[shevek]

How do people test their ideas?

I use Bgen for windows, an adaption by an Australian - Nigel Dutton - of Paul Heitner's DOS program from the 80s. I guess you have better tools.

Currently I'm looking at dealing with a weak 2S overcall of our strong 1C. Simple stuff.
I generate a few hands - 24 - then import them into DMPro and just look at them, peaking at the Deep Finesse analysis.

This seems fine. What do others do?

Nick

[david_c]

Yeah, get the computer to deal some hands, and then look at what would happen on those. That's what I do.

[rbforster]

Nothing so hi-tech for me - I code up the assumptions in the BBO practice bidding room and deal hands that way (to think about what our auction would have been). Less useful for situations where you want to be able to specify suit quality instead of just shape+HCP. It's not great for competition but works ok for testing constructive methods.

[kenrexford]

In the past, I would find some struggling player with grandiose views of his own potential, with a taste for the exotic, and establish a partnership with the lab rat to test out the theories in real play.

Bad idea.

[han]

If I have an idea I usually ask my partner what he thinks about it. If he likes it then we might bid some 50 hands on that topic to see if it works well (partnership bidding). If it is something drastic then I usually ask Justin what he thinks.

[jdonn]

han, on Jun 4 2008, 01:14 PM, said:

If I have an idea I usually ask my partner what he thinks about it. If he likes it then we might bid some 50 hands on that topic to see if it works well (partnership bidding). If it is something drastic then I usually ask Justin what he thinks.

Calm down han, no reason to panic.

[kenrexford]

Jlall, on Jun 4 2008, 03:56 PM, said:

kenrexford, on Jun 4 2008, 12:47 PM, said:

In the past, I would find some struggling player with grandiose views of his own potential, with a taste for the exotic...

lol, good one!

Yeah. It is a hell of a lot better to find a very good partner, ideally one better than you at practical, "accepted" bidding, with a real skepticism for the exotic, and then to try stuff out with that person, as I have found out over the past few years.

A few things happen.

1. Idiotic ideas are immediately dismissed as idiotic, even if you initially had a real love for the idea. If you insist, it does not matter. Ya ain't playin that bull s#!+.

2. Good ideas that need tweaked are tweaked.

3. A reliable test of real prospects results.