In case you haven't heard....Stop card tossed from bidding boxes (From September, 2017 Bridge Bulletin)
After roughly two decades of use, the oft-controversial Stop card found in most ACBL bidding boxes will soon be missing from ACBL tournaments.
During meetings in Toronto, the ACBL Board of Directors voted 20-5 to eliminate the Stop card for any sanctioned tournament that starts after Jan. 1. ACBL-affiliated clubs are not required to remove the Stop card from bidding boxes but are encouraged to do so.
Players are reminded of the obligation to pause in the direct seat after a skip bid so as to avoid making unauthorized information available to their partners. Players should strive to maintain an even tempo during the auction
The board's vote came in response to a recommendation from the Competition and Conventions committee to end the use of the Stop card.
Longtime National tournament Director Sol Weinstein said the reasoning of the C and C Committee is that more people were using the Stop card for the benefit of their own partnerships than for that of the opponents.
Another factor is that many players - particularly the less-experienced - don't understand it.
The bottom line, in the committee's thinking, is that the pluses of using the Stop card don't outweight the minuses of its abuse.
UNIT 351 GIFT CARDS