More Tips to Winning Bridge
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More Tips to Winning Bridge >Back to Home Page |
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1. Study. a. Counting (This is our #1 priority). b. Card Combinations. c. Percentages. 2. Practice. 3. Be Relaxed (not too relaxed, just enough to avoid performance anxiety). 4. Concentrate and Focus 
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1. No-win declarer play. 2. No-win defensive play. 3. Unilateral actions. 4. Bidding without values. 5. Impulsive or emotional actions. 6. System violations. 7. Mechanical errors.
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1. Focus. 2. Abstract thinking. 3. Emotional Stability. 4. Dominance. 5. Tough-mindedness. 6. Confidence. 7. Self-sufficiency. 8. Optimum arousal (balance between relaxation and tenseness).
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nationals, the Barry Crane top 500, and hundreds of regionals. He has been a cruise director and bridge columnist. He is a true gentleman and has battled parkinsons disease for many years. 1. Counting in all its phases is the most important technical skill to develop. 2. Whatever action you take, do it with an air of confidence. Don't be an "easy read". Look relaxed and be relaxed. 3. Form the habit of noting information as it becomes available. 4. Keep the vulnerability in mind when doing something heroic and when you don't. 5. Learn to visualize your opponent's hand and your partner's hand and the layouts you need to succeed. Visualize making the right play or great play or great call. 6. When facing tough decisions you can sometimes save energy by using guidelines. Use rules to guide you but you must know them. 7. When playing matchpoints, focus like a laser the last few rounds. The opponents are frequently tired, discouraged, desperate, shooting or don't care. 8. If choice is to overcall or double, bid a five card major if you have one. 9. In general it is unwise to lead an unsupported ace against a suit contract or to underlead an ace against a suit contract. 10. Preempts are an effective tool for disrupting communication. 11. Before playing to trick one, give some thought to the entire deal. Map a plan but don't hesitate to change it as new info develops. Don't forget the bidding. 12. On defense when dummy comes down count the points and add them to your own. The total maybe the key to future information. Pay attention to little things and watch the spot cards. 13. As declarer, watch entries, watch the spots and the little things. 14. Play in the present. Forget the last hand. Play relaxed. A little anxiety is good, a great deal is paralyzing. 15. Be kind to your partner. A comfortable partnership is precious. Cherish it. Nurture it. It is a valuable asset. 16. Any time that a bid could deprive your opponents out of bidding space then that bid should be considered. 17. When partner opens one club, you should strive to bid a four card major in preference to a 4 or 5 card diamond suit unless the hand is strong. 18. When partner makes a takeout double and RHO raises that suit then double by you is responsive asking partner to bid. If RHO bids a new suit or notrump then double by you is penalties. This is your defense against psychs. 19. Don't psych, its bad practice and like frying bacon in the nude, its easy to get burned. 20. Game bidding strategy changes between IMPs and matchpoints. Bid close games at IMPs especially vulnerable. Avoid close games at matchpoints, if you play it skillfully you will get a good board anyway. 21. When you have good shape it is tempting to keep competing but do it rationally. Consider that the opponents may be in trouble especially if you are short in partners suit. 22. There is no "I" in the word team. Do not decide to try and win the match with some heroic action if you are behind in order to "catch up". Don't be a hero, it could get worse. 23. Playing IMP's, don't double a partscore except 1NT or 2 of a minor unless you "know" they are going down and that usually means a trump stack.
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1. Be careful about balancing when partner has failed to act over a one club opening. 2. Don't be conservative because it is a team game. LEAD DIRECTING OVERCALLS at the one level are so important that they are worth the risk. Develop tools for your partnership to investigate the strength and nature of your overcall. 3. Sacriface rarely at teams. Important to make only good saves so judgement must be developed. 4. A good rule on grand slams is to avoid bidding them unless you can count 13 tricks. If you bid one and it fails, apologize to partner and teammates. 5. If you contract for 9 or 10 tricks, it doesn't matter which 9 or 10 tricks you take. It is sometimes right to delay your trick taking for a maximum result. 6. Jump overcalls are strong in the balancing seat, over opponents preempts, and when an opening bid of one is raised to two by RHO. 7. Notrump is natural over the opponents two and three bids. 8. Learn to play your cards as declarer in a manner that does not reveal your holding in a suit (deceptive declarer play). 9. When RHO leads and holds the trick, play your cards as declarer as if you were defending, .i.e.(high to encourage a continuation and low to discourage). 10. When opponent opens the bidding it is more clearly defined than if he overcalled. Consequently his partners response will probably be different. 11. You can lead from a king or queen against a slam but use good judgement. Make conservative lead with 7-9 points. Be aggressive with a bad hand 12. Bidding is a language restricted to 15 words. These words are used to resolve only 2 issues, level and denomination. Do your best to resolve these issues as soon as possible. 13. A good bid is one that, within the language of bridge, most clearly describes your actual holding. 14. Anticipating rebid problems will often determine the coice of opening bid. ex opening 1NT 15-17 with a five card major or whether to open 1C or 1D with 4-5 in the minors. 15. Those who believe that "losing is not an option" are actually setting themselves for losing because performance anxiety hurts their play. Optimum arousal is somewhere between being totally relaxed and extremely pumped up. 16. Don't distort distribution with strong hands. ex 1H with 5-5 in majors in order to reverse. If responding with strong hand the same applies. With 6-5 bid the six card suit first. 17. Negative inferences are often very important - in the bidding and in the play. What the opening leader didn't lead or bid may tell you as much as what he did. Sometimes the opening lead will place every high card if you add negative inferences to known information. 18. Good players are disciplined players. Discipline means that a bid you make once will mean the same thing the next time you make it and the next and the next. Consistency, discipline, good judgement, concentration are all attributes of a good player. 19. Simplify whwn possible. 20. LAUGH - BRIDGE IS FUNNY
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