[vuroth]

I've been reading some of the archives in here lately. It's been gratifying to see that some of the people who used to ask the questions are now giving thoughtful, insightful answers. Clearly, it's possible to improve quickly, at least in certain areas.

Right now, my focus is really on bridge logic and card play. I'm playing a fair bit with GiB right now. I'm finding it lets me play more slowly, with no pressure, so that I can stop and actually try to think through what's going on. I'm not always getting it right, and some of my mistakes are frankly pretty awful, but I think I'm on a decent track.

I've also been playing a bit more with human partners lately. I've been pretty nervous about doing so, mostly because the pickup partner doesn't have the greatest reputation around here. In general, it has been ok, but there's one thing that I'm experiencing that is frustrating me.

My profile says something like "Intermediate. SAYC, cue=limit raise or better". This is the system I'm trying to play, period. I know the system is not perfect, but the more I play it, the more I realize that there are ins and outs that I don't fully understand. I don't plan on playing vanilla SAYC forever, but for now I feel like my energies are better devoted to understanding the basic system and improving my card play, rather than gadgetting myself up.

The problem is that I'm starting to feel like the convention list on my profile is being used to evaluate my skill level. Some partners are throwing conventions at me all the time, as though I've either never heard of them before, or adding them will immediately improve my game. I went down that road 6 years ago playing in the local club, and just ended up with a full convention card that I didn't fully understand.

It really feels like there's a perception, maybe just among BILs and maybe not, that if you don't play conventions, you're still a beginner, while if you DO have a full profile you're Intermediate++. It irks me.

Am I on the right track? Is my resistance to picking up gadgets and conventions sound, or pure stubbornness? Am I the only one who feels this way?

[blackshoe]

Yes. The former. No.

[PedroG]

Hi,

my only advise and from a true begginer is that you should pick a partner and discuss this agreements with him, pick more than one partner have a few of them

But agreements is agreements and nothing you could put on your profile is going to describe what you are realy playing...

On the pick up partner don't bother so much and if you come across something ask opp's and make the questions and the agreements on the fly.

Just a funny thing I was yesterday playing with regular partner and a opp made a Michaels cuebid alerted like that "Michaels" I had open 1♦ assumed he had 5/5 on the majors, he didn't... he had 5♦+5♠... Well even if it had prevented me from making a extra trick because I though he had some hearts and never diamonds...

A few games later he made Michaels again over a ♦ and again to show a completly diferent 2 suits this time ♣ + ♠ well at least it always show spades

Pedro

[cherdano]

Try to find more regular partners. I think you have the right priorities, and if you can find partners around your level that agree with them you will have a lot of fun (and improve).

[helene_t]

vuroth, on Feb 27 2008, 06:09 PM, said:

my energies are better devoted to understanding the basic system and improving my card play, rather than gadgetting myself up. It irks me.

Agree 100%.

Quote

It really feels like there's a perception, maybe just among BILs and maybe not, that if you don't play conventions, you're still a beginner, while if you DO have a full profile you're Intermediate++.

This perception certainly is there, but maybe there is a correlation between
1) over-rating oneself and
2) putting a lot of unnecessary convention names on one's profile just to impress others. Like "I know more conventions than you do, and I am an expert, so our bidding misunderstandings must be your fault".

Quote

Am I on the right track?

Yes.

[pclayton]

You are certainly focusing on the right stuff here. Keep working at it and don't stop. Problems that seem difficult now will become easy when you look at them later. Try to take more challenging feats.

One day you will wake up, and you will be advanced, but you really won't realize it.

Someone good will say, "you should consider changing your profile to advanced".

Conventions are a personal thing, and as you find out that certain hands are difficult to bid in standard, you'll realize the necessity (or not).

[P_Marlowe]

cherdano, on Feb 27 2008, 12:53 PM, said:

Try to find more regular partners. I think you have the right priorities, and if you can find partners around your level that agree with them you will have a lot of fun (and improve).

Agree.

Although I would slightly modify the advice to:
Find one regular partner and work with him together,
on system / declarer play (monitoring each other)
and defence.

People quite often forget, that Bridge is a partnership
game, that partnership knowledge / trust is an important
factor for sucess, and sucess will improve ones own
confidence.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[whereagles]

vuroth, on Feb 27 2008, 05:09 PM, said:

Clearly, it's possible to improve quickly, at least in certain areas.

doh! that's Pareto's Law: "It takes 20% of the time to learn 80% of the stuff."

[PrecisionL]

P_Marlowe, on Feb 27 2008, 01:06 PM, said:

cherdano, on Feb 27 2008, 12:53 PM, said:

Try to find more regular partners. I think you have the right priorities, and if you can find partners around your level that agree with them you will have a lot of fun (and improve).

Agree.

Although I would slightly modify the advice to:
Find one regular partner and work with him together,
on system / declarer play (monitoring each other)
and defence.

Marlowe

Better yet,

Find 3 other players that think like you do and learn together and add conventions slowly and be partners to each other.

Larry