Monday, January 17,
2005 5:09 AM
Hand
Evaluation - Patterns & Declarer
Play
PITBULLS:
Keeping
track of every card adding them up & subtracting the total from 13 would drive a Bridge
player crazy over time. This counting is better suited for a
computer than a human trying to have fun
at a hobby. However , counting is necessary
for declarer play , defense , opening leads & bidding. So how do get around this
dilemma ?. Doing arithmetic requires effort whereas dealing from memory , the task can
become an automatic reflex. Once information is memorized the effort is over , you just use it.
Fortunately there are only a finite number
of distributions that add up to 13.
If you have these patterns memorized ,
you can avoid
the work
& tedium of counting at the Bridge table.
Ok a
question how many distributions are there with a 4 card
suit as its longest , what are they ?
Only 3 4-4-3-2 4-3-3-3 4-4-4-1
Ok a
question how many distributions are there with a 5 card suit as its longest ,
what are they ?
Only 6
(3 frequent ) 5-3-3-2 5-4-2-2
5-4-3-1 5-4-4-0 5-5-2-1
5-5-3-0
Ok a
question how many distributions are there with a 6 card suit as its longest , what
are they ?
Only 7
(3 frequent) 6-3-2-2 6-3-3-1
6-4-2-1 6-4-3-0 6-5-1-1
6-5-2-0 6-6-1-0
Actually memorizing 9 patterns backwards and forwards will get you by. The 7 card suits and higher are rare and can be figured out at the table as well as the less common ones.
OK suit establishment or drawing trump is not done by “counting” . You
look at your hand & the dummy & apply
a pattern. Drawing trump or establishing a suit is just watching how
many times the opponents are following suit. That is the only
“counting” involved. You are in a 5-3 fit , the opponents followed to two
rounds there is only one card left ( 5-3-3-2 ) . I played with a Tormentee who
was in 4♥. He/she had a 6-3 heart fit , they split 2-2 . There
was a side suit on the board Kxxxxx opposite his Ax . Inexplicably he/she gave
up two losers in another side suit & ruffed the 3 rd. This
resulted in a tie for a bottom. There is a 6 card suit on the board ( 6-3-2-2)
so one ruff established
the suit for making 6 ! This is “thinking in patterns” at the most basic
level. Bridge is patterns. Try
applying them in every facet of the game of Bridge : declarer play , defense ,
bidding & opening leads.
A
Tormentee was in 6♦ where applying patterns is a “discovery play” . ♠AKxxx ♥Jx ♦J9x ♣K108
opposite ♠Jx ♥x ♦AKQxxx ♣A976 . LHO bid 2♥ during the bidding
so the start of the pattern should be 6. You win the 2nd heart draw
trump in 2 rounds & attack spades. If they are 3-3 you have 12 top
tricks. If they are not , they may show you the “lay of the land”. Sure enough, RHO only has two spades so LHO counts out to
6-4 in the majors & 2♦ . This gives her 1
or no clubs ! You lead a club & the stiff jack appears so you now make your
+1370. Declarer play is applying patterns as is just everything else in Bridge.
Applying patterns as a “discovery play” is a standard way of determining your
line of play.
Here is Richard Pavlicek saying the same thing. http://www.rpbridge.net/7a41.htm Please read .