How do you Play your Cards?

Law 45A: Play of a Card from a Hand

Each player except dummy plays a card by detaching it from hand and facing it on the table immediately in front.

Simple enough – but an area where many players have acquired mannerisms which somemight find irritating.

For example:

• cracking the card so that the play is not silent keeping hold of the card and turning it over too soon looking for marks for artistic impression by playing with some kind of flourish
• removing a card from hand and admiring it for some time before either playing it, or returning it to hand

Law 44 Sequence and procedure of play

44B Subsequent Plays to a Trick

"After the lead, each other player in turn plays a card, and the four cards so played constitute a trick. For the method of playing cards and arranging tricks ..."

We should never play out of turn
     – and that includes declarer's call of a card from dummy

Law 74 – Conduct and etiquette

B3 As a matter of courtesy a player should refrain from detaching a card before one's turn to play

This goes beyond irritation:

• an inexperienced player may find it intimidating
• it might be construed as giving Unauthorized Information to partner