Can playing make you worse?

[jdonn]

I think playing with a bad partner so you have to figure out the defense on your own without the help of signals is good for your bridge, at least to do so sometimes. It's great practice to figure out a hand on your own based on what the opponents have done. I'm sure we have all had those moments when we blindly followed partner's signal to see it was wrong, but realized we could have worked out it was wrong ourself if we had tried harder.

[awm]

Another random point...

 

If the theory is that playing against bad players can make your game worse, but playing with a bad partner is still good practice...

 

How come I fairly frequently see good players (i.e. jdonn) playing hands in the main bridge club with a regular partner against random pickups, but I virtually never see good players playing hands with a pickup partner against any opposition? And how come I frequently see good players playing in the open pairs at the local sectional, even playing with a regular partner (not for money)? But I virtually never see a good player partnering a bad player in any event unless the bad player is compensating the good player financially (or otherwise)?

 

Take mikeh, he admits that he has played many times with a good partner in a bad field (while bemoaning the "fact" that it makes his game worse) but would he ever even consider playing with some lousy partner against good opponents (if there was no money involved)?

 

Even the people who are espousing this viewpoint don't seem to me like they pick and choose their games as if they believe what they're saying.

[jdonn]

1 - I don't think anyone has expressed both viewpoints.

2 - It's not fun to play with a far worse player.

[Guest Jlall]

Echo "its not fun" and I would also add that just because one thinks playing with a bad player can improve your game that does not mean it will improve it more than playing with a good player.

[nickf]

Not playing at all is obviously detrimental.

Funny you should say that. A few years ago I asked one of my mates who was winning national events and a couple of years later playing in our Open Team what he recommended I do to improve my game to say his level (we began playing at about the same time and as juniors there we were peers).

 

He emphatically said dont pull a card for 6 months.

 

nickf

sydney

[andy_h]

This is interesting, because I think it depends on a few things. Some people say that playing with a bad partner/opponents is bad for their bridge but in my opinion I think it depends what level you are on. Playing with a bad partner doesn't necessarily mean you'll become worse, it just depends how you look at things. Like for example, as pointed out, working out problems by yourself and getting the full picture more frequently can be good. But other things tend to happen as well, like not trusting partner or having the need to do things unusual by yourself.

 

If you're starting to play or just a normal club player, playing against other (weak) average club players can still be good - like you will encounter more and more different situations and still be able to improve.

 

But if the level you're on really outweighs the bad opponents, then playing against them can be bad for you since you won't be able exercise your thoughts to a higher degree and not be challenged as often as you would like, since that is where the improvements usually comes from.

 

And yes to the taking a break/not playing for a while can make you play worse. Isn't it just like other sports? If you don't train, you won't be fit. It's just mental exercises as opposed to physical exercises.

[mikeh]

Take mikeh, he admits that he has played many times with a good partner in a bad field (while bemoaning the "fact" that it makes his game worse) but would he ever even consider playing with some lousy partner against good opponents (if there was no money involved)?

 

Even the people who are espousing this viewpoint don't seem to me like they pick and choose their games as if they believe what they're saying.

The point made by Josh and Justin is the exact reason I rarely play with partners significantly weaker than I am. But rare is not never, and I do on occasion play with players who are not as good. I do not enjoy the bridge aspects because I can't play my game.. I have to dumb it down. I 'know' that with a weak partner, the way to win is to do odd things anf that doing so, habitually, will dull my game. But I don't do them. While I try to be straightforward, rather than expecting partner to work things out when I do a subtle bid, for example, I do not try to hog the hands or generate swings by masterminding. I don't play for pay. When I play with a weaker player it is because of friendship, and it wouldn't be fun for my partner if I fooled around.

[brianshark]

I have seen it with someone I know who plays an awful lot of bridge with loads of different people, mostly weak players. As a result of it, his bidding is erratic and gambling because he is used to not being able to trust his partner to make intelligent inferences and decisions in the bidding and thus has to compensate by making more and more unilateral guesses.

 

Also, of the list above, I believe playing speedball will make you better at bridge, even in slowball games because you are training your brain to work quicker and if can discipline yourself to using the extra time to do more analysis, then your game will be much better. This is a theoretical opinion though. I haven't played much speedball myself.

[Elianna]

Also, of the list above, I believe playing speedball will make you better at bridge, even in slowball games because you are training your brain to work quicker and if can discipline yourself to using the extra time to do more analysis, then your game will be much better. This is a theoretical opinion though. I haven't played much speedball myself.

I voted for playing in speedballs, but it might be a more personal thing.

 

I tend to play VERY fast(1), and have to work very carefully to not play too quickly. This makes me very susceptible to the sominex coup, btw.

 

If I play in speedballs, it reinforces my laziness, and I carry that out into regular bridge games.

 

(1) Those who've played against me online might think that I'm very slow. I am slow online, usually because I'm being a bad person (tv + TWoP + food)