Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Rule of 20 & Rule of 15
Discussed in detail hand evaluation using these rules.
Rule of 20 count hcp and 2 of your longest suits if the total comes to 20 or more you can open the bidding.
Good luck
Rule of 20 count hcp and 2 of your longest suits if the total comes to 20 or more you can open the bidding.
Good luck
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Leisure world welcome
Morris,
Your name was listed as someone I could express my concerns with on the Leisure world website.
My name is Barry Depristo 15101 Interlachen Dr. #712 Silver Spring, MD 20906 301 288 7437 DePristo@gmail.com
On Tuesday Evening at 6:50 August 11th, my wife Betsy and I went into the duplicate bridge game (ballroom) next to the bar in building 1. It was my intent to play bridge. I was greeted by a rather Nasty person ( found out later her name is Carolyn ) Rather then getting a nice how are you and how can I help you. I get a “you can’t play here you don’t live here start of a conversation”, this didn’t do anything for my dander if you know what I mean. But I said, “ I do, with which I now hear. “WELL, NO BODY HAS TOLD ME”, statement. (not that I would expect the world to come to a complete stop to inform this person that we own a unit here in Leisure World. Well fortunately Betsy and I had just received our ID Cards so I showed them to her. We have been living here 5 days. So we sit down and play.
15 minutes later we go to the bar and I get a drink for my wife and myself. I am now totally embarrassed by this same person, telling me that I am not allowed to bring alcohol into this area. I have been playing bridge 40 years and no one up to this point has come across like this. There are no rules about drinking. Of course getting drunk or obnoxious is certainly not permitted, but that is not going to happen with one drink.
What is Leisure worlds views on a Leisure world sponsored event that is being run by a couple of tyrants.
I spoke to Palma Seeger and she concurred with this Carolyn. I would like to see this rule (if it is a rule in writing. If it isn’t a rule, then I don’t want to hear about it anymore. Both of these people should be replaced by nice people, it would sure be good for the Leisure world community.
Thank you for listening to me.
Barry Depristo
By the way if you are not the person that I should be telling this story too, would you please forward it to the correct party and keep me advised.
Your name was listed as someone I could express my concerns with on the Leisure world website.
My name is Barry Depristo 15101 Interlachen Dr. #712 Silver Spring, MD 20906 301 288 7437 DePristo@gmail.com
On Tuesday Evening at 6:50 August 11th, my wife Betsy and I went into the duplicate bridge game (ballroom) next to the bar in building 1. It was my intent to play bridge. I was greeted by a rather Nasty person ( found out later her name is Carolyn ) Rather then getting a nice how are you and how can I help you. I get a “you can’t play here you don’t live here start of a conversation”, this didn’t do anything for my dander if you know what I mean. But I said, “ I do, with which I now hear. “WELL, NO BODY HAS TOLD ME”, statement. (not that I would expect the world to come to a complete stop to inform this person that we own a unit here in Leisure World. Well fortunately Betsy and I had just received our ID Cards so I showed them to her. We have been living here 5 days. So we sit down and play.
15 minutes later we go to the bar and I get a drink for my wife and myself. I am now totally embarrassed by this same person, telling me that I am not allowed to bring alcohol into this area. I have been playing bridge 40 years and no one up to this point has come across like this. There are no rules about drinking. Of course getting drunk or obnoxious is certainly not permitted, but that is not going to happen with one drink.
What is Leisure worlds views on a Leisure world sponsored event that is being run by a couple of tyrants.
I spoke to Palma Seeger and she concurred with this Carolyn. I would like to see this rule (if it is a rule in writing. If it isn’t a rule, then I don’t want to hear about it anymore. Both of these people should be replaced by nice people, it would sure be good for the Leisure world community.
Thank you for listening to me.
Barry Depristo
By the way if you are not the person that I should be telling this story too, would you please forward it to the correct party and keep me advised.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Why
Why didn't I play in the nationals? I have been moving. Lots of things to do on the honey do list. Betsy and I moved to Leisure World from Olney, md. Only 3 miles but we had to throw junk away, pack, throw junk away, move, throw junk away, unpack, throw junk away. Got the picture. Looking forward to seeing all of you at the tables.
Oh, by the way pay attention to your partners discards. He is drawing you a picture of what to do next.
Oh, by the way pay attention to your partners discards. He is drawing you a picture of what to do next.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Zero Tolerance
This is frustrating, I have spent so much time trying to teach and get more players both new and experienced bridge players to start playing duplicate. Then you sit down at the table and some nasty old bitty is so preoccupied with trying to win at any expense, they ruin the experience for a new player. SO they made a mistake, it is not death and dying it’s a game. Screaming DIRECTOR, EMBARRASING the new player. What purpose does all this have?
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. Maybe they should see psychiatrist or maybe I should and wash my hands of the entire American Contract Bridge League I am so disgusted I am starting to question my self, do I really want to be in the same room with some of emotional basket cases, I am starting to wonder if they are even safe to be around.
It’s one thing if you playing against a peer and they make a mistake, well then it’s a competition ok. BUT not when you are sitting there against novices. I quit playing at clubs 20 years ago because of this same reason. Now I have been back for the last 5 years. I am questioning myself again.
Do you really think Screaming Director or now Screaming Director Please, makes that much difference? When these crazies are trying to intimidate the opponents and get a good result any way they can. I think anyone that calls the director in anything other then a civil in tone type of communication should be THROWN OUT OF THE GAME!!!!! ZERO TOLERANCE enforce it!!!!!
So you get rid of a few people, but the game now comes alive with thousands of new players that would enjoy the competition.
Barry Depristo,
Teacher / director
Have a great day!
Unless you made other plans.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. Maybe they should see psychiatrist or maybe I should and wash my hands of the entire American Contract Bridge League I am so disgusted I am starting to question my self, do I really want to be in the same room with some of emotional basket cases, I am starting to wonder if they are even safe to be around.
It’s one thing if you playing against a peer and they make a mistake, well then it’s a competition ok. BUT not when you are sitting there against novices. I quit playing at clubs 20 years ago because of this same reason. Now I have been back for the last 5 years. I am questioning myself again.
Do you really think Screaming Director or now Screaming Director Please, makes that much difference? When these crazies are trying to intimidate the opponents and get a good result any way they can. I think anyone that calls the director in anything other then a civil in tone type of communication should be THROWN OUT OF THE GAME!!!!! ZERO TOLERANCE enforce it!!!!!
So you get rid of a few people, but the game now comes alive with thousands of new players that would enjoy the competition.
Barry Depristo,
Teacher / director
Have a great day!
Unless you made other plans.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
This stops overbidding
One of the hardest things to do is to consider all the possible bids your partner could have made and then evaluate the one that he did make. He thinks best describes his hand, unless you have something else to brag about that you haven’t already shared in the bidding. Stay out of the auction. In other words you shouldn’t make another bid that you already have described as your hand.
When I first started playing I would bid until I got doubled. Then I knew I had gone high enough. (this is not a recommended way of bidding)
When I first started playing I would bid until I got doubled. Then I knew I had gone high enough. (this is not a recommended way of bidding)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Prempting discussion
Preempting is a very important part of the modern game. Bidding is so accurate these days that if you allow your opponents to have a free run they will almost always go right. By preempting you sometimes force them to guess, and the more they have to guess the more they will go wrong.
If that were the whole story, people would be preempting randomly with all types of hands. Unfortunately there are also dangers in preempting, the main one being your pesky partner. Since partner may wake up with a good hand or want to further the preempt, they must maintain some constructive element. Also, if they are too wild you are going to risk getting doubled and going for a number every now and then. Such is life, but you don't want it to happen too often. The other big risk is that you are going to help the opponents play the hand. Remember, when you are preempting it is probably the opponent's hand and you are volunteering information to them.
The key is to find a balance between the constructive and destructive elements of preempting and between the risks and rewards associated with it. This can be very difficult and require good judgment and a lot of experience.
The main thing a preempt should say is that the hand is offensively oriented. If partner wants to save, that's great, if he wants to bid game, that's great. If the opponents want to double me that's not a complete disaster because I can take some tricks and they'll probably make something. If partner wants to double them... well he's on his own. A hand that screams a certain suit is a good candidate for a preempt.
To determine whether a hand fits with my definition of what a preempt should look like, I look at these 3 factors:
• Purity. Are my honors located in my long suits or my short suits? Do I have a lot of stray values? QJTxxx x Qxxx xx is an excellent preempt. However, Axxxxx K Jxx Qxx is awful. The purer the hand is, the better it is for a preempt.
• Suit Texture. Let's say the auction were to go 2 -p-p-X-p-p-p. Would you rather have KQ5432 of spades, or QJT876? I would definitely prefer the latter. The texture of a suit is what makes it playable with a bad split, or when partner raises you to game with a lot of controls and a stiff trump.
• Shape. 6322 and 7222 are the kiss of death. If you are 6-4 or 7-4 your trick taking potential increases and so does the opponents. This is a very overlooked factor by most people.
Let me dispel some myths while I'm at it. Voids are not a bad thing when preempting. They add to the offensive potential of your hand. Preempt MORE aggressively with a void, not less. Side aces are also not a bad thing. They're much better than say, side queens. They serve offensive purposes as well as defensive ones.
Note that high cards were never mentioned. High cards are irrelevant when it comes to preempting if the hand is less than opening bid strength.
Does this mean I would preempt with 0 points? Yes, I would consider T98765 2 T932 52 white/red in first seat to be a 2 opener. I wouldn't do this red since the playing strength of the hand is just too low, but you will note it does well on purity, suit quality(!!) and shape.
Regarding 5 card weak 2's, I will rarely do it unless in 3rd seat. If I have an extraordinary suit and 5431 or 55 then I might, but 5332 preempts are losing bridge in my opinion. The hand is balanced, not a 1 suited offensive hand. If you do open 5 card weak 2's liberally, your partner needs to know this so that he doesn't always misjudge later in the auction.
How much playing strength is required to preempt in first or second? I've never followed the rule of "2, 3, or 4" or anything like that, if it looks like a preempt just preempt. I do recommend your 3 level openers to be about a trick heavier than your 2 level openers, despite a minority style of 2 bids being constructive and 3 bids being garbage. It just seems logical to me that if you contract for 1 more trick, you are showing the same hand type except a trick (generally in the form of a trump) better. I also suggest that any hand you open at the 2 level with red/white should be opened at the 3 level white/red. That is another way of saying that red/white preempts should be a trick better than white/red ones. At equal vulnerability, just use your judgment.
Nothing is perfect, the main goal of preempting is to make life hard on the opponents. If your requirements are too rigid, you aren't preempting enough. However, the hands need to be offensive and able to take some tricks. 5332 just won't cut it.
If that were the whole story, people would be preempting randomly with all types of hands. Unfortunately there are also dangers in preempting, the main one being your pesky partner. Since partner may wake up with a good hand or want to further the preempt, they must maintain some constructive element. Also, if they are too wild you are going to risk getting doubled and going for a number every now and then. Such is life, but you don't want it to happen too often. The other big risk is that you are going to help the opponents play the hand. Remember, when you are preempting it is probably the opponent's hand and you are volunteering information to them.
The key is to find a balance between the constructive and destructive elements of preempting and between the risks and rewards associated with it. This can be very difficult and require good judgment and a lot of experience.
The main thing a preempt should say is that the hand is offensively oriented. If partner wants to save, that's great, if he wants to bid game, that's great. If the opponents want to double me that's not a complete disaster because I can take some tricks and they'll probably make something. If partner wants to double them... well he's on his own. A hand that screams a certain suit is a good candidate for a preempt.
To determine whether a hand fits with my definition of what a preempt should look like, I look at these 3 factors:
• Purity. Are my honors located in my long suits or my short suits? Do I have a lot of stray values? QJTxxx x Qxxx xx is an excellent preempt. However, Axxxxx K Jxx Qxx is awful. The purer the hand is, the better it is for a preempt.
• Suit Texture. Let's say the auction were to go 2 -p-p-X-p-p-p. Would you rather have KQ5432 of spades, or QJT876? I would definitely prefer the latter. The texture of a suit is what makes it playable with a bad split, or when partner raises you to game with a lot of controls and a stiff trump.
• Shape. 6322 and 7222 are the kiss of death. If you are 6-4 or 7-4 your trick taking potential increases and so does the opponents. This is a very overlooked factor by most people.
Let me dispel some myths while I'm at it. Voids are not a bad thing when preempting. They add to the offensive potential of your hand. Preempt MORE aggressively with a void, not less. Side aces are also not a bad thing. They're much better than say, side queens. They serve offensive purposes as well as defensive ones.
Note that high cards were never mentioned. High cards are irrelevant when it comes to preempting if the hand is less than opening bid strength.
Does this mean I would preempt with 0 points? Yes, I would consider T98765 2 T932 52 white/red in first seat to be a 2 opener. I wouldn't do this red since the playing strength of the hand is just too low, but you will note it does well on purity, suit quality(!!) and shape.
Regarding 5 card weak 2's, I will rarely do it unless in 3rd seat. If I have an extraordinary suit and 5431 or 55 then I might, but 5332 preempts are losing bridge in my opinion. The hand is balanced, not a 1 suited offensive hand. If you do open 5 card weak 2's liberally, your partner needs to know this so that he doesn't always misjudge later in the auction.
How much playing strength is required to preempt in first or second? I've never followed the rule of "2, 3, or 4" or anything like that, if it looks like a preempt just preempt. I do recommend your 3 level openers to be about a trick heavier than your 2 level openers, despite a minority style of 2 bids being constructive and 3 bids being garbage. It just seems logical to me that if you contract for 1 more trick, you are showing the same hand type except a trick (generally in the form of a trump) better. I also suggest that any hand you open at the 2 level with red/white should be opened at the 3 level white/red. That is another way of saying that red/white preempts should be a trick better than white/red ones. At equal vulnerability, just use your judgment.
Nothing is perfect, the main goal of preempting is to make life hard on the opponents. If your requirements are too rigid, you aren't preempting enough. However, the hands need to be offensive and able to take some tricks. 5332 just won't cut it.
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