Friday, October 06, 2006 5:48 PM
 
Playing with Experts

 

PITBULLS:

 

          Playing the game of Bridge with an expert partner needs an adjustment to your Bridge style. If your style is undisciplined and single handed , you will be guaranteed to raise partners ire. Why , Bridge is a partnership game and an expert partner does not like being removed from the decision making process. Quite frankly the Bridge expert gets insulted and anger is quite often the fallout.

 

          Undisciplined , single handed bidding means all the decisions are made from one side of the table. When your partner is weak , he does not notice so this gambling either works or it does not. An expert feels this “slot machine” style is demeaning to the game of Bridge. The game of Bridge is insulted as well as partner.

 

          Taking unwarranted risks is an example of single handed Bridge. These risks no not have to be bids even though that is the majority , they can be opening leads  or declarer play . Here are some examples of singlehanded , undisciplined Bridge which got severely punished in a game recently. I was in 3rd seat nv ♠AQxx ♥J10xx ♦Jx ♣Q109 so I opened 1♠ in 3rd seat for a lead and to be a nuisance to the vulnerable opponents. In a competitive auction , they reached 5♥ undoubled. Partner knowing your style is to open light in 3rd seat for a lead and it must be one of these times as they are in 5♥ vul took the horrendous risk of leading a singleton trump. This hooked me out of my natural trump trick. Declarer lead a club towards the board and with ♠Kx of spades on the board and you holding only 4 spades , you duck your club Ace. Declarer steals two tricks and  -650 loses you a 17 IMP swing. You lose -12 and you were about to win +5.

 

          Single handed penalty doubles are just that – single handed. When the opponents obviously own the auction the partnership cuts each other slack . The auction goes 1♠-P-2♥-? & I hold

♠xxx ♥void ♦J109 ♣KJ1098xx so I decided to muddy the waters with a 3♣ bid. Opener bids 3♥ and you decide to have some fun yourself with ♠KQx ♥xxx ♦Kxxx ♣Qxx and bid 3NT. Klimo now jokes and asks me is that the serious 3NT and we all have a giggle as partner is obviously fooling around with a club fit. Klimo ignores the 3NT bid and bids his 4♥. This rides around to partner who decides to sacrifice on equal vulnerability to 5♣. Klimo makes a forcing pass around to partner who bids 5♥. Now partner falls from grace and decides singlehandedly that the opponents are idiots and doubles. This gets redoubled and –1000 and another –12 IMPS falls by the way side.

 

          Sacrifices are the most single handed bid in Bridge. As I have said in many previous articles , you setup sacrifices by including partner in the process. You have ♠J ♥xxxxx ♦xx ♣K109xx and on equal vulnerability the Vinnies open 1♣-P-1♦-X  and I double with ♠K10xxx ♥AJxx ♦KQx ♣x and Osama bids 1♥ . Partner makes a good bid ( in my opinion ) of bidding 2♥. Why is that a good bid ? You did not double 1♥ which would show values and exposing a psyche. Your 2♥ bid shows what you have a distributional hand and suggesting a sacrifice even on equal vulnerability. They get to 3NT and you decide to bid your hand again by taking a single handed sacrifice . Partner had no input into the decision . 3NT goes two down and you were about to win 4 instead you lose –12 for your –500 pseudo sacrifice on equal vulnerability.

 

          Ignoring the vulnerability is another single handed & undisciplined Bridge habit. Against the Cabay’s , Stan opened 1♠ , I bid 3♦ and Lisa bid 4♠. Partner held this flat defensive collection

♠Qxx  ♥A10xx ♦xxx ♣QJx so you ignore the equal vulnerability and bid 5♦ . Think about it . You have only one trick for partner and if she has 6 tricks ( a good 7 card suit) you are going for –500. If partner has a broken diamond suit you may be heading for –800. This is risk taking at its worse as a wrong outside card in partners hand might be enough to beat 4♠ !!.

 

          Single handed players always seem to bid their hand again. Partner did not see the bid the first time again or must have forgot. My partner held ♠Axx ♥xxxx ♦AKQx ♣Ax  and equal vul and opened 1♦ and they overcalled 1♠ which got raised to 2♠ as I passed. You announce your good hand to partner by doubling which promptly gets XX’d. Partner like a scared rabbit retreats to 3♣ and they bid 3♠. Whew I said , as I escaped a disaster as 3♣X goes for -500 against a partial. Not so fast , as partner has not bid his hand twice. He now doubles 3♠ for penalty. Now I have a choice –730 or –800 so I opt for the –800 as the redouble by the opponents sounds more believable than partners bidding.

 

          Again , more  on the theme of bidding your hand again. The last bid of the night partner opens 1♠ and Vinnie overcalled 2♥ and I passed. Around to the opening bidder who has 18 HCP & doubles. I now bid 2♠ , which is the weakest bid in Bridge , when I could not compete by bidding 2♠ originally. My bid must show under 5 HCP’s as I would encourage with a jump with any hand that game could be a possibility. Partner now bids 3♦ as a game try with his 18 and I bid 3♠ which got a reluctant pass. Partner played the hand wide open and went 4 down. In two spades , there is a line of play where the contract could make as both key suits were 3-3.

         

          Players who insist on playing this style of Bridge should not play with expert partners. This style is a pro-client relationship where the expert is the client and the client is the pro. You remove your expert partner from the game and make decisions for him. This can not work. Bridge is a partnership game.