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VOL. 16, NO. 2
BRIDGE
N OVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
Well-known teacher and player Jerry Helms answers your bridge questions.
Send your questions to [email protected].
Ask Jerry
Dear Jerry: Other than playing as
much as possible, are there any short
cuts for improving? I’m not afraid of
the effort, but I want to wisely spend
the time I’ve put aside for playing
bridge.
—P. L., Framingham, MA
Dear P. L.: Leila Hatterly said over
80 years ago in her book on
CONTRACT D EVELOPMENT:
“For those players ambitious to
improve their contract bidding, I
should proffer the following
advice: Study card valuation,
develop your imagination, rely on
your common sense, and adopt
as few conventions as possible.”
It doesn’t seem that there are any
shortcuts. Here are some other ideas.
Study the game by reading books
about card play, defense, and bidding
that you are comfortable with. This
will improve your skills. The reading
level of the material will
depend on your current skill level.
In addition, get advice from more
experienced players. You may be
able to do that by asking questions
of players at your local club. If that
isn’t possible, read the opinions of
the experts in magazines such as the
one you are reading, the ACBL
Bulletin, and The Bridge World.
You’d be surprised at how quickly
this can improve your insight to the
game.
I know you said “other than playing
as much as possible” but that’s an
important element in improving your
game. However, make good use of
your playing time. Play against the
very best players possible. Even if you
fare poorly at first, the experience
will benefit you in the long run.
Keep track of your results, noting the
areas where you need the most help.
Make a plan when playing the
contract or when defending; draw
inferences from the auction; try to
work out the location of the missing
high cards. As I said, it’s not easy.
Finally, be a good partner. Never
criticize. The better you are toward
your partners, the better they will be
with you...and the more you’ll enjoy
your time at the table.
Dear Jerry: We just learned that
after partner makes a preemptive
bid, we should add our high-card
points to the number of trumps we
hold and go to game if the total is 17
or more. Is this a good idea.
—P. N., Pompano Beach, FL
Dear P. N. : Remember that the rule
of 17 is a guideline, not a rule. It’s
there to help you when you have
nothing better to go by. The more
experienced you become, the more
you can treat each situation on its
own. For example, suppose partner
opens 2 and you have this hand:
You have 15 high-card points plus
2 hearts. That adds to 17, and the
suggestion is that you should raise to
4 . I agree.
However, I would raise to 4 not
because of any rule but because I
think partner will have a reasonable
chance of taking ten tricks. Bridge is
a trick-taking game. I expect partner
to be able to take about five or six
tricks for the weak two-bid. I can
supply four or five tricks, so we
should have a good shot.
Suppose we change the hand:
16 high-card points plus 1 heart
gives a total of 17, but I would not
raise to game with this hand. I fully
expect partner to lose three aces and
at least one trump trick. I’ll wish
partner luck in 2 .
And, of course, you must be aware
of the circumstances when any ‘rule’
applies. Consider this hand:
Nowhere near meeting the rule of 17,
but a clear cut raise to 4 nonetheless.
This is preemptive. Nothing to do with
bidding to make a game. —JH
For upcoming cruises with
Jerry visit www.jerryhelms.com
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A K 5 3
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