Bergen evaluation for game contracts?

[wjomlex]

I've been reading Bergen's "Better Slam Bidding with Bergen", and I'm wondering if his notion of "Bergen Points" applies to game contracts as well as slams. He doesn't really mention anything about game contracts in the book, so I'm not sure if he would recommend 25-26 total points (Bergen points + dummy points) for a game contract, or if this notion is optimized just for slam comtracts (i.e. 33 total points for a slam).

 

Any ideas?

[BillPatch]

I've been reading Bergen's "Better Slam Bidding with Bergen", and I'm wondering if his notion of "Bergen Points" applies to game contracts as well as slams. He doesn't really mention anything about game contracts in the book, so I'm not sure if he would recommend 25-26 total points (Bergen points + dummy points) for a game contract, or if this notion is optimized just for slam comtracts (i.e. 33 total points for a slam).

 

Any ideas?

In general it does, although most good intermediate and higher players have developed additional advanced hand evaluation skills to aid in making most game decisions.

[hrothgar]

There have been plenty of threads on this forum discussing hand evaluation.

 

With this said and done, the best advice I ever got about hand evaluation was the following:

 

If you have a stiff or a void, just bid the game.

[HeavyDluxe]

I think that people who use Bergen hand evaluation would recommend its use for game contracts as well. I know Howard Schutzman (hondo on BBO) recommends Bergen points and I believe uses them for evaluating placement with all unbalanced hands.

[BillPatch]

Bergen himself offers at least one exception to using Bergen points for game evaluation. When you have a minimum opener, and partner shows a limit raise in your major, and you have a singleton or void, always bid the game, as hrothgar says.