losercover

I like hands where the system I play makes bidding simpler and more successful than the field plays. Finding games and slams that are missed and staying out of bad contracts. I don't like hands where I have to guess. I've played a stupid number of hands with robots and am forced to guess, because the tin can can't bid correctly. I win more than my fair share and eat it on some. When I guess right... when I guess wrong... Skill should count for more.

I took a class on doubles from Mike Lawrence. I would double with this hand because I have support for all suits. 3n implies at least one and one half diamond stoppers. This hand has been played at least 15 times. Every one, 3nt down three. Over a double I bid 4 spades. I don't like stayman or a transfer over 3nt. [hv=sn=orhst&s=S97432HA986D5CQJ3&wn=Robot&w=SHJT32DKJT9872CA8&nn=Robot&n=SAQJ5HKQ5DA64CKT5&en=Robot&e=SKT86H74DQ3C97642&d=s&v=o&b=11&a=P3D(Preempt%20--%207+%20D%3B%209-%20HCP%3B%205+%208421%20HCP%20in%20D%3B%206+%20total%20points)3N(2-5%20C%3B%202-5%20D%3B%202-5%20H%3B%202-5%20S%3B%2016-22%20HCP%3B%20stop%20in%20D)PPP&p=DQD5D2D6D3H8DKDAC5C2CQCADJD4C6S7D8S5S8S9D9H5C9H6DTCTH7S2D7SJSTS3C8CKC7C3HKH4H9HJHQS6HAH2S4HTSASKSQC4CJH3]400|300[/hv]

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/mikidog/hand_zpscaecf457.jpg practicing against robots 1d - 1s 2nt - 3c 3n - 4h 4s (asked partner what she had in hearts 6h My understanding is that after 3c, partner's obligation is so show spade support first and then 4h. Partner insists that her call was correct and 3N shows hearts. She took 4h as a cue bid and cue bid 4s. My interpretation was that 4s was what the? I could have bid 4H over 2NT but thought my hand was too good with the club void.

I've spent a stupid amount of money playing in robot tournaments. I submit robot reports and send emails about bad programming and stopped getting any responses. Here are my two latest: Descriptions for 3s and 4s both show as an non opening hand. http://tinyurl.com/cg65d25 Robot promised four spades and had three. Robot showed a partial heart stopper and had a stiff http://tinyurl.com/bhx65az

I started playing bridge in the late 50's and didn't play from 2000-2010. There was a section on the card that mentioned pysch frequency . I see that is no longer there. If the psycher's partner knows that his partner psyches regularly, shouldn't the opponents have that information? "Excessive Psychic Bidding — When three or more psychic When three or more psychic initial actions by members of a partnership have been reported in any one session and are called to the attention of the Director, the Director should investigate the possibility that excessive psyching is taking place. A presumption of inappropriate behavior exists, and it is up to the players to demonstrate that they were not just horsing around. It is up to them to show that they happened, this once, to pick up a string of hands unusually appropriate for psychs. The continued use of undisciplined psychic bids tends to create partnership understandings that are implied from partnership experience." If a player psychs, the opponents should report the psych. It's then the director's decision.

When you hovered over our 3s bid in the first auction, what did it say? I'm guessing the robot took it as a ridiculously big hand and with two tricks for you was looking for a slam. On the second hand 4s by the robot seems overly agressive.

First of all, the topic said the opponents were psyching. You shouldn't be penalized for their actions. I would call the director and the director would speak to me privately and then talk to the one spade bidder privately and determine what was going on. Most of my play was in sectionals and regionals. I work and where I live the only club games with a decent number of tables are in the morning and afternoon. We play 19-21 NT range. 2NT rebid is 17-18 and a 1NT rebid is 13-16 instead of the normal 12-14. We've had the director called on this and for a while the responder announced the NT range on the 1NT rebid, like they do on the opening 1NT. Finally, after discussing this with multiple directors we didn't need to announce the range on the rebid anymore. I have called the director to register psyches before and for this example I don't think the director would let it slide if it was intentional.

let the director sort it out. I would expect to be awarded an average plus. people just don't psych once and their card likely doesn't say frequent pyches.

28 players. I posted the final results. 71% came in 5th and is a huge game in regular bridge.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/mikidog/results.jpg 75% game and in 4th place. final results: 65% game got 8th place. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/mikidog/scores.jpg

I am strong believer in bidding a spade over 1 heart with 4 or more spades even with 3 hearts. I play constructive raises so 1H, 2H describes a specific hand. A rebid of 2H after a 1 spade bid probably is weaker. A rebid of 2H after a 1 nt bid is absolutely weaker. I like playing a 4-4 fit with a secondary 5-3 fit.

We have a rather squirrely approach and for some reason it has never failed to work. With a three suited and a good 19 HCP, we open 2C and partner responds control steps (same as over as any 2c opener). Opener rebids 2nt and each partner bids their suits by length up the line. If responder has 4 or more controls, opener rebids 3nt. 2 suiters with 19+ hcp give us more problems. When opener bids a suit after 2c we expect a good six card suit.

Every bidding choice has advantages and disadvanatages. My opinion is that constructive raises are worth it. A lot of hands fall between a simple raise and a limit raise. Since a constructive raise has the potential strength to be a limit raise an opener with a game going hand against a limit raise can make a game try after a constructive raise. Making the constructive raise instead of the limit raise gives up very little. With the game going hand, opener may end up at the three level with a relatively weak dummy when simple raises are played.

2♣. Good enough to open 1♣. Ugly hand without partner having a good hand and a fit.

1♠. Anything else can create a rebid problem.

For a few days there was a rating system on BBO based on your tournament history. I self rated myself as expert and was rated as advanced by the algororithm. I play almost exclusively robot tournaments which doesn't accurately reflect real bridge. My current percentage is 55% and it goes up and down. I'll put together a string of 60+ games an then mix in some below 50% games where I've played solid bridge. Rating is like grading on a curve, so your rank is dependent on who you are playing against. Masterpoints are accumulated. Chess ranking is based on how you have performed lately. The best way to rate a player is watching them play over a reasonable period of time.

I emailed BBO support a few days ago and only received the automated response. I have close to 400 MP from robot tournaments (not under the id I am posting with) so you can imagine that I've spent a singificant amount of money playing them. Maybe it was a particularly bad run of buggy hands, but I am not playing robot tournaments again until I'm told what is going on. You can all have a good laugh now.

Partner opens 1H. You have 6 points with 4 spades, 3 3 3. Playing constructive raises do you bid 1S or 1NT? Does the quality of your spade suit change your decision? My opinion is that you always bid 1s in order to find the 4-4 fit. I also believe that 1S followed by a 2H rebid shows no more than 1N followed by 2H. My partner believes that on a weak hand that spades should not be mentioned if they are weak.

My partner and I would probably pull the double, but recommend you bid 5c instead of doubling. Probably shouldn't have doubled. Passing isn't right either.

I played in three tournaments this morning. Three times the robot bid showing 4 of suit when only had three. Sent three robot reports. I'm done wasting money on pos programming.

We play 2nt as a maxi raise 5+ cover cards. South has a 5 loser hand so the potential is 7S. I would cue bid clubs after 2nt and assuming the opponents didn't interfere, cue bid enough controls to bid 7.

I devalaute my hand when it has worthless points. I can evaluate my hand using losers and cover cards when I respond to the robot and it works fine. Raw points are valuable in notrump contracts. Aces and spaces is not a good nt hand. As far as the robots go, there bidding stinks for too many reasons to mention and I've played in over 1000 robot tournaments.

Most of the reports I submit are for bidding. I play mainly the non ACBL tournaments and so I can't question the declarer's play. I've completely given up on how the robots play defense and their opening leads. They are clearly male because they stubbornly refuse partner's bid suit. I enjoy being declarer against their shakey defense. I find it amusing that a finesse is way less than a 50% chance with robot defenders.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/mikidog/robot.jpg

send robot report from tournaments.