Ten Point Guide to Duplicate Boards and Wallets

BOARDS and wallets for Duplicate Bridge can seem a bewildering to the newcomer to bridge. In our ten point guide to duplicate boards and wallets for bridge, we aim to help to explain the differences between duplicate boards and wallets, how they’re used and if there are any alternatives to them.

1. Boards v. Wallets: A duplicate board and a duplicate wallet both do the same job of holding four pre-dealt hands. Boards come with stickers that show the dealer and vulnerability. The same information is printed onto the wallets. The main difference between them is that our duplicate boards will fit into a dealing machine and the wallets don’t. And, the wallets take up less room when you store them.
2. Clearance Prices: From time to time we get the opportunity to pick up stock at a cheaper price by clearing end-of-lines from our suppliers. We then pass this saving onto you which is why we have some boards and wallets in our range at unbeatable prices. Because it’s clearance stock, it’s only available while stocks last.
3. Pattern of Vulnerability: The pattern of vulnerability and dealer is different on every board/wallet from 1-16, then it repeats itself on 17-32, then 33-48 and so on. So, we recommend that you buy your boards/wallets in 16s if possible so that you get the full round of variations.
4. SuperPlus v. Gebrema Boards: The SuperPlus boards, made by Jannersten, are our top-of-the-range duplicate boards. These boards are made in Europe from a superior quality flexible plastic so they’re easy to open and close. The Gebrema boards, also supplied by Jannersten, are a more economical board. The plastic is stiffer so they’re not quite so easy to open and close as the SuperPlus, but they are wonderful value and are great for bridge clubs on a limited budget and also for home use. We cleared all of the stock of the Gebrema boards from Jannersten, so when they’re gone, they’re gone!
5. 2-Ply v. 3-Ply Wallets: The duplicate wallets are made from layers of plastic fused together along the seams to create the pockets. The 2-ply wallets are made from 2 sheets of plastic: one for the body of the wallet and the other for the pockets. The 3-ply wallets are made from 3 sheets: one for the pockets, one for the body of the wallet and one for the pocket on the reverse of the wallet which is used for the traveller. The 3-ply wallets are made by Jannersten from a good quality plastic. They’re a heavier gauge of plastic and are the best quality and most durable wallets we supply. The 2-ply wallets are made from a lighter-weight plastic and don’t have the rigidity of the 3-ply wallets but they are fantastic value and still great for home and small clubs to use.
6. Top-tip for the 2-Ply Wallets and Travellers: Are you using travelling score sheets (known as travellers) and your budget won’t stretch to the 3-ply wallets? Then go for the 2-ply wallets and tuck the folded traveller beneath the playing cards in one of the pockets!
7. Top-tip for Boards and Travellers: Both styles of our duplicate boards have a slot on the underside for holding the traveller but many players find it fiddly to insert the traveller into the slot. So we recommend that you fold the traveller and slide it under one of the piles of playing cards instead, which is much quicker and simpler.
8. Dealing Machines: There are two models of dealing machine commonly in use in bridge clubs; the Jannersten Duplimate and the PlayBridge Dealer4. Our SuperPlus boards are designed to fit in the Jannersten Duplimate machine and are really the best boards from our range for this machine. The PlayBridge Dealer 4 has the advantage of being adjustable to accomodate boards that are different sizes, so you can use either the SuperPlus or the cheaper Gebrema boards if your club has this machine.
9. A Little Trick to get a Cheap Set of 1-32 Wallets: If you’re looking for a set of 32 wallets (currently only available in 3-ply) but your budget won’t stretch that far, there is a solution! Buy 2 sets of 1-16 of our good value 2-ply wallets plus a set of duplicate board stickers numbered 17-32. Leave one set as it is, and consecutively change the numbers on the other set using the stickers (so wallet 1 has sticker 17, wallet 2 has sticker 18 and so on). The vulnerability and dealer combinations will be correct and you will have saved yourself over £13.00 pounds!
   ed. 15/05/2023 this may now be the case as prices change over time
10. Time-Saver for Teachers: Teachers of bridge can spend quite a long time preparing hands ready for a lesson. Buy some wallets or boards to store the prepared hands in between lessons, and save yourself having to re-deal the same hands. From time to time we have spare boards and wallets in a mixture of colours and numbers at clearance prices which are ideal for this purpose – be sure to check our clearance and sales section to see if you can save on them!

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