2007-09-13 01:02
Hand Evaluation - Counting ( Definition )
PITBULLS:
“Gee
whiz Bob...you have taken all of the fun out of Bridge! I remember the good ol days when I could chat with dummy while waiting for
declarer to play his next card, or contemplate my grocery list for after the
game. Now I have to count, count, count and work so hard !
“
Susan
In
reply to Susan , the following is from Richard Pavlicek’s site :
“Many players are afraid to get into counting a Bridge hand because they think it is
difficult & only for the experts. It certainly would be if you tried to count every card as it is played. Forget it! Doing it that way might also drive you out of your mind. Fortunately,
there is a better way. Good players
think of each suit layout as a pattern. There are 39 possible patterns,
of which only about half are reasonably common. If you memorize the common ones,
you will have a mental
template for association. The 20 most common patterns are: “
Susan
makes a valid point , however I disagree with the term “counting” . Counting is for computers. Pavlicek
calls applying patterns a “mental
template for association”. You are not counting per se but translating information like bidding into
patterns. You use your Bridge knowledge
of bidding to make a “discovery play”
of declarers distribution. You look at leads
& signals to form a pattern to “visualize” declarer’s hand. This
cerebral skill is more human like
& counting is more mundane for machines. Computers are superb counters but applying patterns via translation are
beyond them.
I
have written a multitude of articles saying that for opening leads
, defense , declarer play & bidding you “think in patterns” . This not
counting, but a
visualization skill. Like a worker at the U.N. ,
you translate. You translate bidding , opening leads , showing out & signals into
patterns. This is a visualization skill similar
to shot making in Golf. Golfers do that
before making a
shot. They visualize the shot in their minds
before making it. Sports psychologists say that it actually works to make a
better golf shot. In Bridge , it is a must have skill.
Thinking
in patterns help you recognize squeezes , endplays , finding queens in declarer play. Thinking in patterns sometimes
makes opening leads very obvious.
Thinking in patterns helps you visualize partners
distribution or the opponents
distribution during the auction.
Expert defense would be impossible without a blueprint
for your defensive plan. The misnomer “ counting out a
hand” is the blueprint for
defending a hand.
Memorizing the 13 most
common patterns with their triggers
is a substitute for counting – not counting. I do not know how to count the hard way. I have 5 , dummy has 3 ,
I think declarer played a few so add these all up & subtract from 13 leaves
a remainder… Crap , this is supposed to be a hobby
! Here is where I agree with Susan. I
would rather talk to the dummy.