Frivolous poll

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I simply pointed out that some very good WC players had told me that sorting one's cards can put one at a disadvantage, as justin also pointed out; and that they had also said being able to play w/o sorting one's cards was an advantage.

 

(I believe their point was that superior visualization, which is required to play w/o sorting one's cards, =is= one of the secrets to playing better.)

I don't quite get this, it would seem more intuitively correct to spend less energy sorting as compared to the amount of brain power needed to visualize.

 

My habit is that I memorise the key features of my hand (like hcp, distribution, impt spot cards etc.) so that I don't really look at my hand during bidding. Would you call this visualisation?

IMHO when one is just beginning as a player, one has so much to learn that anything that simplifies things w/o teaching bad habits is worth doing.

 

In that context, issues like trying to play w/o sorting ones cards is of lower priority than everything else a beginner has on their plate.

 

Once the more basic stuff is automatic, then it would seem to make sense to put more effort into being able to better approximate double dummy play ATT. and that is exactly where visualization skills come in.

 

If one can visualize one's own hand well enough to not have to look at it more than once ATT, then one can in theory more accurately imagine the other hands ATT as well.

 

So yes, however you do it, if you know your own hand well enough to not have to refer to it after you have placed it in your mind, you are praticing the kind of visualization I believe these experts were telling me was worth developing.