[kenberg]

Assume that your opponents are not geniuses, are not idiots, are not psyching.
At times you may have to revise one or more of these opinions, but it's the place to start.

[gnasher]

gwnn, on 2013-October-31, 08:26, said:

I wouldn't have seen you as someone who applies this advice particularly often judging by your "Clearly, LHO does not have the club Q as he would have played a spade back to take out the entry necessary for double squeeze early." posts

Yes, that's probably one of the many ways in which I'm more stupid than my opponents.

[mycroft]

There is exactly one person in the room that wants you to do well. It is very easy to convert that person to the other side.

[mikeh]

Never ask yourself: 'what should I do?' Instead, ask yourself: 'what's going on?'

Once you have figured out what is or what probably is going on, the other question has usually been answered or, if not, is far easier to answer now than it was.

This bit of advice incorporates a whole approach to the game, since you cannot figure out what is going on without remembering, and understanding, the bidding and without counting the hands during the play (and as one progresses, being able to draw primary, secondary and tertiary inferences from all of the above).

I first heard of this advice when reading Hamman's book, written with, IIRC, Manley.

[mikeh]

Never ask yourself: 'what should I do?' Instead, ask yourself: 'what's going on?'

Once you have figured out what is or what probably is going on, the other question has usually been answered or, if not, is far easier to answer now than it was.

This bit of advice incorporates a whole approach to the game, since you cannot figure out what is going on without remembering, and understanding, the bidding and without counting the hands during the play (and as one progresses, being able to draw primary, secondary and tertiary inferences from all of the above).

I first heard of this advice when reading Hamman's book, written with, IIRC, Manley.

[neilkaz]

Endymion77, on 2013-October-31, 10:12, said:

With 11 trumps, don't finesse the Queen

25 years ago, someone lost a finesse to my king when holding 12 trumps in the combined hands.

[billw55]

neilkaz, on 2013-October-31, 12:14, said:

25 years ago, someone lost a finesse to my king when holding 12 trumps in the combined hands.

Was it the winning play? I've seen people lose an unnecessary trump trick on purpose to reach an otherwise dead dummy.

[Endymion77]

neilkaz, on 2013-October-31, 12:14, said:

25 years ago, someone lost a finesse to my king when holding 12 trumps in the combined hands.

So he not only miscounted the trump but also didn't notice the first opp showed out? He probably wanted to endplay you.

[philip1099]

Take a lesson from poker - Put Partner on a Hand. The post mortem should always start: "I thought you had..." Re-evaluate with every turn of the bidding, and use your bids like poker chips to elicit the specific information needed to pinpoint the optimum contract.

[slothy]

1) COUNT, COUNT, COUNT!!!! (and for people who have the misfortune of being innately innumerate, I said that 4 times)
A square is much easier to visualise if you have contrasted out its corners.
2) If you are angry with partner, keep it to yourself.
NEVER utter the 3 words above with one of the vowels missing.
S/He will not understand your frustration any better if it is uttered 3 octaves higher than necessary.

[Trinidad]

philip1099, on 2013-November-01, 02:56, said:

Take a lesson from poker - Put Partner on a Hand. The post mortem should always start: "I thought you had..." Re-evaluate with every turn of the bidding, and use your bids like poker chips to elicit the specific information needed to pinpoint the optimum contract.

Do not think of bridge as in "What information do I need, so that I can reach the optimum contract?". Think of bridge as in "What information would my partner need so that he can reach the optimum contract?".

JFK might word that as: "Ask not what your partner can show to you. Ask what you can show to your partner!".

Rik

[BillHiggin]

slothy, on 2013-November-01, 04:25, said:

1) COUNT, COUNT, COUNT!!!! (and for people who have the misfortune of being innately innumerate, I said that 4 times)
A square is much easier to visualise if you have contrasted out its corners.
2) If you are angry with partner, keep it to yourself.
NEVER utter the 3 words above with one of the vowels missing.
S/He will not understand your frustration any better if it is uttered 3 octaves higher than necessary.

Or - there are three kinds of bridge players, those that can count and those that cannot!

[inquiry]

On defense, when you know the winning line, take charge if you can instead of assuming your partner knows what to do.(not original to me, I got this from some book or website but forgot where)

[Fluffy]

forget about stoppers would be the best advice I can give my usual opponents.

[mycroft]

Count to 40 as well as 13, especially when declarer has made a limited bid (Precision, NT, ...) As soon as dummy comes down you should work out partners point range; and as cards are determined (shown, inference, signals), work out what partner can still have. There's nothing like finding a brilliant defensive line that requires partner to have a card they can't have.

[Cyberyeti]

When bidding, don't think "do I have a good hand or a bad hand", think "do I have a good or a bad hand compared to what I've shown so far and in the knowledge of what partner has shown".

[TylerE]

Don't walk the dog. E.g. with a weak distributional raise for partner's suit, bid immediately to the maximum level you feel comfortable with. Don't bid 2, and then bid 3 and then bid 4 (which will invariably get doubled now that opponents have worked out their strength and degree of fit.)

[fromageGB]

Don't make mistakes, and make the right inferences !

[JLOGIC]

The ABC of bridge...always be counting Counting is the cornerstone of all good card play, it is a grind but it is 100 % necessary and there's no way around that. I know I'm not the first one to say it ITT but it really needs to be re-iterated.

Quote

Leave bad boards behind, leave good boards behind too.

Quote

All your opponents are stupid. Winning is just a matter of being a bit less stupid than they are.

I like those a lot too.

[ArtK78]

mycroft, on 2013-November-01, 10:21, said:

Count to 40 as well as 13, especially when declarer has made a limited bid (Precision, NT, ...) As soon as dummy comes down you should work out partners point range; and as cards are determined (shown, inference, signals), work out what partner can still have. There's nothing like finding a brilliant defensive line that requires partner to have a card they can't have.

I will never forget a hand that was played by a very experienced player against me. This was in the finals of a two-session qualifying and final regional open pairs.

My partner opened the bidding and it went pass by RHO. I passed, and fourth seat balanced, and eventually wound up as declarer.

The opening lead was made, and dummy held Qxx (or something similar) in the suit. The Q was played and I covered with the K, declarer winning the A.

Later, declarer finessed through me for a missing King! Justice was served - partner's singleton King won the trick.

So, assuming that declarer believed me that my initial pass showed less than 6 HCP, he played me for a card that I could not hold.