Correct Order of Play

Sometimes even seasoned VtES players discover that they have been playing the game wrong for years.
First there was the discussion in the usenet newsgroup in December 2006, that a player using a "Deflection" to bounce a bleed implictely means that he declines to block.
Secondly, there was a clarification also in the usenet newsgroup in February 2007, that the following order of play is an illegal play:

• Player A: "I bleed for 1"
  
• Player B: "I don't block"
  
• Player A: "No modifiers"
  
• Player B: "I don't react"
  
• Player A: "Ok, I play 'Conditioning' for +3 bleed"
  
• Player B: "Ok, then I play 'Deflection'"

The illegal part of the play is where player A plays a "Conditioning" after both he and player A passed earlier in the transaction.
If player A goes to bleed for 1, no block occurs, player A has the first opportunity to play a modifier. If he declines to modify the bleed, player B then declines to react, the transaction is over. Two "passes" in a row (i.e. player A doesn't play a modifier, player B doesn't play a reaction) closes the window and moves straight to the resolution step of the bleed action.
So if the acting player doesn't want to modify his bleed, but doesn't want to miss the opportunity to do so, he has to do so before he see's if the reacting players wants to react to it. If the acting player passes on playing a modifier and the reacting player pass on playing a reaction, the bleed is over and resolves.