[hallway]

To all the Newcomers to Bridge - Hi There

This post is just for you.

This is to let you into a little secret we (our group of grass roots bridgers) discovered.

You have to be honest with yourself for this to work.

What is your biggest challenge ? - bidding right :-- soooo much to try to remember. So easy to Pass ???

Wrong ...... ....... your biggest challenge is overcoming the fear of being Declarer . It is that fear that shuts down all those memories of the System info your teacher/s have so patiently plied you with.

Fred said that your brain stores all the info it receives - he's right 8)

Which is fine if you happen to be a Fred or one of his peers. : For us, grass roots bridgers though, the trick is to learn how to unblock the pathways to those memories. ( BTW I have an unrivaled expertise when it comes to unblocking the Opps suits for them )

Well right here on BBO you can acquire the means to put the process in motion. If you haven't already got one , before you log off go to the BBO Lobby - Online store and purchase a [glow=red,2,300]Bridgemaster[/glow] disc. This is the nuts and bolts you will need.

Now for the Secret
If this can work for us believe me it will work a hundredfold better for you .
You know as well as I do that every sportsperson warms up before competing - surprise, surprise Bridge too is a sport - mental gymnastics ! Nevermind the biceps - warm up the brain.

So here's what you do:

Have a light meal (I said light you do not want the brain distracted ordering gastric juices around ???) an hour before you go to the Club.
Take your liquid refreshment of choice to the computer and bring up [glow=red,2,300]Bridgemaster[/glow]. Relax
Practice using random hands for 20 minutes.

It's a miracle 8)

You no longer care if you are Declarer . Instead of 'hiding' that Ace behind the 2 of clubs (amazing what the mind can achieve subconsciously ) you'll be double checking to see that you have counted every single one of those hcps and length and ..... you will WANT to bid.

Now the challenge is to untangle all that flood of info into some sort of order and apply it .............
:'( I don't know how ........but I'm sure you'll figure it out.

[Laird]

Hello,
I would also like to say a warm welcome to all newcomers.

You have entered into a site which offers an array of really top drawer learning opportunities.

For those on a limited budget - or come from Scotland - there are many [glow=red,2,300]'free'[/glow] downloads which are very helpful too eg
Fred Gitelman's [glow=red,2,300]"Learn to play Bridge - 1 and 2... available from The American Contract Bridge League[/glow].... absolutely excellent.

There are many free demo's such as:
[glow=red,2,300]Marty Sez [/glow] and [glow=red,2,300]Points Schmoints [/glow] available from BBO and in the Training area a [glow=red,2,300]5 level demo of Fred,s Bridge Master 2000[/glow]... They all provide useful insights into this most fascinating card game. If you can master them, then you are in the wrong posting area.

As you progress then I recommend;- Karen's Bridge Page @ http://www.prairienet.org/bridge/ which will help you to understand other aspects of the game.
[glow=red,2,300]Shep[/glow] runs a free teaching program 4times a weak for those interested in learning American Standard and [glow=red,2,300]Cascade[/glow] runs a similar program twice a week for those interested in the Acol system.

Keep a sense of humour and remember that you will be playing with people from all over the world with different understanding of what is normal behaviour.
Try not to be too shocked if you suddenly get 'dumped' by a partner without any apparent reason - they either do not know any better,cannot communicate to you, are extremely rude or perhaps are a nervous beginner like you.

Finally if you have a problem then post it here and there are many wonderful people on this site willing and able to help.

Good Luck ( but not too much if you happen to play against me) and most important

[glow=red,2,300]Keep Cheerie[/glow]

John