club meets in the Fellowship Hall at St. Paul United Methodist Church 1100 Semands Dr. in Conroe, Texas.

CLICK FOR MAP TO ST. PAUL

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

Lone Star Bridge Club uses a dealing machine for game hands, provides hand records at end of game, posts scores to Unit web site, and provides Bridgemate score pads for players' convenience. Our games begin every Monday at 11:45 a. m., and every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Additional weekly games are added as approved and scheduled by The Board of Directors. All games are sanctioned and stratified. Game fee: $5.00

LINK TO UNIT WEBSITE AND SCORES

Special Games and Lessons

Awards, Missions and Activities

Jeff Kroll's Improving Your Bridge Bidding and Play

Jeff's classes are every first Monday of each month, starting at 11:00, and are concluded in time to make the 11:45 a.m. game. Videos of his classes are posted below. Please scroll down.

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Diamond Life Master Jeff Kroll welcomes questions about bridge hands. You may send them to him at texas.blue.hen@gmail.com or place them in a box at the games. After receiving several questions, Jeff will schedule a free lesson to cover the topics requested. Variations to the schedule will be announced in the Club's weekly newsletter.

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Previous ACBL Bridge Bulletin Notes

https://acblunit174.org/Kroll_ACBL_Bulletin_Review.html

This link is not a newsletter from Jeff. It's the ACBL Bridge Bulletin Notes from April 2016 to the present that Jeff wrote, and Sam Khayatt edited. These notes have been captured over many years and posted to the ACBL Unit Website.

The earlier notes are more lengthy as we wrote up everything that most bridge players would find helpful. These earlier Bulletins are available on the ACBL website. The later notes were shorter as we wrote up only the highlights.

Also, the earlier notes required that the reader have the Bridge Bulletin in hand to follow what was written. The later notes are written so they could be understood without the Bridge Bulletin.

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Awards, Missions and Activities

Members of Lone Star Bridge Club participate year-round in charitable support to organizations such as Children's Protective Services, Operation Christmas Child, Montgomery County Food Bank, and others.

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The Future Life Master Program of Unit 174 has been growing and growing. If you are in the 0-100 masterpoint category, there are special on-line bridge games and lessons just for you! Flyers with all the information for the Apollo (0-20) , Gemini (21-50) , and Discovery (51-100) Playing Groups are available at the club where you purchase your entries. It is easy to sign up on BBO, but you do need to have an ACBL number. (Applications are available at LSBC) **************************************************

PLAY BRIDGE WITH A LIFE MASTER!

Don’t forget to sign up for our NEW MENTEE/MENTOR game. Partnerships are now being arranged and anyone with less than 300 masterpoints is eligible to be a mentee, AND play bridge with a Life Master! The mentee will be paying the regular $5 entry fee, and the Mentors will be playing for free. The main idea is for this to be an opportunity to play in a shortened bridge game, and allow time afterwards to discuss the bidding, play of the hand, and best defenses. We will be sponsoring this game once a month on the third Tuesday, and masterpoints will be awarded to all ACBL members. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity! Please contact Anita Rothfuss at 936-537-5039, or larryandanita@gmail.com, for more information.

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DECEMBER, 2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS-

ALL GAMES THIS MONTH AT LSBC WILL BE AWARDING EXTRA POINTS!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE CLUB

For information about beginning bridge lessons, please contact Linda Sutton, lindasutton212@gmail.com, or by telephone at 936-443-3600.

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You can still become a Lone Star Bridge Club member for the 2023-2024 year. Our Membership Chairman Sandra Maalouf smaalouf@icloud.com will be happy to accept your $5.00 dues at the club or you may mail her a check – 220 W. Shore Lane, Montgomery, Texas 77356.

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This Month At The Club

Bill Gemas’ Diamond Life Master Celebration will be Monday, December 11. The signup sheet is full, but there is a wait list. If you have signed up and find out you cannot attend, please contact Deb Alexander at 281-300-9218 and she will contact the next in line on the wait list. Thank you.

Our CHRISTMAS PARTY will be Monday, December 18. Food is being provided by the club. A few desserts are needed. Please sign up at the club if you would like to bring a dessert. The sign up list for the party is full, but there is a wait list. Please contact Deb Alexander at 281-300-9218 if you signed up and find out that you cannot attend. Thank you.

Please mark your calendar: The Mentor Mentee game for December 19 has been canceled.

BRIDGE LESSONS – Linda Sutton will be teaching 2/1 in February 2024. Watch for specific dates to be announced soon.

Monday, December 4 – 11:00 am Jeff Kroll’s Free Lesson

The differences between playing IMPS (teams) and Matchpoint bridge strategies. Often the bidding and play are different between the 2 types of scoring.

· Why it’s more important to push for game at IMPS than Matchpoints – especially vulnerable

· When to be satisfied just making your contract and when to risk it for an overtrick

· When to double at IMPS and Matchpoints

· When to sacrifice at IMPS and Matchpoints

· When to be happy setting the contract and when to get every trick possible

Monday, December 4 – 11:45 am Unit 174 STaC Game – SILVER POINTS

Tuesday, December 5 – 10:30 am Unit 174 STaC Game – SILVER POINTS

Thursday, December 7 – 10:30 am Unit 174 STaC Game – Silver POINTS

Monday, December 11 – 11:00 am – Bill Gemas’ Diamond Life Master Celebration

Monday, December 18 – 11:00 am Christmas Party

Monday, December 25 – Merry Christmas – no game.

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For Partnership, please contact Sandra Maalouf (936-597-8756) or smaalouf@icloud.com. Should she be unable to find a partner for you, she will notify you in due time. Also, if you prefer playing a particular bidding system (2/1 or S.A.), let her know and she will try and find a partner for you.

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LSBC has an Ambassador Program! This will make sure you get to play in case your partner cancels at the last minute, or accidentally schedules two bridge dates. The goal is to prevent anyone from having to go home. Ambassadors will play for free and earn one or two additional free plays. Sandra Maalouf (936-597-8756) smaalouf@icloud.com coordinates this program and has a list of volunteers. The complete guidelines are available at the club.

Important Information

2023-2024 Lone Star Bridge Club Board of Directors

President Deb Alexander
Vice President Carol Jenkinson
Secretary Julie Halperin
Treasurer John Erickson
Club Manager Linda Sutton
Church Liaison Mary McDonald
Members at Large: Bill Gemas, Sandra Maalouf, Lynn Clark, Skip Brower

Lone Star Bridge Club Policies

THE FOLLOWING POLICIES HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE LONE STAR BRIDGE CLUB BOARD:

LONE STAR BRIDGE CLUB ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

LONE STAR BRIDGE CLUB has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. The Lone Star Bridge Club endorses and enforces the ACBL Zero Tolerance Policy. The full Zero Tolerance Policy is available on the ACBL website.

The following behaviors are not allowed at our player-friendly club:

· Rudeness, intimidation, badgering, gloating

· Profanity, abusive language

· Violence

· Negative comments regarding opponent’s bidding or play

· Negative comments regarding partner’s bidding or play

· Aggressive or confrontational behavior with any director, opponent or partner.

Violations of Lone Star Bridge Club’s Zero Tolerance Policy are:

1. Upon the first violation the Director has the right and discretion to do any of the below in the following sequence:

· Issue a warning

· Access a ¼ board or 3 IMP penalty to the offender’s pair.

· Take the issue to the Conduct and Ethics Committee for review and further action

· Ask the offender and his/her partner to leave the game

***PHYSICAL VIOLENCE OR THREATS OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EVICTION FROM THE PREMISES***

2. Violations will be documented in the Club Manager’s Notebook with accompanying date and description of the nature of the violation. Further violations or patterns of infractions by the same offender will be referred to the Conduct and Ethics Committee for further review and action.

We want to develop an atmosphere of camaraderie and healthy competition at our Club.

Thank you for your compliance with this Zero Tolerance Policy.

LONE STAR BRIDGE CLUB APPEAL POLICY*

Any member who legitimately believes that a Director has made an incorrect call of an ACBL Rule shall have the right to request an appeal of such a call. The great majority of Director’s Call shall stand.

· An appeal request must be made at the table at the time of the Director Call in question.

· Both the player and his/her partner must agree that an appeal should be made.

· No other Director shall be called to the table to discuss at the time of the Call. The Director making the call may walk away to confer with another Director if he/she requires confirmation of a Rule.

· During the Director Call Process, the players at the table may always ask to see the ACBL Laws of Duplicate Bridge Book to reference the rule in question.

APPEAL PROCESS:

· Immediately after the game, as many of the Board of Directors as are available, shall meet to review the Director’s Call in question.

· The Board may request other Certified Directors, or if unavailable, advanced knowledgeable players to participate in the review.

· A total of at least three or five BOD/Directors/knowledgeable players shall be required so that a majority vote may occur.

· Once the Appeal Committee has reached a decision, no further appeal is available.

· Both the Director that made the call and the offending pair must be present to give the facts of the call.

If the offending pair is not satisfied, they will be advised that they can always send an email with the facts and final ruling to the ACBL for confirmation of accuracy.

The Club Manager will maintain a Notebook which contains Appeal Committee decisions with dates and notations regarding the facts of the appeal and decision, as well as previous examples from ACBL to LSBC, its members and sister clubs giving guidance on specific calls and results.

Any club member who requests appeals on a repeated basis, in such a manner to be deemed frivolous, shall be referred to the Conduct and Ethics Committee.

*Appeals relating to issues other than Director Calls shall be referred to the Conduct and Ethics Committee.

LONE STAR BRIDGE CLUB SLOW PLAY POLICY

· Directors shall make all efforts to encourage players to play within the time limits of each round.

· All four players at the table are responsible for eliminating slow play when it occurs.

· If a table has not picked up its last board before the end of the round has been announced, the Director, at his/her discretion, may give the two pairs at that table the option to take a “Late Play” of that board. This is not a penalty…it is only to ensure that the tempo of the entire game is maintained. The ACBL stresses that the objective should always be to strive for an actual score in preference to no score. Directors shall make every effort NOT to assess a “No Play” as this affects non-offending pairs as well as offending players, but a No Play will be assessed if both pairs do not agree to a Late Play.

· A Director may, at his/her discretion, apply additional penalties in line with ACBL guidelines for those players/pairs that have established a continued pattern of slow play which impacts repeatedly on the flow of the LSBC games.

Enforcing the Slow Play Policy will result in a better functioning Club. Slow players have a negative effect on the over-all tempo of the game, which often results in player frustration at the other effected tables.

Please read these policies carefully as they are in effect immediately. They will also be posted at the club. If you have any questions, please ask a Board member.

About Lone Star Bridge Club

Where We Meet

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

We Are A Friendly Duplicate Bridge Club

Special Games and Lessons

Awards, Missions and Activities

Awards, Missions and Activities

Awards, Missions and Activities

Awards, Missions and Activities

Awards, Missions and Activities

Lone Star Bridge Club Honoree Photo Gallery

JEFF KROLL'S NOVEMBER 6, 2023 LESSON

JEFF KROLL'S OCTOBER 2, 2023 LESSON

JEFF KROLL'S SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 LESSON

JEFF KROLL'S JULY 10, 2023 LESSON

JEFF KROLL'S June 5, 2023 LESSON

Contact Us

Lone Star Bridge Club - Sanction #275321

Drop us a line!

Important Information