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My favourite bridge software is Double Dummy Solver http://www.bridge-ca...downloadDD.html (free). I have just downloaded the latest version and I see that it comes with some warning that "This program is not commonly downloaded and could harm your computer". That is a very unfair warning. The program has been a labor of love by Bob Richardson for many years. It is like the GIB analyser that BBO uses, but it runs on your desktop. It looks at all four hands and shows you best plays and all makeable contracts.
I also endorse Paul Marston's "Principles of Card Play". It's the only bridge book that I have read in it's entirety (a number of times). It's a book for beginners. It goes through the fundamentals. Some chapters include:
Play in No Trumps
Long Suit Tricks; Establishing Tricks by Finesse; Hold-Up Play; Entries; The Danger Hand; ...
Play in A Suit Contract
Drawing trumps; Discarding Losers; Setting up Side Suits; Entries in Suit Contracts; ...
Defence
Second hand Play; Discards; ...
These are the fundamentals of correct card play. You can expect to get all the exercises correct with a little thought.
I see that it is selling in the US for exorbitant prices. Perhaps, you can get it shipped from the author in Australia at a cheaper price, http://www.grandslam....com/books.html Or maybe get a second-hand copy.
I think the number #1 card play book is "Card Play Technique or the Art of Being Lucky" by Victor Mollo & Nico Gardener. I could never quite get all the way through it, but I have used it as a guide to my improvement. When I came back to it after a few years break, I found the end of chapter exercises easier. That means I must be improving, right?
Bridge novice here - how to practice and improve?
#41
- Group: Full Members
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Posted 2015-December-21, 09:38
Peter . . . . AKQ . . . . K = 3 points = 1 trick
"Of course wishes everybody to win and play as good as possible, but it is a hobby and a game, not war." 42 (BBO Forums)
"If a man speaks in the forest and there are no women around to hear is he still wrong?" anon
"Politics: an inadequate substitute for bridge." John Maynard Keynes
"This is how Europe works, it dithers, it delays, it makes cowardly small steps towards the truth and at some point that which it has admonished as impossible it embraces as inevitable." Athens University economist Yanis Varoufakis
"Krypt3ia @ Craig, dude, don't even get me started on you. You have posted so far two articles that I and others have found patently clueless. So please, step away from the keyboard before you hurt yourself." Comment on infosecisland.com
"Doing is the real hard part" Emma Coats (formerly from Pixar)
"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again." Oscar Wilde
"Assessment, far more than religion, has become the opiate of the people" Patricia Broadfoot, Uni of Gloucestershire, UK
"Of course wishes everybody to win and play as good as possible, but it is a hobby and a game, not war." 42 (BBO Forums)
"If a man speaks in the forest and there are no women around to hear is he still wrong?" anon
"Politics: an inadequate substitute for bridge." John Maynard Keynes
"This is how Europe works, it dithers, it delays, it makes cowardly small steps towards the truth and at some point that which it has admonished as impossible it embraces as inevitable." Athens University economist Yanis Varoufakis
"Krypt3ia @ Craig, dude, don't even get me started on you. You have posted so far two articles that I and others have found patently clueless. So please, step away from the keyboard before you hurt yourself." Comment on infosecisland.com
"Doing is the real hard part" Emma Coats (formerly from Pixar)
"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again." Oscar Wilde
"Assessment, far more than religion, has become the opiate of the people" Patricia Broadfoot, Uni of Gloucestershire, UK
MultiQuote
#42
- Group: Members
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 2015-October-30
Posted 2015-December-21, 09:42
y66, on 2015-December-21, 08:52, said:
Word for word, the smartest thing I've ever heard someone say besides "take all your tricks" is "What should I do now? That is seldom the right question. The right question is: What the hell is going on? Unless you know what's going on, it's very hard to figure out what to do" (from Bob Hamman in At the Table. Fun read). I think all good bridge pros know this and if you find one, it will help you improve faster and avoid ingraining bad habits. Ruthless honesty, killer instinct and sense of humor are other qualities to look for. As a coach and a successful poker play, you probably know this.
This is a really good point. For a long time the first question in my mind was, "Based on my hand, what should my reply be?" Now after every bid I try to stop and ask myself, "What is my partner trying to tell me?" And when the opponents bid, I ask myself, "What are they saying about their hands?"
On the surface it seems a small point but it makes a difference.
#43
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 97
- Joined: 2007-November-26
Posted 2015-December-28, 14:44
Hi!
If you are a complete beginner do this:
1. dont worry about understanding the "logic" of bidding, just learn a simple system (SAYC) by heart and start - the logic will become clearer later.
2. play a lot with the computer and take your time to think. also let the computer replay the hand, use undo a lot to check alternatives. Wbridge5 is a good program, but there are others, like GIB, etc.
most of your training time should be spent on this point.
3. learn about cardplay technique - this will gradually increase the number of "moves" you are capable of making during your practice sessions.
here you could use books, cds, teachers, the internet, whichever works for you - but go easy on this.
4. most importantly - don't give up. you will be quite bad at the beginning, the progress will not be very fast, but it's worth the effort. you'll have to invest at least a few months.
When you graduate from what i described above you'll be a reasonably competent player, about average level if you are talented. Your bidding will still be a bit wooden, but no problem. You can find a partner who has some ambition to improve and an experienced mentor who can take you throuh some hands and make the thought process clearer.
I hope this helps
If you are a complete beginner do this:
1. dont worry about understanding the "logic" of bidding, just learn a simple system (SAYC) by heart and start - the logic will become clearer later.
2. play a lot with the computer and take your time to think. also let the computer replay the hand, use undo a lot to check alternatives. Wbridge5 is a good program, but there are others, like GIB, etc.
most of your training time should be spent on this point.
3. learn about cardplay technique - this will gradually increase the number of "moves" you are capable of making during your practice sessions.
here you could use books, cds, teachers, the internet, whichever works for you - but go easy on this.
4. most importantly - don't give up. you will be quite bad at the beginning, the progress will not be very fast, but it's worth the effort. you'll have to invest at least a few months.
When you graduate from what i described above you'll be a reasonably competent player, about average level if you are talented. Your bidding will still be a bit wooden, but no problem. You can find a partner who has some ambition to improve and an experienced mentor who can take you throuh some hands and make the thought process clearer.
I hope this helps