thepossum

For those who haven't already found the hand here it is [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|thepossum,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|2SAKT85HQJ9632DT3C,SHKT7D54CKQ976543,SJ97632HA8DAKJ8C2,SQ4H54DQ9762CAJT8|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%2016|mb|4C|an|Preempt%20--%208+%20!C;%206-9%20HCP|mb|P|mb|P|mb|4H|an|6+%20!H;%2016-19%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|CK|pc|C2|pc|C8|pc|H2|pc|D3|pc|D5|pc|DA|pc|D2|pc|DK|pc|D7|pc|DT|pc|D4|pc|HA|pc|H5|pc|H3|pc|H7|pc|H8|pc|H4|pc|HQ|pc|HK|pc|C9|pc|S2|pc|CT|pc|H6|pc|HJ|pc|HT|pc|S3|pc|D9|mc|12|]400|300[/hv] I was in the crowd who reached 4 hearts. I don't know how many others were hoping for more - and other major Bridge software somehow managed a bid RHO doesn't have much, long clubs but I only have one of them etc What have I got. Oh 13 points and some shape You may question my (and most of the rest of the field's) choice of 4H but I have reason to believe the North bot did not even show up today and delegated to a lesser and much less experienced bot Scored ok but I was so sad to miss the slam I knew was there

I understand that All credit to those who navigated the maze :) I always feel most aggrieved when I can see it and know its there but can't find a way

Is there no bid that can force or even explore majors What if I showed you North's hand :) What if I told you that other major Bridge software manged to find 6 spades with not too much trouble when even a grand was possible What if I told you that no matter what reasonable bid I could think of as South I could not get past 5 hearts My problem is only with the North bot because West made an excellent pre-empt Is it possible to elect to play East in robot tourneys? FYI An offshape double will apparently get you into a more forcing situation

[hv=pc=n&s=sakt85hqj9632dt3c&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=4c(8%2B%20clubs%206-9%20pts)pp]133|200[/hv] How do you find out where the points are and explore a likely slam(EDIT Possible slam :rolleyes: )

One thing I noticed recently is that the Advanced Robot loses or tries fewer losing finesses than the Basic one. Just a small sample One of the biggest myths in Bridge is that finesses are 50% It's not like Schrödinger's Cat :) Or maybe it is. You don't know until you do it Or wait until the end of the hand to find out

And I wonder why I am anxious about playing "serious" duplicate

Thx. I did realise what was going on eventually For some reason I had the instinct that clicking on name in chat would set their name to talk to in chat - embarassing :)

Thx, yes I have seen some of your scripts around the place :) Dear ChatGPT, please write a dealer script to simulate the following start to an auction

Updated figures Basic constraints N<12 and E between 6 and 10 with exactly 6 spades and less than 4 hearts Clubs: 9137 / 1000 = 9.137 Ań 0.108555 (95% conf.) min: 3 max: 12 sdev: 1.74935 Diamonds: 9496 / 1000 = 9.496 Ań 0.100482 (95% conf.) min: 5 max: 12 sdev: 1.61925 Spades: 10127 / 1000 = 10.127 Ań 0.0837824 (95% conf.) min: 4 max: 13 sdev: 1.35014 chance of 3C: 665 / 1000 = 0.665 Ań 0.0292892 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.47199 chance of 3D: 743 / 1000 = 0.743 Ań 0.0271166 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.436979 chance of 4S: 664 / 1000 = 0.664 Ań 0.0293108 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.472339 chance of <4C: 515 / 1000 = 0.515 Ań 0.0310134 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.499775 chance of <4D: 442 / 1000 = 0.442 Ań 0.0308179 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.496625 chance of <4 both minor: 343 / 1000 = 0.343 Ań 0.0294581 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.474711 chance of <4 both minors and 4s making: 246 / 1000 = 0.246 Ań 0.0267256 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.430679 chance of <4 both minors and 4s not making: 97 / 1000 = 0.097 Ań 0.0183656 (95% conf.) min: 0 max: 1 sdev: 0.295958 Number of hands dealt: 57888. CPU time usage [sec]: 18.28 (x8 threads). Raw output sorry. Getting anxious trying to respond accurately and fix things at the same time :) Ań I think is +/-SE*1.96 (guess) There are of course rather large variances :) ALso masses of other disclaimers such as the chances of 4S being bid and made versus double dummy etc If you can work out how to bid from that good luck to you but I am happy with 4NT :) I can also tell you that GiB's preferred bid is 3 diamonds :)

As I said it was very basic and thrown together and probably needed more tweaking to take account of the issue you raise It was approx 49% more than 2 down in diamonds It was approx 49% more than 2 down in clubs It was approx 75% 4 spades Like that :) If I do anything more sophisticated I will let you know :) So yes it should be less taking account of hoping to find a good fit in one or the other And nothing at all fancy like different bidding sequences and whether West doubles or anything My cursory playing with BBO and dealer is suggesting that 4NT could be the best bid but I have no stats to back it up at all :) I've been sitting generating hundreds of hands - for a about 1/3 I bid 4NT, about 1/3 I bid 3D, about 1/3 I passed But GiB didn't double that often via 4NT :) EDIT Quick update I have around 39% both minors EDIT Quick update 2. I have around 23% for 2 or more down both minors and game spades Still very crude constraints and no account of whether the contracts could be bid. Probably even smaller chance of game Constraints are N<12 points and E with 5-10 and exactly 6 spades I could do something more accurate and give you the output if you like but its very basic at the moment Scrub some of that until I get back to you - trying to tweak and respond at the same time is not wise - conditions are getting mixed up The chance of going two or more down in both minors when game *doesn't* make is very small Note also I am running my mini sim in BDeal not Dealer What are the parameters for that auction so far :)

Hi everyone I haven't used BBO Dealer much beyond fairly straightforward constraints and predeals Am trying to engineer specific bidding sequences Are there any functions/sub-scripts in existence that can be used to specify specific bids by GiB to ensure the auctions required Has anyone ever written dealer type software based on bids rather than hand constraints We are playing 2/1 North passes East did this I have this hand West will do that if I do this or something else if I do that Then what happens Not trying to be lazy. Am trying to built a huge script :) PS I notice vulnerabiity doesn't seem to work? P EDIT I notice that Hrothgar/Richard has an example along the lines I am thinking with MOSCITO :)

I spent my life working with experts Frank, many of them world class :) Some are more comfortable and secure than others But no more diversions please Back to bridge :)

I ran a basic one 75 percent chance of 4spades 49 percent chance of 2 or more down Approximately :) From memory. Note. that is just a crude Sim based on N,E, and S hands and doesn't take account of different bidding sequences to get to 4 - its likely less than that - a more sophisticated Sim with all the possible sequences would be interesting Suggests maybe a pass then act later if needed I find the hand evaluation on that hand difficult. Some hand evaluation rates it very high with 9 tricks Which brings it back to possible 3D then see what happens

Apologies for getting the name wrong. My memory playing tricks. Connections gone awry

I'm starting to think Andrew is the theoretical unluckiest person in the Bridge universe. The one who never gets a decent hand of Bridge But the last sentence suggests quality of Bridge hands is more than just the cards

I will be honest and say I would have pre-empted with 4NT but I felt I was overestimating the number of tricks Then I read the thread and I thought pass and see what happens was a good option Then I realised I would likely bid 3NT (unusual) over 3S and gamble on 5D or 4NT (I think) over 4S anyway Then I ran a sim and who knows but chance of it staying in 2S are slim With a hand like that it seems terribly sad not to compete a little Its a shame 3NT over 2M isn't unusual How about a gambling 4 diamonds (scrub that its strong) - if I bid diamonds in my system it has to be 5 which brings us back to 4NT

You would have to ask someone who knows about Precision David I was just speculating how I often wish I had a strong 1C opening bid 😊

Hi there Was talking to few different people. One via their profile and one via chat Both names show up in chat but when I click on the name in chat that I had been talking to via profile and write a message it went to the other person Could be embarrassing Happened a few times too. Not just a mis-click I don't get the logic. Click on name in chat and usually that is who you can talk to - I was not in a table, just out in the ether Fortunately nothing embarrassing and personal I know I seem like the world's most paranoid person but so many things these days cause problems and misdirected information in all areas of our life that some people could even think it was deliberate When you think of the amount of money going into tech investment these days its remarkable how many things break or don't seem well tested Huge corporations some of them too. I don't get it Maybe its linked with information theory and error and variance and that things can't be too tied down or they break But it can be scary when its your information that goes astray Where does all that misdirected information end up? Down the back of someone's lounge behind a cushion that they find years later Maybe we could all end up suffocating under piles of misdirected information one day regards P

I had one of those recently. Had no idea what to do but gambled on 6 and made it :lol: Total luck, especially with 2 losers in one of the minor suits THis was my form of the 5 level jump [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|thepossum,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|1SKJTHAJ7DQ65CA854,S873H9642DK732CQ6,SAQ965HK5DT8CKJ32,S42HQT83DAJ94CT97|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%203|mb|1C|an|4+!C;%20HCP%2011-23;%20natural|mb|P|mb|1S|an|4+!S;%20HCP%204+;%20natural%20-%20Forcing|mb|P|mb|1N|an|4-5!C;%202+!D;%202-4!H;%202-3!S;%20HCP%2015-17;%20balanced|mb|P|mb|2C!|an|4+!S;%20HCP%207+;%20relay%20-%20Forcing|mb|P|mb|2S!|an|4-5!C;%202-4!D;%202-3!H;%203!S;%20HCP%2015-17;%20exactly%203!S%20and%20denies%204!H%20-%20Non%20forcing|mb|P|mb|5S|an|6+!S;%20HCP%207+;%20natural|mb|P|mb|6S|an|4-5!C;%202-4!D;%202-3!H;%203!S;%20HCP%2015-17;%20to%20play|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|H3|pc|H7|pc|H9|pc|HK|pc|S5|pc|S4|pc|SK|pc|S7|pc|ST|pc|S3|pc|SQ|pc|S2|pc|H5|pc|H8|pc|HJ|pc|H4|pc|C4|pc|C6|pc|CJ|pc|C7|pc|S6|pc|D4|pc|SJ|pc|S8|pc|HA|pc|H2|pc|C2|pc|HT|pc|C5|pc|CQ|pc|CK|pc|C9|pc|C3|pc|CT|pc|CA|pc|H6|pc|C8|pc|D2|pc|D8|pc|D9|pc|D5|pc|D3|pc|DT|pc|DJ|pc|DA|pc|D6|pc|D7|pc|S9|pc|SA|pc|HQ|pc|DQ|pc|DK|]400|300[/hv] There is always someone who manages a 100% with 6NT though :)

Believe me I appreciate the label is problematic and that it is not skill based I just witnessed a "intermediate" let a possible slam go because they couldn't do a basic evaluation of their responding hand - what's worse is they let the game go by But I reckon if you sat at their table and made a mistake. Lets not go there But apparently people like me belong in beginner class Starting to think I nee to call myself and expert Especially since intermediates and advanced are in the same forum :lol: But knowing my luck I would sit down with someone who downplayed their skill level But "that's not what defines how good you are at bridge. what would the Possum know" Basic hand evaluation says the Possum Back to the question that caused problems for me since I joined this site (and forums) 6 years ago How do you find a decent level of friendly relaxed Bridge on Bridgebase I avoid the tables that say "Experts please", even those that say "Good players only please" What will I find on the other tables. The big unknown until you meet some truly obnoxious person At least I would smile and say, no problem partner, until the next time with a different partner First time in a Bridge Club 30 years ago a bunch of obnoxious bullies drove me and my partner and out and put me off clubs for life First time hosting a table on BridgeBase 6 years ago. Same experience. Put me off sitting at a BridgeBase table for life First time raising the issue and asking for help on the forums 6 years ago and another bunch of obnoxious types launched into me and haven't left me alone since Trying to make the game attractive are we. I think I have identified a problem that could be addressed This is my ad for a few other experienced competent friendly relaxed people to play occasional social Bridge Sadly I have heard that the local friendly "Social" Bridge club has closed down. Not enough of us are there? Where do they hide? How can I find a few? Where do I put up my notice and invitation :) Maybe should be on General (non BBO specific) Bridge forum or a BBO Forum. To actually be scared about visiting a club, dropping into a table, inviting someone to be partner in a tourney - sad really :(

The more I see these discussions the more I realise I need a partner to play Precision with me ..or at least some bid that forces for one round Meaning I would have had to bid 2C with that hand - but maybe struggled to force to slam Almost better planning the reverse and risking playing 1D

Deleted my defence in the spirit of keeping the thread on topic and brief (you can probably read it elsewhere)- I apologise for sometimes over-reacting and being over-sensitive - lets not keep unncecessary conflicts going :) If you are a self-critical and self-conscious person jumping on them is unnecessary. I will ignore any and all misrepresentations of me despite having the right to and almost the obligation to. Seemingly they are never ending. I am not going to play that game anymore or be controlled into it endlessly. I have retreated. Up to everyone else and to understand misrepresentation (including misattribution) in all its forms. They do need to be put right but I will stop doing it every time. Some of us have been on the receiving end of the most extreme forms of misrepresentation for decades which we are trying to put right (for ourselves and the well-being of others). You have to pick your battles carefully. Then again not fighting back sometimes is even worse. Also in my extensive personal and professional experience it is often those who appear to have behavioural problems who the gentle victims of others. Let the gaslighters and defamers do so and so called experts and authorities get it wrong without any challenges or justice. They win anyway. They manipulate your behaviour one way or another But I come here for intelligent conversation and exchange of views on Bridge with other players, some of whom are experts. Remarkably I actually listen to/read everyone's views :) I stand by my original view on the hand and would likely have jumpshifted to 3C - interestingly that is what QPlus 2/1 does I would have considered a reverse but lets not go there And I never intend any disrespect to anyone on here I will always try to find the best bid available at the time, and if being disciplined means that my partner understands what I am doing will hope I have a partner with the same philosophy and understanding in case they need to explain it - but my approach will be on my card :) One of the things I like about online Bridge (and other forms) is that I can self-explain to opps :) You can see my cards if you like :) On the subject of reverses, and maybe this isn't the thread to raise it, and I don't have a specific example, but I find the 2/1 system I am playing has some terrible required contortions that appear to make even less natural bids than the flexibility I try to use at times. You thought you could show your second good suit - sorry. If I have two suits I want to show them in as natural a way as possible

I'm not sure of the problem Most of the scale is linear (if you are a linear kind of person) but the lower levels allow accelerated advancement at lower levels to get you interested, a funny slow bid until you reach level 10 then its as straight as an arrow :) I managed to fit an approximate polynomial to it once y = 5E-15x5 - 3E-11x4 + 8E-08x3 - 8E-05x2 + 0.0392x + 2.2289 (it does have problems at levels 0,1 and 2 as you can see) I'm thinking of offering it to Bridgebase as a browser add-on so people can calculate their level Don't try using it. Something wrong seemingly :) It looks ok on the graph but I can't copy and paste images Needs work if anyone thinks it matters

Trying not to read other comments It would depend how I felt on the day I would probably lead the Queen of clubs The upside down diagram confused me for a while

When in doubt I don't double 2M :) - the options in the poll put me in serious doubt