Deleted due to attitude of respobders

[Stephen Tu]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

Never had any doubts about those plays that I would never have made at table :)

 

I wouldn't bother with deep finesse. Try searching for "bridge solver" which is free. Various versions, including android app, web version, Windows java. What's really cool is some versions can read hands directly off some web sites to save you the tedium of punching in all of the hands.

[smerriman]

... and so on, almost every thread he opens reminds me of something I've been through at some point.

When you were politely informed you had made a mistake, did you learn from this - or treat it as a personal attack, ignore the advice, and continue to make exactly the same errors on the next hand?

[akwoo]

What's the form of scoring here?

 

To understand matchpoints, you need to understand matchpoints.

 

Suppose 5D makes exactly 100% of the time, and 3N makes with an over trick 4/10 times, makes exactly 3/10 times, and goes down 1 3/10 times.

 

Put an extra score of 5D in the field (Assume non-vul; this doesn't matter):

 

+430 (3N with an overtrick) gets 8.5 MPs

+400 (3N or 5D with no overtricks) gets 4.5 MPs

-50 (3N down 1) gets 1 MP

 

You get a below average score for 5D!!!!! (Of course, if you're a bad declarer and expect a below average score for 3N, your expectations change.)

 

Also note: the difference between +400 and +430 is actually bigger than the difference between +400 and -50. So "bridge score" doesn't behave anything like "matchpoint score".

[Caitlynne]

I prefer getting to 3NT to 5D at any form of scoring.

 

5D can fail. A heart ruff seems likely. And if the club finesse fails you are down.

 

The club finesse is likely to succeed with the 2H opening bidder being somewhat unlikely to hold any particular side king at all - and if s/he does hold a King, it could easily be the King of spades rather than the King of clubs.

 

Regardless, if the club hook is on, both contracts will make. And then I want to be in NT, especially at MPs, but certainly too at IMPs. If 3NT is down, well okay, so is 5D.

 

One more thing 3NT has going for it is that it might get a heart opening lead, providing immediate success for declarer.

 

I like the auction shown up through 3H. I have no idea why the 3D overcaller did not bid 3NT at his/her second turn. 5D seems to be telling the same story twice and committing the partnership to a high level while 3NT shows the heart values and a distributional hand - after all, overcaller did not choose 2NT immediately - while offering flexibility to a partner who will now know exactly which strain (diamonds or NoTrump) has superior play.

[nige1]

I disagree. I find his posts interesting and in most cases I empathize with his experiences a lot. I was already playing for well over a year when I ruined two grands with something like 17 top tricks by blocking the hand. I also yelled at one of my partners over the sequence 1M - 4M - 6M where I raised partner's 4M to slam thinking he was showing a strong hand. I was terrified of NT (be it 1NT or 3NT, it always seemed like the most difficult contract)... and so on, almost every thread he opens reminds me of something I've been through at some point.

Fair enough, Diana_Eva.,

Thepossum raises issues that concern the average player, as witnessed by the number of replies to his posts.

And he's not afraid to illustrate his posts with his own mistakes.

But when other posters comment on those mistakes, he does seem a bit over-sensitive to criticism.

[mikeh]

I disagree. I find his posts interesting and in most cases I empathize with his experiences a lot.

 

I was already playing for well over a year when I ruined two grands with something like 17 top tricks by blocking the hand.

 

I also yelled at one of my partners over the sequence 1M - 4M - 6M where I raised partner's 4M to slam thinking he was showing a strong hand.

 

I was terrified of NT (be it 1NT or 3NT, it always seemed like the most difficult contract)... and so on, almost every thread he opens reminds me of something I've been through at some point.

Hi Diana

 

I still remember the first time I played bridge. My partner made a belittling comment on one hand even tho he knew it was my first time. My reaction? I went out and bought Five Weeks to Winning Bridge, and was the best player in that (weak) game within a month. Then that summer I went to the strongest local club, thinking I was hot stuff. Didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t, tho I’m sure I still thought I was far better than I was. Then I moved to a small town 500 miles from the nearest big city and became the best player in my area. I was sure I was an expert. Only after 15 years did I finally get to play with a real expert, and only then did I begin to realize (all over again) how little I really knew about the game.

 

Some players react to criticism by rejecting it. Others either welcome it or, if they can’t bring themselves to welcome it, at least accept it....and do their best to improve, ideally .to become as good or better than their critics.

 

There are a few ‘naturals’ at this game, perhaps more than a few at the highest level, but many pretty good players got that way through hard work and the realization that they can always be better. Nobody gets that way by rejecting advice or taking criticisms of their play or analysis personally.

 

Possum may be genuine. I hope he is. But it really doesn’t matter: he’s in for a hard time here and out there in the real world, unless he hides with the robots or other very weak players. Which will be his loss. The more one learns, the more fun the game is.