[HeavyDluxe]

Hi all.

My background is music, and I remember clearly what one of my professors told me. "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. All other practice only makes permanent."

With that in mind:

I really desperately want to improve my bridge game. My bidding has improved though I still need work. What I really want to focus on more is planning play both as declarer and defender.

I want to discipline myself to think through things carefully when dummy hits the table. So, my question is:
What things do you ask yourself or think through prior to making your first play from dummy? If you're defender, what do you think through following the opening lead?

Obviously, there's a lot here. I'm just looking for a list of questions that, when practicing against the computer, I can slowly and carefully think through to establish a methodical approach to the hands.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

- Dluxe

[ArcLight]

I'd suggest reading lots of good books, not just on technique, but on deductive reasoning and drawing inferences. Also buy all the Mike Lawrence software. You can also buy Bridge Master.

There are many good books on Defense. Start with some at your level and work your way up. You can't learn to think about everything at once. get comfortable with things in stages.

Count HCP, suits, tricks for both sides.
Ask why a suit was lead against you and why another one wasnt.
Look at the bidding.
Look at discards - why was a card discarded.
Card Placing by Assumption - do you NEED a certain card to be in one hand to make your goal, then assume yes.
Look at Spot cards
Know the opps signaling agreements
Why did opps play in an unusual way?


Good books on deduction
(ALSO - look at Mike Lawrences Counting at Bridge 1,2 CDs)

Countdown to Winning Bridge Bourke, Tim & Marc Smith
Dormer on Deduction  Dormer, Albert
Card reading; the art of guessing right at the bridge table Jannersten, Eric
Card Placing for you Kambites, Andrew
Logical Bridge Play  Kelsey, Hugh
How to Read your opponents cards Lawrence, Mike
Inferences at Bridge  Miles,Marshall
All 52 Cards  Miles, Marshall
Better bridge for the advancing player : an introduction to constructive thinking at the bridge table Stewart, Frank
Winning Defense For The Advancing Bridge Player ~ More Constructive Thinking At The Bridge Table Stewart, Frank



Some good defense / HOW TO think books
[Beginner]How to Defend a Bridge Hand Root, Bill
The Bridge Player's Comprehensive Guide to Defense Stewart, Frank
Dynamic Defense Lawrence, Mike
Pathways to Better Bridge Defense Roth, Danny
Step-by-Step Discarding Roth, Danny
Opening Leads in Bridge: How to Choose the Correct Card and Use All the Available Information Sowter, Tony
Partnership Defense in Bridge Woolsey, Kit
Killing Defence at Bridge Kelsey, Hugh
Defend these hands with me Pottage, Julian
Matchpoint Defense Priebe, Jim

[sceptic]

buy counting at bridge it is available in the BBO shop and it is excellent

and try the bridgemaster programs on BBO (these are free to use there are 6 examples of 5 different levels

when you get in BBO go to "Other Bridge Activities"

then click "Bridge Master 2000 - The Key to better bridge"

try the bridge master deals first as it is free and you will find the detail in the analysis is excellent, if you like them you can buy other hands to try for $10 which is very good value

then read some books

if you see me online, I can walk you through how to find it and use it

[pclayton]

Quote

What things do you ask yourself or think through prior to making your first play from dummy? If you're defender, what do you think through following the opening lead?

I'm giving a lesson at 2 today and I'm going to discuss this. Get busy counting and starting to construct the unseen hands. Analyze the lead. Count your winners in NT and your losers in a suit contract. Then, finally form a plan, but don't call for a card until you are 100% sure.

In Kelsey's Killing Defense, no less than three of the chapters have the word "count" in the title. That's no accident.

If you can't (or won't) count, you'll never win. I don't care how good you think you are.

[HeavyDluxe]

Thanks all for the replies!

Quote

I'd suggest reading lots of good books, not just on technique, but on deductive reasoning and drawing inferences. Also buy all the Mike Lawrence software. You can also buy Bridge Master.

Part of the trick is that I'm, sadly, on a really tight budget right now. And yes, that means tight enough to preclude buying even a single bridge book for now.

Quote

Count HCP, suits, tricks for both sides.
Ask why a suit was lead against you and why another one wasnt.
Look at the bidding.
Look at discards - why was a card discarded.
Card Placing by Assumption - do you NEED a certain card to be in one hand to make your goal, then assume yes.
Look at Spot cards
Know the opps signaling agreements
Why did opps play in an unusual way?

This was the idea I was going for. Again, just trying to start drilling good habits in my head from the get go. Over time, as the reading budget improves, I can start fleshing out those 'questions' a little. As it is, I tend to rush the play and want to establish a productive routine to guard against that!

Thanks all!

- Dluxe

[Robert]

Hi everyone

I learned bridge in the U.S. Army. Tight budget, $90.60 a month before taxes.

Public library and used book stores. I found a number of good used books for
.25 to a dollar.

Try to find a copy of Bid Better, Play Better by Dorothy Hayden Tuscott.
A very good book for starting out in bridge.

Stewart and Root are very good. Almost any bridge book is good when you are starting out.

Regards,
Robert

[Trumpace]

HeavyDluxe, on Jul 11 2007, 02:45 PM, said:

Thanks all for the replies!

Quote

I'd suggest reading lots of good books, not just on technique, but on deductive reasoning and drawing inferences. Also buy all the Mike Lawrence software. You can also buy Bridge Master.

Part of the trick is that I'm, sadly, on a really tight budget right now. And yes, that means tight enough to preclude buying even a single bridge book for now.

You _must_ have a good book with you if you really want to improve.

Don't you have a library which you can use?

[ArcLight]

For those on a tight budget -
The Library will have some of the older books, like Mike Lawrences "How to Read Your Opponents Cards". Thats a GREAT book. You will be amazed at reading it.

Some libraries have "older" books such as those by Kelsey or Frank Stewart.
Or Eddie Kantar, such as Modern and Advanced Bridge defense.

The thing is, the more you read these types of books, the more you pick up.

Here are some things you pick up form Frank Stewarts Better Bridge for teh advancing player -

- look at the opponents bidding.
- look at the suits the bid and DID NOT bid. You can infer their shapes sometimes, espcially if minor suits are involved, because majors are more important to show

- opps didnt bid blackwood and end in slam? Maybe a stiff or void. Beware of doubling with 2 aces, watch one get ruffed.

[HeavyDluxe]

Quote

You _must_ have a good book with you if you really want to improve.  Don't you have a library which you can use?

I've got several books already... I just can't buy anymore. And I've checked the local libraries (through Interlibrary Loan even) and found the selection mostly lacking. I live in a pretty rural spot, and I think the libraries unloaded the bridge and chess books at book sales.

More room for Harry Potter, ya know...

I have three of Root's books (ABC's, Commonsense, and Play) among titles from other authors. I'm working my way through the cardplay section of ABCs now. I wasn't knocking good books at all.... I have quite the home library. Just saying I don't have the ability to buy anything new-to-me right now.

[Trumpace]

HeavyDluxe, on Jul 11 2007, 03:39 PM, said:

I have three of Root's books (ABC's, Commonsense, and Play) among titles from other authors. I'm working my way through the cardplay section of ABCs now. I wasn't knocking good books at all.... I have quite the home library. Just saying I don't have the ability to buy anything new-to-me right now.

Excellent!

Root's play book is very good. (Haven't seen the ABC and Commonsense ones). It has got exercises which will really help, I suggest you start reading that immediately

[bid_em_up]

HeavyDluxe, on Jul 11 2007, 12:33 PM, said:

I'm just looking for a list of questions that, when practicing against the computer, I can slowly and carefully think through to establish a methodical approach to the hands.

I would spend more time practising vs. live opps than I would practising against the computer.

Depending on what PC software you are using, the bidding methods employed by the software often have no semblance to "real" life table play.

As your instructor said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. All other practice only makes permanent."

Playing with a bad PC program simply makes permanent the bad things the software does.

Now, your software may be one that is decent, I do not know. But there are some pretty bad ones out there also.

[HeavyDluxe]

Quote

Depending on what PC software you are using, the bidding methods employed by the software often have no semblance to "real" life table play...  Playing with a bad PC program simply makes permanent the bad things the software does.

I'm using the latest version of BridgeBaron, and I've set the partner and opps thinktime up a fair bit. I don't want every hand to take forever, but I want a decent game.

The reason I'm trying to use the computer is that I can't find any seriously decent real people to pard up with regularly. If I, labelled a beginner, show up at a table with any decent players they tend to run away screaming.

The computer is probably consistently 'stronger' than I am right now, so I figure that's at least a good supplement to playing online. If you look at my hands records, you'll see I'm trying to play a lot.

- Dluxe

[jtfanclub]

HeavyDluxe, on Jul 12 2007, 10:13 AM, said:

The reason I'm trying to use the computer is that I can't find any seriously decent real people to pard up with regularly.

Join the Beginner/Intermediate Louge. Not only are they as good as some of the people with inflated levels, but a lot of the 'graduates' and mentors are very, very good.

[Quantumcat]

A book I just borrowed from a friend that I have found bloody excellent is Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo and someone else. Maybe it is too simple for you perfect for my level (green beginner). Shows everything you need to know about basic contract planning, basic defence thoughts, everything for the everyday you'll need in 29/30 boards a session. Mollo writes as to be perfectly understandable, clear and concise, Everything is perfectly logical and can be followed without too much trouble. The little quizzes are great, easy enough for me to figure out most of them without looking at the answers, but only after a good think about. He also uses such engaging language so is quite fun to read at the same time. I recommend highly as the one book you buy if you are ever going to own only one bridge book.

But anyhow, don't you ever play at a club (a real one) that has a library? If yours doesn't, go play at one that does! I own 2 books, almost all of stuff I've read has been borrowed from there or from friends trying to make me non-pathetic enough that we can play together and scrape at least 40%. I am a uni student and pretty poor too.

Plus, I recently went through all the play deals of the learn to play bridge programs (free) from bridgebase, I didn't realise all the super basic stuff I had managed to forget in a few months, it is excellent practice playing learning hands! Go download it. Even if reading it seems boring because you know it all already, there will be little bits that pop up that make you go, oh!!!!

Edit: Yes, join BIL!!! It's great! Everyone is actually happy and friendly and there are no horrid, rude, boring "Expert/World Class" (in quotations for a reason) people, just people wanting to have fun and learn a bit. My only problem is that they're all americans so there are never any tables when I'm there! Pooh!

[HeavyDluxe]

Quote

Join the Beginner/Intermediate Louge. Not only are they as good as some of the people with inflated levels, but a lot of the 'graduates' and mentors are very, very good.

Absolutely! I've signed up for a BIL mentor, though we've had real issues hooking up. I also go to the classes/lectures whenever I can.

I have noticed, however, that the number of games in the BIL seems to have declined now that the 'relaxed room' has opened. Just doesn't seem to be as many people as I remember previously.

Quote

A book I just borrowed from a friend that I have found bloody excellent is Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo and someone else. Maybe it is too simple for you perfect for my level (green beginner). Shows everything you need to know about basic contract planning, basic defence thoughts, everything for the everyday you'll need in 29/30 boards a session.

Again, I'll add it to the list. Thanks for the tip! Thanks to everyone!

[sceptic]

get PC Clayton to teach you, I have seen him do a few sessions years ago and he is excellent

[pclayton]

sceptic, on Jul 12 2007, 10:05 AM, said:

get PC Clayton to teach you, I have seen him do a few sessions years ago and he is excellent

Aw shucks Wayne.

(and thanks)

[HeavyDluxe]

Quote

get PC Clayton to teach you, I have seen him do a few sessions years ago and he is excellent.

Look, I'll take all the help I can get. :-)

Y'all know where to find me!

[PedroG]

Hi all,

Great post with excelent information on how to start...

Not that I'm saying that I would be a nice partner, the more natural is that I will not .

But also looking for real ppl to play with.

Ty
Pedro