Thursday, April 28, 2005 3:17 AM

Hand Evaluation - Drill

PITBULLS:

OK patterns once again for old times sake. How many patterns are there with 4 cards as the longest suit ? Answer 3 - so name them 4-4-3-2 , 4-4-4-1 and 4-3-3-3 . These are the 4 series of patterns. These must be memorized. Question how many patterns are there with a 5 card suit as the longest ? Answer 6 - so name them 5-3-3-2 , 5-4-2-2 , 5-4-3-1 , 5-5-2-1 and two with voids ( not common ) 5-4-4-0 and 5-5-3-0 so memorizing 4 patterns will suffice . These are called the 5 series of patterns. Question how many patterns are there with 6 card suits ? Answer 7 – so name them 6-3-2-2 , 6-3-3-1 , 6-4-2-1 , 6-5-1-1 & 3 with voids ( not common) 6-4-3-0 , 6-5-2-0 & 6-6-1-0 so memorizing 4 patterns will suffice. These are called the 6 series of patterns. Forget the 7 card suit patterns except 7-2-2-2 , 7-3-2-1 and 7-4-1-1 . Work out all other patterns with longer suits at the table.

According to my arithmetic you only have to memorize 14 patterns out of the existing 39 to elevate your game to a different level. You should not be burdened with counting at the Bridge table . Counting is for computers not humans. Memorizing patterns is your way out. You can use your brain for other things at the table . The other alternate is not to count at all so just make educated guesses. This only works if you guess right. Counting with patterns works 100 % of the time so there is no guess work.

Applying patterns brings in the concept of a trigger. What triggers you to apply a pattern ? Your opening lead responsibility. The mere fact that you are on opening lead , means that you must translate their bidding into a hand pattern or tentative hand pattern.

1♠-P-1NT

2♥-P-4♥-P

Before you make your opening lead with the auction above, remind yourself of the “5 series” of hand patterns 5-4-?-?. Another trigger to apply a hand pattern is the simple act of somebody at the table showing out of a suit. This is a show stopper. Pause & apply a pattern as you have one of declarers suits counted & another piece of the puzzle accounted for. Another trigger is partner’s opening lead. Plug this into a pattern so you have another of declarers suits counted. Partner following suit to declarer’s suit, is another trigger as she is giving count in that suit. Using the board , your hand & partner’ count , results in the pattern telling you declarers length. A pre-empt by declarer or partner is a trigger to bring in the 6 or 7 series of patterns. Declarers trump suit should be an automatic trigger as declarer can lose control of the hand . Very important pattern for defenders to utilize throughout the hand..

Bob Frender being an expert on learning has come up with a good idea on learning patterns on which I will expand . Bob says to think of patterns as a decision tree ( hierarchal if’s ) . If only 4 card suits in the pattern there are 3 patterns. If only 5 card suits in the pattern, there are 6 patterns , if only 6 card suits, there are 7 patterns etc. These #’s include the voids which are rare & can be worked out at the table. My “brain storm” for learning patterns is a “pattern of patterns”. The 3-4-4-2 pattern corresponds to all the 13 common patterns you have to memorize. The 3 represents all the 4 card patterns( 3 of them ) 4-4-3-2, 4-3-3-3, 4-4-4-1 ; the 4 represents the common 5 card suit patterns 5-3-3-2 , 5-4-3-1 , 5-4-2-2 & 5-5-2-1 , the next 4 represents all the common 6 card suit patterns 6-3-2-2 , 6-4-2-1 , 6-3-3-1 & 6-5-1-1 and lastly the 2 represents the common 7 card suits of 7-3-2-1 & 7-2-2-2. Whatever works, but learn them !!! We have reduced the common patterns to exactly 13 patterns ( 3-4-4-2)

Playing with a tormentee tonight in a 2♥ partial . AJ108 of spades on the board and declarer leads the spade queen . You have K9xxx of spades do you cover ? Experts do not use rote rules for covering an honour with an honour . They just apply patterns . The patterns with this holding ( looking at 9 spades ) your suit & the boards are 5-4-3-1 , 5-4-2-2 so forget the pattern with a void as partner is ruffing anyway. If the pattern is 5-4-2-2 , covering is no use as declarer is getting 3 spade tricks whatever you do. If declarer has 3 spades , partner is ruffing the 2^nd spade anyway. If declarer has the stiff queen ( 5-4-3-1 ) covering is a disaster as you give him tricks he does not deserve. Therefore you do not cover. The tormentee did not apply patterns & covered an honour with an honour as per rote rules. Sure enough the spade queen was singleton ,so he helped himself to two diamond pitches to make his contract.

What if you had 4 spades to the K9xx do you cover ? Now the 4 card patterns come into play . There are only 2 of them ( 4-3-3-3 is out ) so let’s apply them. 4-4-3-2 you better cover as declarer has Qxx or Qx so you protect your 9. You only lose in one case 4-4-4-1 with a stiff queen. Against the odds , so cover.

I see tormentees burning a lot of energy thinking & spinning their wheels . If they just applied patterns , a line of defense or play or lead will come clear . Thinking in patterns is the basis of all Bridge decisions. Bridge decisions are made by applying patterns , deductive reasoning follows. Try it !!