Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hand Evaluation – Dbls ( Bad Bidders )

PITBULLS:

        There is no shortage of bad bidders in the game of Bridge. What should you do about them in designing your own system ? The answer is nothing as the inventor of Bridge came up with a scale of 200, 500 , 800 or 100 , 300 , 500 , 800 which exceeds the amount for games , slams or grand slams to counter act bad bidders. The purpose of Bridge is to get the best score not just to play the hand. Cohenists & solo artists conveniently forget this reality of the game of Bridge. They are so hung up on playing the hand that nothing else matters in the game of Bridge. Their Bridge goal seems to be "play the hand at all costs".

    One Cohenist says that opening bids should be based solely on playability of the hand. When you have a certain number of winners for playing the hand , you open the bidding . Ron Klinger wrote an article on losing trick count . He is very careful to point out this evaluation only makes sense when your side has a trump fit ( playing the hand ) . Basing your opening bid on just the goal of just playing the hand ignores the scoring system in the game of Bridge. That thinking or lack thereof , makes no logical Bridge sense.  When you open the bidding , you promise defense so you can provide for that defensive aspect of the Bridge scoring system. These defensive values ( quick tricks ) have been a requirement for an opening bid since the game of Bridge was invented for a reason . Extracting penalties or converting for penalties is that very simple reason. Quick tricks also have offensive implications so they are the corner stone of opening bids.

Forcing pass theory takes care of  bad bidders intruding in your auction as the double means business. Balancing doubles are designed to counter act bad pre-empting. Negative double theory has been assigned the task of handling bad overcallers & pre-empters. Unlimted hands are given direct penalty double rights in certain situations. Doubles of systemic bids & NT bids are penalty orientated . Standard bidding is quite aware of the penalty double scale , thank you very much.

        What about competitive doubles ? Does this mean that bad bidders escape their fate in competitive situations ? No way ! We have them coming and going as Bridge is played in a clockwise direction. When the initial bidder wants to compete again , he asks partners permission with a double. Against bad or unlucky bidders she ( partner )  converts with a trump stack. When responder in a competitive auction want to bid again , she does so with a double . Against bad or unlucky bidders this also gets converted also with a trump stack. The standard penalty double does not work as well because of the clockwise order of the game of bridge. In a standard situation , a good hand may compete again in front of partners turn to bid thus spoiling partners lucrative penalty double. Competitive double theory replaces Q bid’s with doubles in misfit auctions so conversion for penalty is more likely. Q bids mean a trump fit period. The goal in Bridge should be the maximum plus , not just playing the hand.

        The Cohenist competing strategy is flawed. Huge risks are taken just to play the hand when defending might be the best strategy. Cohenists are usually undisciplined & stretching their values to play the hand , so penalty doubles are not advised by their partner when opponents compete again. When competing is your only Bridge god , disciplined Bridge is sacrificed. Garbage opening bids are common. Garbage non lead directing overcalls & risky balances are needed to be a good disciple of that religion. All their balancing strategy is geared for T/O as playing the hand is the only strategy & penalty conversions are deemed never to exist. They like to brag they are not afraid of going for a large number as partner & team mates must be sympathetic with their religious beliefs. They alone decide the outcome of matches. I lump these type of bidders to the topic of this article "there are no shortage of bad bidders in the game of Bridge". Taking the reality of the existence of these types of Bridge players , means you must be more disciplined yourself  to catch them speeding. Having a structured competitive double system is an asset against those types of competing zealots also. The D.S.I.P  competitive double is a nice tool to compete more effectively against so called "modern garbage bidders".