Oops, I Think I Revoked
~ by Jack Self
What is a revoke? It happens to all of us. The opponents lead a suit and you either trump their lead or you discard another suit. Then a few tricks later you discover, to your horror, that you actually do have one or more cards in the suit that you just trumped (or discarded on). This is known in bridge terminology as a
revoke. So you have revoked, or you think an opponent has revoked. Now what? This article will help explain what your rights and responsibilities are when a revoke occurs.
Do I have to let the opponents know I revoked? No, you do not. You are under no ethical obligation to voluntarily confess that you revoked earlier in the hand. It is the opponents’ responsibility to “catch” your error. However, if you do revoke, you cannot deliberately make a play or take an action that tries to conceal that revoke. For instance, you should not revoke again to keep the first revoke a secret. You should not fold up your hand and quickly mix your cards together at the end of the hand. The opponents must have an opportunity to discover the revoke.
Can dummy point out that a defender revoked? The answer to that question is both yes and no. If you are dummy, you cannot draw attention to possible revoke until the hand is completely over and the last trick is turned. If you DO draw attention to it before the hand is over, your side loses its right to redress. If you, as dummy, suspect that a revoke has occurred, at the end of play quickly ask the opponents not to mix their cards together until the possibility of a revoke has been investigated.
What should I do if I think a revoke occurred? Call the Director!! This is essential. Do NOT, under any circumstances, start turning over cards to find out if a revoke did, in fact, occur. Turning cards back over without the Director present is a violation of bridge procedure. When the Director arrives, politely tell him or her that you think a revoke occurred. The Director will then direct the investigation and determine whether or not there was a revoke.
What is going to happen if a revoke did, in fact, occur? If the Director determines that a revoke occurred, he or she will inquire whether the revoking player won the trick in his or her hand. Then the Director will inquire whether or not the revoking player’s side won tricks later in the hand. He will then authorize either a one or two trick transfer of tricks to the other side. It is a two trick transfer if the revoking player won the trick on which he or she revoked and then won at least one more trick afterward. If the revoking player did NOT win the trick on which the revoke occurred but did win one or more tricks later on, there is a one trick transfer. Please note that this is a transfer of tricks. It is NOT a penalty. That is a common misconception by many players.
Will our side always gain a trick after an opponent revokes? Sometimes the transfer of tricks will just restore the tricks both sides would have won if the revoke had not occurred. Sometimes the non-revoking side will gain a trick. It is not unethical for one side to gain tricks they would not normally get because of a revoke. If it happens to you, just accept the result and hope you do not revoke again.
Some Exceptions to the Trick Transfer
Exception #1:
If you catch your own revoke before either you are your partner lead or play to the next trick (For instance, you discard when the declarer is drawing trump but realize right away that you do have a trump). Call the director immediately. When he or she arrives, explain the situation. The director will allow you to “take back” your revoke and play the card you should have played (The card you revoked with will become a penalty card if you are a defender). The director will also allow the next person to play change his or her card without penalty. It is important that you must catch your own revoke BEFORE you or your partner leads or plays to the next trick (the Director will probably ask you that very question).
Exception #2:
The revoke occurs on trick 12. If the revoke occurs on trick 12, it must be corrected and there is no transfer of tricks. The Director, of course, must be called to explain all this.
Exception #3:
Dummy revokes. If dummy revokes and nobody catches it immediately, there is no transfer of tricks. Everyone is expected to make sure dummy follows suit if possible. Don’t laugh too hard and say that a dummy revoke will not occur. If, for instance, dummy drops a card on the floor, and nobody notices that there is a missing card, a revoke could occur. Or suppose dummy lays down his hand and thinks he is void in diamonds, so declarer ruffs the diamond lead in dummy and continues play. Later, someone discovers that what everyone thought was the Ace of Hearts is really the Ace of Diamonds and dummy has revoked.
Exception #4.
The player who revoked did not win the revoke trick and did not win any tricks after that. In that case there is no trick transfer. You cannot transfer tricks that were never won (Tricks won before the revoked are not affected).
Exception #5: Your
side would have won more tricks than the one or two trick transfer if the revoke had not occurred. If you think you would have won more tricks than the one or two trick transfer if an opponent had not revoked, make your argument to the Director and, if he or she agrees, the number of tricks will be adjusted. Note that you do not have to make your argument right away. You can take some time to think about it and inform the Director later on during the game. It must, however, be done before you leave the game. Also, keep in mind, that determining how many tricks you might have won is not always cut and dried.
A Final Word
Some players feel that all these procedures and exceptions are too much to keep track of. Well, that is why you must call the Director when a revoke has possibly occurred. He or she will know what to do and will advise all players of their rights. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, DO NOT LET ANYONE AT THE TABLE MAKE A RULING. Call the Director. He or she is the only one who is entitled to authorize any trick transfers.
