Part Score Battles in Best Hand

[AAr]

It seems like lately, about 60% of the hands, I get dealt Part Score battles (Opponent opens, partner doesn't have much, and I try to compete for the Part Score).

 

However, I have been consistantly scoring poorly in Best Hands and keep reading that you have to hope not to get dealt so many of them while playing Best Hands. PLEASE tell me that this is NOT true? I've even played, IIRC, 13 boards where about 12 of them were part score contracts (either by my side or the opponents?) IIRC, I placed way out of the money there. Is this a bad thing? Should I really hope to get dealt as few part score deals as possible in Best Hand???

 

 

Or, should I stick with Random Hand tourneys where making part scores and setting opponents in part score contracts DO seem to be a good thing?

 

I mean, playing and defending part score contracts is my TRADEMARK in Best Hands! I should be allowed to be strong at my trademark to win! Why should have to pass 12-counts and not bid 50% games, if that prohibits me to play my SIGNATURE game in Best Hands?

 

Also, please tell me that Slam Hands are instead the BAD thing in Best Hand! I think only recall playing about three of them in the last five tourneys I'm in (about 60 boards or so), and only making about one of them. At least I haven't missed many of them due to underbidding (about two or so), but seriously.

 

 

 

Seriously, what IS the advantage of playing a large number of part score deals and avoiding slams like the plague in Best Hand?

 

And, what is the best strategy to at least score in the money if I do get all part score battle deals (or would I likely be a non-factor and screwed over those who actually get game and slam deals, which I'm seriously hoping not, but the scores are saying otherwise)?

 

Thanks!

[Bbradley62]

There may be two different issues here. Some tournaments are Best Hand while others are Random Hands. But, no where in your post did you mention whether you are playing Duplicate or Robot Race, which counts total score. You should be getting a lot of credit in Duplicate for your defense, but you'd get almost no credit for it in Robot Race. In the Robot Race games, many players will pass out hands that are less than a 1NT opener, knowing that they'll get another good hand next, and this will come much more quickly than if they play out a partscore contract. So, stick to Duplicate events and avoid Robot Race.

[cherdano]

I suggest making the slams you bid. It will improve your score, promise!

[AAr]

I was referring to Best Hand.

 

I KNOW part scores are OK in many situations in Matchpoint Duplicate (as long as I can't make a game, and on few occasions, even if). It seems like my score isn't good if I get a small plus in Best Hand while having no game on, most of the Field are having larger pluses and beating me.

[diana_eva]

I was referring to Best Hand.

 

I KNOW part scores are OK in many situations in Matchpoint Duplicate (as long as I can't make a game, and on few occasions, even if). It seems like my score isn't good if I get a small plus in Best Hand while having no game on, most of the Field are having larger pluses and beating me.

 

The Robot Race Strategies thread pinned in this Forum will thoroughly explain why it's a very good idea to pass out weakish hands and give up all part score battles. It takes approximately the same time to click 13 cards when declaring slam as when defending a part score contract, so use that time wisely and try to go for the biggest score possible. While you are setting up 2 spade on a brilliant switch the rest of the field makes a vul slam or game.

Edited March 11, 2011 by diana_eva

[AAr]

The Robot Race Strategies thread pinned in this Forum will thoroughly explain why it's a very good idea to pass out weakish hands and give up all part score battles. It takes approximately the same time to click 13 cards when declaring slam as when defending a part score contract, so use that time wisely and try to go for the biggest score possible. While you are setting up 2 spade on a brilliant switch the rest of the field makes a vul slam or game.

 

I don't like this advice. EVERY time I play Best Hand, AT LEAST half the boards, if not the majority, go like this:

 

GIB Partner passes. A GIB opponent opens. I barely have the values of an opening hand and no appearant fit. I have no choice but to compete for a partscore, KNOWING that I can't make a game. So, how could bidding a game be good strategy when you know a partscore is the limit of the hand (and you'd be lucky to even make THAT)?

 

My last Robot Race tourney, for example: I played in four partscores (making all of them), and defended one, setting them. In three of them an opponent opened, and in the other two, the GIB partner opened but passed when I thought it could bid on. I did miss one game. But, I went down in THREE games just to follow the "avoid partscores" advice here when it did not look like a game was favored to make. I went down in one slam (I was missing two aces. The opponents leads missed one of the aces, but there was no way to avoid the loser). There were NO makable slams dealt in any of the fifteen hands I played. And, I finished LAST out of five players, despite getting in FIFTEEN hands! I should note that in the first hand, FE, I scored a +50 setting the opponents in 2H (Opponent opened, no way to avoid), and the first score that came in was a +1010! The second and third scores were +480s. The last score was a -50. So, I was already down to fourth out of five after one hand despite getting what seemed to be the best possible result out of my hand.

 

I do usually do much better in the 25c Robot Race tourneys. I seem to get dealt better cards (I DO actually get dealt slams there sometimes, and have lucked into the points making a slam in the last minute a couple of times there.), but scoring pluses playing and defending partscores seem to do better for my score there. My +50s setting 3H and my +90s making 1NT does seem to score OK there. It just always seem to lose to bigger pluses in the $1 Best Hand touneys even when any plus looks like it'd have to be a very good board in any form of duplicate scoring. So, I'm assuming everybody gets dealt different hands there?

 

I think I CAN do well in the $1 Best Hand tourneys when I get the cards. I just wonder how can you win when you don't get the cards.

[manudude03]

15 hands isn't a lot when it comes to best hand tourneys, you will probably find the good players are getting at least 20, and often 25. Generally, in part score hands, don't sweat too much over getting the perfect defence, +50 and -110 don't make that much of a difference compared to the games and slams.

[jamegumb]

I don't like this advice. EVERY time I play Best Hand, AT LEAST half the boards, if not the majority, go like this:

 

GIB Partner passes. A GIB opponent opens. I barely have the values of an opening hand and no appearant fit. I have no choice but to compete for a partscore, KNOWING that I can't make a game. So, how could bidding a game be good strategy when you know a partscore is the limit of the hand (and you'd be lucky to even make THAT)?

 

My last Robot Race tourney, for example: I played in four partscores (making all of them), and defended one, setting them. In three of them an opponent opened, and in the other two, the GIB partner opened but passed when I thought it could bid on. I did miss one game. But, I went down in THREE games just to follow the "avoid partscores" advice here when it did not look like a game was favored to make. I went down in one slam (I was missing two aces. The opponents leads missed one of the aces, but there was no way to avoid the loser). There were NO makable slams dealt in any of the fifteen hands I played. And, I finished LAST out of five players, despite getting in FIFTEEN hands! I should note that in the first hand, FE, I scored a +50 setting the opponents in 2H (Opponent opened, no way to avoid), and the first score that came in was a +1010! The second and third scores were +480s. The last score was a -50. So, I was already down to fourth out of five after one hand despite getting what seemed to be the best possible result out of my hand.

 

I do usually do much better in the 25c Robot Race tourneys. I seem to get dealt better cards (I DO actually get dealt slams there sometimes, and have lucked into the points making a slam in the last minute a couple of times there.), but scoring pluses playing and defending partscores seem to do better for my score there. My +50s setting 3H and my +90s making 1NT does seem to score OK there. It just always seem to lose to bigger pluses in the $1 Best Hand touneys even when any plus looks like it'd have to be a very good board in any form of duplicate scoring. So, I'm assuming everybody gets dealt different hands there?

 

I think I CAN do well in the $1 Best Hand tourneys when I get the cards. I just wonder how can you win when you don't get the cards.

 

You're misinterpreting the strategy. The proper strategy is: avoid *opening the bid* on hands that are likely to be part score battles. Once the bid has already been opened by one of your three opponents, you just got to do what you can to try to find the best result possible. Which likely will be in playing or defending a part score.

[AAr]

You're misinterpreting the strategy. The proper strategy is: avoid *opening the bid* on hands that are likely to be part score battles. Once the bid has already been opened by one of your three opponents, you just got to do what you can to try to find the best result possible. Which likely will be in playing or defending a part score.

 

Thanks for clarifying.

 

Still, what are my chances of winning a Best Hand tourney if, during the entire tourney, I get stuck with hands that are opened by opponents and end up being part score battles, assuming I use the best strategies throughout? Good? Fair? Poor? Very bad? These kind of hands have been my "Best Hand Trademark" lately, but I seem to still score poorly even when I do use good strategies.

[AAr]

15 hands isn't a lot when it comes to best hand tourneys, you will probably find the good players are getting at least 20, and often 25. Generally, in part score hands, don't sweat too much over getting the perfect defence, +50 and -110 don't make that much of a difference compared to the games and slams.

 

Not in Best Hand, but in the 25c Robot Race, I have often placed very well, sometimes even winning with only getting ten to twelve hands in. And, Robot Race seems to be the scoring where getting in fewer hands should hurt my score more than in Best Hand, so I don't think it's totally that.

 

I think everybody is dealt the same hand in Robot Race, but different hands in Best Hand. That might explain why I do better in Robot Race. FE: My +140 for making 3H, the best result possible with my cards, can't lose to a +990 by a table that, with their cards, could make 6NT on the first board in Robot Race, but could in Best Hand.

 

It seems like, no matter how well you play or try to play, you're just screwed if you're dealt partscore battles that the opponents open throughtout the tourney in Best Hand.

 

Personally, I'd like to see a $1 Robot Race (not best hand) be used with the current 25c Robot Race format: Everybody getting dealt the same hands. I know different hands might prevent cheating, but I think overall, same hands is more fair.

 

Oh, and the Robot Matchpoint tourneys are the WORST ones for the slow players: Even if you score well, you're automatically disqualified if you don't complete the tourney in time.

 

I know Random Hands also has fairness issues, but I seem to be luckier at them, and got the strategies with them locked down, so no complaints there.

[manudude03]

Everyone gets different hands, even in Robot Race. Yes, if you just get dealt partscore hands repeatedly you are not going to win, but you should have game like 60% of the time. Robot Matchpoints are really easy for me, but then again, I've played faster tourneys in real life lol. By the way, my previous comment was referring to Best Hand.

[mtvesuvius]

12 boards?!

 

I normally get in at least 23 hands, and at least one or two slams... I don't see how it is possible to play 15 boards and win or do well. I also don't see how it is possible to open all hands that you would normally open and do well. These tournaments require a different strategy, and clearly you have something backwards.