[PhilG007]

blackshoe, on 2015-May-21, 17:33, said:

Bridge is not a game of "always get to the best making contract". It's a game of possibilities and probabilities. IMO, if you pass or open something other that 2♣ with that 28 point hand, you're psyching. I have no problem with psyching, but it doesn't seem likely to help here, unless your objective is to convince your opponents you're nuts.

Bridge is not a game of "always get to the best making contract" Sorry,but I have to disagree I assume you have played MP Pairs(?)
Missing a slam when it's biddable is a disaster. The same applies to game contracts and part scores. Going 1 down in 3♠
non vul when the opps have a vul cold 4♥ is a total victory. Bidding a slam when only a game is possible is also terrible. You have to bear in mind that,in duplicate,your real opponents are not sitting at your table but those sitting in the same direction as you... The winners of MP tournaments are those who have achieved the best score possible on every board....

[ArtK78]

PhilG007, on 2015-May-22, 07:28, said:

Bridge is not a game of "always get to the best making contract" Sorry,but I have to disagree I assume you have played MP Pairs(?)
Missing a slam when it's biddable is a disaster. The same applies to game contracts and part scores. Going 1 down in 3♠
non vul when the opps have a vul cold 4♥ is a total victory. Bidding a slam when only a game is possible is also terrible. You have to bear in mind that,in duplicate,your real opponents are not sitting at your table but those sitting in the same direction as you... The winners of MP tournaments are those who have achieved the best score possible on every board....

I am learning more from each post. This is very enlightening.

[blackshoe]

What was it Skip Simon said? Something about "best result possible" vs. "best possible result"?

[mycroft]

Yeah, but Skid Simon was playing rubber for money and defending against his CHO.

Having said that, even at MP pairs, "always get to the best making contract" is a chimaera; one head leads to "result merchant", another to "pajama bridge"; a third yet to acrimony when partner can't play to your bidding skills. "Get to the contract that will be at least average+, most of the time" seems reasonable - especially if you're a good enough card player to think you're 55+ playing the field contract after the field auction.

After all, even at MP pairs, getting to the best scoring contract is worth nothing if you have to be Helgemo to make it. Worse yet if your partner Mrs. Guggenheim has to be Helgemo to make it. You'll certainly always have field protection for the "obvious" contract, however.

[Edit: Felt wrong to me too. Oops, sorry sir.]

[kuhchung]

Skid.

[Vampyr]

kuhchung, on 2015-May-22, 17:27, said:

Skid.

Well, who knows, maybe "Skip Simon", whoever he is, said the same thing.

[KurtGodel]

I think people are seriously underrating pass here. As well as being able to catch the opponents when they bid (everybody seems to bid so much these days), you also have the opportunity to get a great score when other people overbid. I can imagine those players who are trained to count points might think this is an above average hand and might end up in nonsense contracts like 3NT or even slams! I put this through K&R and it turns it out that it's only worth 12.65, the sterile 4333 shape and lack of tens makes this hand a clear pass. So called 'BBO experts' always seem to overvalue hands like these, you just have to be logical: we have eight tricks, partner rates to be broke, just pass and hope for the best.

[blackshoe]

kuhchung, on 2015-May-22, 17:27, said:

Skid.

Vampyr, on 2015-May-22, 17:36, said:

Well, who knows, maybe "Skip Simon", whoever he is, said the same thing.

"Skid" is right, I think. I must be getting senile.

[Vampyr]

blackshoe, on 2015-May-23, 12:43, said:

"Skid" is right, I think. I must be getting senile.

Another poster thought the same thing., so it must be an easy mistake to make.

[PhilKing]

I always thought it a shame that the inventors of Acol weren't Skid Marx and Jack Simon.

[PhilG007]

mycroft, on 2015-May-22, 17:25, said:

Yeah, but Skip Simon was playing rubber for money and defending against his CHO.

Having said that, even at MP pairs, "always get to the best making contract" is a chimaera; one head leads to "result merchant", another to "pajama bridge"; a third yet to acrimony when partner can't play to your bidding skills. "Get to the contract that will be at least average+, most of the time" seems reasonable - especially if you're a good enough card player to think you're 55+ playing the field contract after the field auction.

After all, even at MP pairs, getting to the best scoring contract is worth nothing if you have to be Helgemo to make it. Worse yet if your partner Mrs. Guggenheim has to be Helgemo to make it. You'll certainly always have field protection for the "obvious" contract, however.

Yes...or the 'Unlucky Expert' who runs into a diabolical trump break or 'Futile Willie' trying a quixotic attempt on the impossible(!)