Thursday, April 26, 2007

Half-Full or Half-Empty?


When did you bid-and-make your last slam? Oh you can't even remember... It might be purely incidental, or it might have something to do with your general disposition. The "turn of a friendly card" might not be so totally arbitrary as we have grown accustomed to think.
For example, how many tricks do you expect to take in this suit if you held this between you and dummy?
Please, do not attempt to give the "it depends.." answer! That is a cheap cop-out, and, though perfectly correct, that is not the issue here. Just imagine: you are playing the hand as declarer, and be honest with yourself - does the sight of this suit combination fill you with enthusiasm or trepidation?
The example, btw, has been taken from one of Fred's lessons in BBO (more specifically, from Learn to Play Bridge 1).
An optimistic attitude has been proven to increase the probability that your finesses will work, that the splits will be favourable, and overall you will be dealt better hands in the long run. In contrast, a pessimistic attitude has shown to decrease levels of performance, while bidding glitches become more numerous and more frustrating.*
So, to return to the question above: if you thought you can take only one trick, then you need a cup of hot chocolate and lots of unconditional no-holds-barred overdose of TLC (yeah, that is tender loving care, not LTC - which might come in handy, too!). If you expect that LHO will have the A and K, and RHO will hold the Q and J (any 2-2 split will do), so you can collect your very own, absolutely deserved 3 tricks to make that impossibly overbid and redoubled 3NT contract come through, contact me so we can go play the next goulash tourney. :)

*P.S. I made it up, as a lay cod-psychologist... but... It might well be true... Heh, dare me (if you dare!)... ;)

1 comment:

bAZYLc said...

VERY COOL.
I'm greeting and I wish good luck. I will be looking.
bAZYLc (Poland)