[jallerton]

Declarer leads a club from dummy, RHO follows; declarer now reaches for ♣K from hand but ♣10 drops out into what looks to be the "played position". Declarer immediately says something like "I didn't intend to play that card". Is ♣10 deemed to be played under Law 45C2 or is declarer allowed to pick up ♣10 and play another legal card under Law 48A?

[blackshoe]

Based on your description of what happened, the ♣10 was dropped accidentally, and Law 48A applies. I would instruct him to put it back in his hand and play the card he intended to play.

[mycroft]

I think L45C2 discusses cards *held* at or near the table, or *maintained* in an obviously played position. I don't think the latter applies to dropped cards, and unless the person has a habit of playing cards in this manner (I don't remember anyone doing that) it wasn't held there.

I think it's obvious it's a L48A case in real life, but I'm assuming the SB-like question is "how do you justify which rule applies, especially as L48A refers explicitly '(but see L45C2)'?" I think that's my justification, therefore, as to why L45C2 does not apply.

[jallerton]

OK, thanks.

Now consider an alternative situation. Declarer "pulls out the wrong card" from his hand (quite a common occurrence if you believe all of the comments made in post mortems). Assuming that the TD is satisfied that the card pulled out is not the one declarer had intended to play, does the unintended card become regarded as played anyway if it meets the criterion specified in Law 45C2, namely "held face up, touching or nearly touching the table;"? Or does Law 48A's "Declarer is not subject to restriction for exposing a card" have any relevance? "I didn't mean to expose that card, partner."

[mycroft]

I do not believe so. We have Law 25A (and in the ACBL, what is L25A vs what is "call not made" is different from your world), but the wording does not apply to Law 45 or 48.

If you pull the wrong card, you're holding it, and you have opportunity to realize it was the wrong one. If you drop a card, you lose control of it. If you pitch cards from your hand, you lose control of them, but that was deliberate, and it is clear you had intended to play that card at the time.

"I pulled the wrong card", like "I meant to say the Ace" or "but it's obvious to play..." usually mean "I was a trick ahead of myself" or "I assumed the King wouldn't pop, and didn't look until too late" or "I blanked on the hand for a second".

I lost a chance to make day 2 because a card that never stopped moving as declarer touched the table and was deemed a "played card". As it should have been. I freely admit I lost my mind for a second, and "pulled the wrong card". I therefore have little sympathy for other declarers caught in the same issue in a club game (especially if they're the "I saw your card it was the 8 of hearts" people when their opponents do it).

I do have sympathy, and will try to resolve, if two cards come out and declarer intended to play the back one (or the front one, for that matter). Pulling the single, wrong card, barring physical issues, no.