[Phil]

See choices

[Siegmund]

My two bits:

It's possible for your poker game to help your bridge game and vice versa. I think NLHE is a particularly poor example, however... I can't think of anything specific to that flavor of poker that helps or is helped by bridge. The general idea of willingness to gamble when the appropriate ratio of risk and reward is present certainly helps one play a more aggressive game of bridge, and the training to remember previously played cards is helpful most at stud.

[jmc]

When I first started playing bridge I wanted to win every hand in the bidding. Light overcalls, insane overbidding, psyches, etc. were fairly common. My attitude was that I'd win the hand in the bidding, or I likely wouldn't win. I wanted action on every hand. I thought winning by pushing people around was the norm. Isn't that what Marty Bergen's books were telling me?

Playing poker helped me to tone things down to a sustainable level and I got the wildness out of my system.

Bridge helped my memory for for cards...and my bladder control.

jmc

[Fluffy]

Appart from reading opponent's in face to face I don't think either helps the other

[mfa1010]

A newcomer to either game might be helped by having aquired some "card sense". Apart from that I don't think there is much benefit.

Being a strong competitor in one game will help in any other game, though. In my bridge community there are two former basketball national team players and both have an outstanding drive to be winners in bridge. This they have developed in their basketball careers and transferred to bridge, I'm sure.

I guess the same could be done for a successful NLHE player, but just being a small stakes part time poker grinder on the internet is unlikely to help ones bridge game.

[IdiotVig]

Stud games are the only ones I found to improve card recall.

While playing a lot of face-to-face poker may improve table presence at the bridge table, I think the actual value is marginal. I don't see much crossover between most forms of poker and bridge. The variance in poker will give you a better appreciation for the comparatively minor swings in bridge, though. I guess that's something.

[Phil]

I think I agree with the above views, especially the 'card sense' aspect. I think an experienced poker player would tend to learn bridge easier and v.v., but beyond that one doesn't really help the other.

The reason I asked was that I was browsing the two plus two forums yesterday and there is a long thread about bridge. Someone said "learn bridge, it will improve your NLHE", and I sort of scratched my head at this comment. By the way, if BBF is a small village, 2+2 is like a major city lol.

[mr1303]

What's NLHE?

[Fluffy]

its a new convention, when you have 2 aces you always raise the bidding

[Free]

mr1303, on 2010-November-13, 07:18, said:

What's NLHE?

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=NLHE

[kayin801]

Bridge improves my poker because now I no longer play poker.