Keeping score while playing matchpoints

[han]

Do you try to keep score while playing matchpoints? If you do, how precise?

 

I read a book by Mike Lawrence where he plays in a tournament and gives himself a score from 0 to 12 after every board . I tried this a couple of times at the local club, and I usually got a pretty good idea of how we were doing. However, I think this only distracted me, and I surely didn't gain anything by doing this.

 

Is this a common thing to do? Why?

[Guest Jlall]

i do (though my scale is a negative 2 to positive 2 scale). not much use and can be a distraction if not used carefully. I find it helpful to know how much risk taking i should be doing during, say, the last 3 rounds. I am always within half a board either way.

[jikl]

I do the same, ++ + = - --. Helps in the last rounds.

 

Sean

[Gerben47]

Yes, I normally use a 0 to 10 scale, which is what we use in school in the Netherlands so that's how I got used to that. I'm usually within half a board as well, only recently in a junior tournament I was way off... Some boards I had scored 8 turned out to be a 2.

 

It's like in BBO sometimes. In an individual tournament I have 0553, decent hand and overcall 1♣ from opponent with 2NT (both red suits) at all red. Pass pass to RHO who volunteers 3♣. I pass and partner volunteers 3♠. I pass and partner goes one down in 3♠ with his 8122 distribution.

 

So I guess, they have something in clubs, we don't have anything really, can't be too bad. Score: -10.7!

Turns out many bid to 4♠ which was consistently saved against with 5♣ doubled down 2 or 3.

 

Sometimes...

[whereagles]

My pard does it. He always overestimates results, so at the end of the session I subtract 5% from his calculations and usually the result matches just right.. lol :(

[Free]

I don't really count something, but I usually have a good idea where we'll end up. I can usually remember if we have more tops than bottoms (or the other way around), if we have more good averages than bad ones,... All considered together, I usually can make up a good guess.

 

My partner on the other hand always underestimates ;) He once even thought we'd be close to 50% when we actually had 67%! :blink:

[mr1303]

The number of times I've gone home without checking the score, having decided I'd played like a muppet, and then when I do check a couple of days later, I find out I won the thing is quite remarkable.

[cherdano]

I don't keep track, but I usually guess reasonably well. When playing at the club, I see no gain from keeping score, as I play there to play well, not to win, so I wouldn't like to start unreasonable gambles in the last round anyway.

 

I guess if you are playing in one of the big ACBL events where only the better half of the field is admitted to proceed to the next section, it might make sense. You know you need a 50%+x score to survive, so if you are slightly below that before the last round you have something to play for.

[hotShot]

Keeping track is only a distraction. This is espacially true at a local club.

When you have a wide range of playing skills, you will have a wide range of results. So the first boards you are only guessing how the other results might be, later you can see a few results you might get better estimates.

 

But what do you expect from this counting?

 

If you feel you did not score well, what good will it do to take more risk to compensate? In the end this can turn to some selffullfilling prophecy.

 

If you feel you do well today, will you get more confident (perhaps overconfident?) or do you play more carefull to ensure that result?

 

How can your partner adapt to your style, if you change it during the tourney, how about the other way around?

 

You have a balance with your partner, how will you keep that, if both of you stretch your hands, or if you both feel you need to be a little more carefull?

 

If you have that balance, great! Don't risk it by modifying your style on the base of estimated tourney results.

[inquiry]

I read this 12 point scale somewhere, must be the same book, but if so it is a very, very old one, because I have done this for years.

 

I don't keep a running total, but rather after estimating the result, I then keep a running total of +/- over average.. thus if I estimate two 6's on first two boards, my running total is 0. If I estimate an 11 and a six, my running total is +5. I will say that with travellers, your estimate after the second round gets very good, but even without travellers, I end up being very close to my actual result. Sure, there are plenty of hands I estimate a 6 on that end being a 2, and some I estimate a 6 on that end up being a 10... I estimate 9 on some that end up being a 3, and vise versa. But somehow these horrible estimates seem to average out.

 

Is it worth it? I think so. The reason is it helps in the later rounds to have a reasonable estimate so that if you meed a "good result" to win, you will know to look for an opportunity to take your shot...or if you know you have a winning score if you don't collapse you know not to do anything stupid. Besides, it helps you improve also to figure out why what you thought was going to be average turned out not to be (yes, we all blame the "stupid" field at the other tables, but it still helps to figure out what kind of hands the field has problems with).

 

Ben

[bridgeboy]

For those who find it is distracting,

 

Are you distracted by the fact you are doing well/not well? Or is it the scoring part (ie, keeping a scorecard as you move and scribbling scores even as you are late) that distracts you?

 

Sometimes, I find keeping a scorecard a bit cumbersome but have to do so anyway to doublecheck my scores to ensure the scorer input the scores correctly. (You'll be surprised how many 'corrections' there are, esp in a big field with pickup slips)

 

Not sure how things work at your clubs but is there any gd alternative?

[EricK]

I don't do it but lots of people at the club do.

 

If I were to do it I would use a 5 point scale (near bottom, below average, average, above average, near top) rather than a ten point or twelve point scale. I don't see how anybody could tell the difference between a 70% and 80% board with any degree of certainty.

 

Eric

[fred]

I never keep score unless I am either playing with a student or playing with a non-student partner who hates keeping score more than I do.

 

I do sometimes make bridge decisions based on my estimation of how our game is going, but my method of estimating involves nothing more than "feel". I have no doubt that keeping score and estimating my MP/IMP score on every board would be more accurate than the "feel" method, but I find that doing this has a negative impact on my ability to focus on the current board.

 

As far as I can tell, most "experts" do keep score, but most do not attempt to estimate their MP/IMP results on each board.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Flame]

I dont keep score, i try to focus on the play and anything else might distract me or take my energy. Also knowing the score might work against you , making you more nervous, you might think you must get 4% now and get a 0 because of it while in reality you only needed an avarage.

[Free]

I dont keep score, i try to focus on the play and anything else might distract me or take my energy. Also knowing the score might work against you , making you more nervous, you might think you must get 4% now and get a 0 because of it while in reality you only needed an avarage.

Here you tell such thing. I once played a very good evening, we both knew it, and right before the last round my partner said: "if we just play normal we'll win this". Ofcourse, that last round gave us 3 nice bottoms and we ended up 2nd :P with 64% :( Boohoo!!!

[hrothgar]

I'll often make notes in my traveller. The goal isn't so much to track the running score, but rather to be able to reference hands that need to be looked at after the session.

 

Typically, these are hands where I think that I did something atrocious

[Flame]

I dont keep score, i try to focus on the play and anything else might distract me or take my energy. Also knowing the score might work against you , making you more nervous, you might think you must get 4% now and get a 0 because of it while in reality you only needed an avarage.

Here you tell such thing. I once played a very good evening, we both knew it, and right before the last round my partner said: "if we just play normal we'll win this". Ofcourse, that last round gave us 3 nice bottoms and we ended up 2nd :P with 64% :( Boohoo!!!

Exactly

Your best bridge is the normal bridge that isnt influent by previous results, your story remind me of basketball games when my team is doing very well and then far too early they decide to keep the score and play slow which usually help the other team make a comback.

Im not saying that thoretically knowing the score isnt right, it is right tehoretically but practically atleast for me the effect will not be possitive on the long run, because it bridges too much psichology into the game.

[pclayton]

There's really only one reason that you would estimate; to change your strategy in the last few boards - to either "catch-up" or "protect" your lead.

 

One of the reasons players can't break a certain number in golf, be it 100, 90 or even 80 is that in golf you keep score throughout your round. The butterflies kick in when you see that you are only 6 over par with 2 to play (wow - I can BOGEY only one of the last 2 holes and still break 80) or that you shot a 42 on the front (wow - I can "still" shoot 47 and break 90).

 

I'm not a great bowler, but the only time I ever cracked 200 was at Reno Bridge Week in 1985 at the old MGM hotel where they have lanes at the hotel. I'm killing time with my bridge partner, ...rolling strikes, ......talking about the opening lead on board 15, drinking a beer, etc.. I look up after the 10th frame - 206!

 

"Looking at the score" is bad tactics. Don't change your strategy from board 1 til you play the last card on board 26. Grind on every hand - if you are 100% focused, there isn't any room left in your head for anything BUT good bridge.

[keylime]

I keep score but I use the arrow method because for me I can tell where we are at by the number of up versus down arrows.

 

Top board = 3 up arrows

Very good board = 2 up arrows

Good board = 1 arrow

Average = flat line

Average minus = 1 down arrow

Bad board = 2 down arrows

The pits of hell itself = 3 down arrows

[inquiry]

There's really only one reason that you would estimate; to change your strategy in the last few boards - to either "catch-up" or "protect" your lead.

.

If I am out of the competition (by my estimates), I play straight down the middle, no attempt to swing. If I at average or slighly average, and think a board or two might help me, I am more likely to take anti-field play or bid. If I am ahead, I go back to right down the middle.

 

Your estimates where there are a travelling scoresheet get very good indeed, you always know where you are. In tourneys with pick up slips, surprizingly, you can usually estimate failry well too... .see my earlier comments.

 

Mental energy, not much.... seems ok to me.

 

Ben