[pran]

bluejak, on Apr 26 2010, 10:11 PM, said:

pran, on Apr 25 2010, 09:16 PM, said:

(You are like many players apparently not aware of the reason for making the opening lead face down? It has nothing to do with avoiding lead out of turn.)

When the procedure was brought in it was said to have more than one advantage. One of the advantages claimed was avoiding leads out of turn. At lesser club level it is the major advantage.

At major events that is of course an advantageous side-effect. That the lesser club levels often ignore the clarification period procedure is a sad fact.

[bluejak]

I do not know what the reason for side in bold is: it is an effect, and one the law-makers claimed to have intended.

Not all clubs are as bad as all that, and players who follow the rules get fewer lead out of turn rulings.