Welcome to the Unit 484 Website! 

Unit 484 is affiliated with the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) which fosters the game of bridge throughout North America.  We are a member of District 20 (D-20 ), one of 23 North American districts under the auspices of ACBL.  Unit 484 is a non-profit organization in Jackson County located in Southern Oregon.  The bridge clubs in our unit run ACBL sanctioned games available for players of all levels in competitive yet friendly and nurturing environments.

Bridge games within Unit 484 are located in the Rogue Valley—home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Britt Festival.  

We have several clubs offering games, excellent bridge instructors, games for players of varying levels and a bridge community of vibrant, interesting players whose goals are to have fun,make friends, improve their bridge, and to bid and make all their slams!

Please see the attached information from Cheryl Cullen, President and the Unit 484 Board 

 Hello Bridge Players,
With the expected return of winter weather next week, we want to encourage all of you to join us Tuesday at the Masonic Lodge for a fun afternoon of bridge.  It will be warm, dry and entertaining….too cold and wet to be outside!  Also, Bob Pantel is coordinating a Food Drive  The first 2 Tuesdays in March, the 1st and 8th, you can play bridge for a donation of non-perishable food items with all donations going to Access. Bob will deliver and has a big truck, so you can be as generous as you want, although a couple of cans will get you in the door. So, remember, stay out of the cold next Tuesday and play bridge with us, and then in March you can play for beans!
Hope to see you there,
Cheryl Cullen, President Unit 484

Feb 6, 2022 BRIDGE UNIT 484 UPDATE 

Hello everyone, 

        With the relocation to Bandon via Sun River by Unit President Doug McKenzie and his wife, Sue Alston, I have been promoted from Vice President to President for the remainder of the 2022 term. GeeGee Valine was selected by the Board of Directors to fill my vacant seat. 

     On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Doug for his excellent leadership and guidance during the past challenging 13 months. A big shoutout to Jerry Kenefick for making the Tuesday in-person games work so well. 

      We would like to encourage everyone to join us at the Masonic Lodge on Tuesdays at 1PM for these games. We follow all state and local guidelines regarding Covid and would like to thank Sherry Schroeder for purchasing N-95 masks for anyone that needs or wants one at the Tuesday games. Everyone attending these games has provided proof of vaccination and is required to wear a mask throughout the game. Remember, you don’t need to come with a partner, we will make sure you have someone to play with. 

      GeeGee’s and Bob’s classes for beginning and intermediate players started January 29th, and thanks to Carol Kato’s generous donation to bridge education, we were able to provide a discount to the class participants. A review of each class is held on Tuesday prior to the start of the in-person game. We encourage all of the participants to stay and play in the game and practice the skills being taught.          All of the Board members work very hard to make face-to-face bridge an enjoyable experience, and hope to see more of you join us on Tuesday. 

Cheryl Cullen, President Unit 484 

Unit 484 Board 

Cheryl Cullen 

GeeGee Valine 

Bob Pantel 

Final update from Doug McKenzie:

Hello Everyone,

Note:  Latest from Bob Fox:

Hi Everyone,

Our Saturday games have been sluggish & we've come up with some changes that should put some zip back in the game.

Firstly, due to poor attendance, we haven't had a 299er game happen for a month or more - as a result, there will be no more 299er Games on Saturday, only Open Games.  All 299er players are encouraged to play in the Open. 

Secondly, Phoenix Rising has pooled its' Saturday Open Game with the Sequoia Game (Eureka) and we will be alternating hosting the Saturday games.  As a result, there will only be 1 game offered each Saturday so players will no longer be split between 2 games - this is precisely what Leah did with her Wednesday game and it's been very successful.  ALL Saturday games (regardless of whether it's a Phoenix Rising or Sequoia game) will begin at 1pm Pacific time (no change for our players).  Players are encouraged to participate in all Saturday games regardless of who is hosting and emails to that effect are going out to all player databases. 

Third - we have some additional participating clubs that are new to the CO-OP - as soon as they are fully integrated we should see increased participation in all of our games over the next month or so.

As many of you know, I have had serious problems with my email capability over the past 3 months and this is the first multi-recipient email that I've been able to send out in a long time.  I'm planning on sending out a Newsletter to everyone soon if things go smoothly with this one.

Please consider playing in our Saturday games and encourage others to join us.

Thanks for all your participation.  We can't continue to offer our online games without your enthusiastic support.

Be cool! Bridge is fun.

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Every club has that player, the really wonderful, witty, intelligent person that everybody enjoys conversing with unless the topic is bridge. The player who immediately becomes unbearable when the boards hit the table. The player who snarls at partner and intimidates the opponents with harsh words and bad behavior. The player who eventually has the director called to his table.

Although no club is required to adopt the Zero Tolerance Policy as written by ACBL, no club director should feel handicapped if such a policy is not in effect. Everything you need to administer effective disciplinary action resides in the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. And ACBL does mandate that clubs apply each and every Law within.

The Laws

Law 74

A. Proper Attitude

1. A player should maintain a courteous attitude at all times.
2. A player should carefully avoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance or

embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.

Law 81, paraphrased in Duplicate Decisions

The Director should never tolerate improper behavior in his game. He should not allow his authority to run the game to be challenged, or he will lose control of his game. Since he has absolute authority during the game, such challenges may be dealt with politely but very firmly. Laws 90 and 91 outline the Director’s powers to penalize or suspend a player during the course of the game.

Law 90

A. The Director, in addition to implementing the rectifications in these Laws, may also assess procedural penalties for any offense that unduly delays or obstructs the game, inconveniences other contestants, violates correct procedure or requires the award of an adjusted score at another table.

Law 91

A. In performing his duty to maintain order and discipline, the Director is empowered to assess disciplinary penalties in points or to suspend a contestant for the current session or any part thereof. The Director’s decision under this clause is final and may not be overruled by an appeals committee.

ACBL Handbook Excerpt (Chapter IV)

The club manager can handle many behavior problems by discussing them with the offenders, by issuing a warning or declaring a period of probation.

In extreme cases or cases of repeat offenses, the manager can bar an ACBL member from the club game for a stipulated period of time or permanently. (See handbook for process.)

The Policy

The Zero Tolerance Policy was board-approved and adopted by ACBL in 1998 for NABC tournaments. In 2014 ACBL made an effort to “reboot” our attention to this policy. The Z-T policy is regularly adopted and publicized for regionals, sectionals and many clubs. Some clubs choose to write their own policies in this area. The original policy states:

The ultimate purpose of the Z-T policy is to create a much more pleasant atmosphere in our NABCs. We are attempting to eradicate unacceptable behavior in order to make the game of bridge more enjoyable for all. Below are some examples of commendable behavior, which, while not required, will significantly contribute to the improved atmosphere:

• Being a good “host” or “guest” at the table.

• Greeting others in a friendly manner.

• Praising the bidding and/or play of the opponents.

• Having two clearly completed convention cards readily available to the opponents. (This one is aregulation, not just a nicety.)

• The following are examples of behavior that will not be tolerated:

  • Badgering, rudeness, insinuations, intimidation, profanity, threats or violence. • Negative comments concerning opponents’ or partner’s play or bidding.
  • Constant and gratuitous lessons and analyses at the table.
  • Loud and disruptive arguing with a director’s ruling.

  If a player at the table behaves in an unacceptable manner, the director should be called immediately. Annoying behavior, embarrassing remarks or any other conduct which might interfere with the enjoyment of the game are specifically prohibited by Law 74A. Law 91A gives the director the authority to assess disciplinary penalties.