What is the best way for a beginner to improve skills? Play social or duplicate?
#21
Posted 2011-June-01, 12:05
the Freman, Chani from the move "Dune"
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
#22
Posted 2011-June-01, 12:33
matmat, on 2011-June-01, 10:05, said:
First - Most likely I should have added, that if you switch from "Social" to "Club" be prepared, that the change
in speed / the amount of boards to be played i the biggest difference, and it needs time to get used to it.
My experience is limited, but this issue did arise in all cases I experienced - and because of their results were
not good in the beginning, not because of the lacking skills, but due to the higher intensity.
But of course this is also true, if you switch from teaching classes / restricted games to open games.
As I said - having fun is the most important thing, and I also like playing in a social setup, I do it not often,
which is a pity.
With kind regards
Marlowe
PS: If you have a strong one in your foursome, than you have a teaching scenario.
Uwe Gebhardt (P_Marlowe)
#23
Posted 2011-June-01, 13:42
VM1973, on 2011-June-01, 10:32, said:
Huh?
It's the ONLY way.
Try Watson's Play of the Hand reading wise. Not as valid for matchpoints but written in the early 30's, still the Bible on declarer play. Big book but 1 or 2 hands a day with the morning coffee......
One of the Marty Bergen books has a really good chapter on how to "talk" a bridge hand. There is nothing a bridge player likes to share more than their opinion if you can frame the question right.
Playing is still the way to go, this is just a sidebar.
What is baby oil made of?
#24
Posted 2011-June-01, 13:44
VM1973, on 2011-June-01, 10:32, said:
uhm. No.
you need to play to get better.
and if winning points is a major driver for you, rather than enjoyment of the game or its intellectual challenge, then, in my opinion, you're just wasting time and money.
#25
Posted 2011-June-01, 13:59
Phil, on 2011-June-01, 09:43, said:
SAYC? No way. Play Stayman, Blackwood and Truscott (1A (X) 2NT is a raise of A). Do not adopt conventions until you find that you have trouble with certain hand types and would like a tool that will handle them better. Then you will be able to evaluate what you are gaining by playing the convention, and what you are giving up. One of the biggest mistakes a new player can make is adopting loads of popular conventions without knowing why they are needed or how valuable are the natural bids you have to give up in order to play the conventions. Do not make these decisions by reading or listening to other people. Make them based on experience.
#26
Posted 2011-June-02, 11:46
ggwhiz, on 2011-June-01, 13:42, said:
It's the ONLY way.
Try Watson's Play of the Hand reading wise. Not as valid for matchpoints but written in the early 30's, still the Bible on declarer play. Big book but 1 or 2 hands a day with the morning coffee......
One of the Marty Bergen books has a really good chapter on how to "talk" a bridge hand. There is nothing a bridge player likes to share more than their opinion if you can frame the question right.
Playing is still the way to go, this is just a sidebar.
Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking? Just study a hand or two a day, and play a bit, and you'll be the Dallas Aces in no time.
#28
Posted 2011-June-02, 21:34
Don't worry too much about getting other people upset as long as you can play up to speed, and follow the proprieties of the game (like not socializing at the table during the round or failing to use the bidding boxes etc.).
Find people better than you and talk to them about the hands you play. In most regions that is more likely in a duplicate environments. In other places social folks may be the better task.
The BIL lounge on BBO is a great way to go too.
#29
Posted 2011-June-02, 22:59
VM1973, on 2011-June-02, 11:46, said:
No?
#30
Posted 2011-June-03, 03:33
In my view, echoing most, read all the time and play duplicate where you can. You need a regular partner you can discuss and learn with. It's no good playing casual partnerships all the time, but occasionally do that and gain awareness of other styles.
#31
Posted 2011-June-03, 04:38
At the badminton club, we spent almost all the time practising. Sometimes we would spend an hour practising serves only. When we did play we might not even bother to count points, but even if we did, "winning" wasn't the issue. It was about getting feedback on specific mistakes from the more experienced opponents. Competition might take up to some 20% of the hours on the court for the better players, but that figure would be zero for beginners and near-zero for most players.
At the bridge club we would play competition all the time. An odd minute for post-mortems now and then, and maybe a bridge class once a year. I was one of the few members who spend any time reading about and discussing bridge.
When the question was raised whether beginners should play socially or duplicate my immediate reaction was "duplicate, of course", since the level will be higher. But the flip side is that duplicate is too fast and confusing. The fact that people are playing internal club competition all the time stimulates the "result merchant" mentality.
The best learning environment would probably be social bridge with competent opps/partner, if such a thing exists.
#32
Posted 2011-June-03, 09:05
fromageGB, on 2011-June-03, 03:33, said:
I am reminded of a situation I encountered years ago. I was an IT consultant and the folks I was working with played rubber bridge over lunch. On a number of occassions I would open a good (> 16 HCP) hand, and get a jump shift (game forcing) from partner. More often than not, I would go bounding off looking for slam. More ofent than not, there was no slam and often going beyond game was dangerous. It seems that somewhere along the line these guys had learned that you want to be in game when you have an opening hand opposite an opening hand, and the only way they knew to be sure to get to game was to jump shift. It did not matter to them that to most of the rest of the bridge playing world, a strong jomp shift meant a hand stronger than a random 12-14 HCP. I can only assume that whichever one of them was considered the expert of this little band had decided that this was the way to play the game and the rest had fallen into line.
#33
Posted 2011-June-03, 13:15
jh51, on 2011-June-03, 09:05, said:
Reminds me of my University buds that gathered at a cottage for 20 years to play medium stakes rubber for 20 years, cut for partners every rubber.
One other that had gravitated to duplicate brought his regular partner, a consistent tournament performer and he got crushed!
He called what they played Easter Island Bridge and said it wasn't really Bridge but soimething thye invented themselves and nobody had a clue what was going on except them.
What is baby oil made of?