Does anyone else on this forum play bridge? I was told by a successful poker-playing buddy that it would make my NLHE game much better, so i started playing it.

Now, I think if I want pure entertainment, there might not be a better game. I love poker, but sometimes waiting for hours to pick up playable hands gets really boring, whereas even the worst of bridge deals require some greater sense of thinking and careful play.

So, if anyone wants to talk about bridge, I guess this is the thread to do it!

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Poggers IDs on bridgebase.com:

atakdog = atakdog
wyman = wyman
chuckleslovakian = babushkka
dwetzel = capn1100
Myrmidon7328 = Myrmidon73
FCBLcomish = FCBLcomish
vuroth = vuroth
feedmykids = jlall
ChrisV = ChrisV
Siegmund = Siegmund
brrrr - jjbrr
sixfour = FrankerZ
GabetheBabe = Gabeman
wahoopride = wahoopride
PlzBeALevel = SRFC1901
Nicholasp27 = Nicholas27
loumike = loumike1
dc-ohio = dcohio
dustinst22 = dustinst22
tabako = tabako
bugstud = aoverbiddr
MDG0RD0N = mdspewfish

Some folks here play bridge, VR, chuckles, but I'd just like to mention that I'm reading the Iliad for the first time in my life so now I know what a Myrmidon is. Holla.

I love bridge. I'm not especially good at it, but I love it.

As amp mentioned, a few of us around here (mostly me, chuckleslovakian, fcblcomish, spook, etc) play online against each other when we feel like taking on opponents that don't live in retirement communities.

It is really a great game, and yeah, there's pretty much never a thoughtless moment in it. (Although, again, that might be because I'm bad enought that I have to think about it all the time.)

To be fair, not every bridge hand requires thought. There are some hands on defense when the whole hand is just as easy as folding 27o.

But god I do love bridge so much more than poker. Me, FCBL, and Seigmund probably play the most of poggers. We play a lot on a site called Swan games. We are always welcoming to new players to join in of any skill level.

Always nice to see another bridge player on the forum.

I do seriously question the possibility of it making your NLHE game much better. I prefer stud to holdem, limit to no-limit, and poker cash games to poker tourneys for all the same reasons that I prefer duplicate to party bridge and matchpoints to imps.

I play bridge for mental stimulation and the love of it; poker is ok, but, in all seriousness, I only ever played it for the easy money.

Long as we're talking bridge, let me post a nice little hand from last week. Not fiendishly hard, but with a useful lesson in it for improving players.

Nobody vulnerable; LHO deals and passes; your partner opens 2, and you are off to the races (the auction at my table was 2-2, 2-2NT, 3-6NT, but other auctions are possible) and here you are declaring 6NT.

AKQ43
AK87
T
AQJ

2
QT5
AJ962
K876

Opening lead is the 4. All you have to do now is make it. What's your best chance?

We've got 11 top tricks (three spades, three hearts, four clubs and a diamond), we can't establish a long card in spades because the best split would be 4-3 so they'd always have a winner, so we need to get a fourth in hearts... we could go with a finesse by winning Jc and leading to the Th, but we can also get a fourth by hoping that either the opponent's hearts split 3-3, or that they're 4-2 or worse and the Jh is in the shorter hand, not sure on the odds of this are, but if they're better than 50-50 we try this: Win Jc, cash Ac, Qc, cross to the Qh, cash Kc throwing a spade, lead 5h back to the king, then lead 8h to the ten if the jack's out, returning 2s to cash AKQs, Ah and then back across to the Ad. If the jack's not out, lead Ah and pray for a 3-3 split, if so cash the long heart.

We love bridge, and we play a lot.

www.swangames.com

I want bridge. Anyone going to be around this evening?

no

anyone not chim, ldo

I used to play a ton, then I took off a lot of time, then I just recently started playing again. What a great game. I usually play on bridgebase though.

I'm also looking for a regular online partner. I'm decent, not great, but I read a fair amount about bridge and play a lot, and I don't think I've ever gotten mad about a hand. please pm me if interested.

Also, I think taking the heart finesse has a better chance of working than playing the suit for 3-3. Cash the A first though, in case the J is singleton and in west.

According to the internet, the odds of various splits are 3-3 36%, 4-2 48%, 5-1 15%, 6-0 1%. Trying to run the suit wins over the finesse when the cards are 3-3 and the J is in W (18%) and the cards are 4-2 and W holds Jx (8%). The finesse wins when the cards are 4-2 and E holds Jxxx (16%) or the cards are 5-1/6-0 and E holds Jxxxx(x) (~7%). All of which would suggest that not taking the finesse is better.

If you know nothing about the rest of the hand and are just trying to decide how to play hearts, with AKxx opposite QTx, best play is A first, then Q if everyone follows. bobman's last paragraph is all correct except for the 6-0 break with Jxxxxx in East (when you see West show out, you'll know to finesse even if you hadn't originally planned to.)

One hint though: that's the difference between a 52% and a 54% chance of making 6NT. There is something MUCH more important than that, if you want to maximize your chance of making.

OK, how about this: win the first trick with the A, cash the Q, J. then lead the T. If East plays an honor, cover with the A and lead the J which sets up the 9. If East doesn't play an honor, duck and hope that E has both the Q and the J. if W takes the trick, then attack hearts as discussed above.

i thought about that - the 9:d: is pretty much gonna be good, but we can only afford to drop one trick, no?

VR, and whoever else,

I am here. I will be here all night. Try the veal.

If anyone wants to play, shoot me an AIM

FCBLComish

I might be up for it tomorrow.

TRIP REPORT:

Bobman, VR and I were having a good game, except for the randoms who were our fourth. A friend of mine logged in, and we had an excellent game after that.

Bridge is FUN, Bridge with POGGERS is awesome

Now if I can teach Bruce how to play werewofl......

rofl

Damn you guys are making me want to learn this crazy game.

Nice to see some bridge players here. Win the club Q at trick one and play a small spade off the dummy. If spades are 4-3 about 67% I'm home with 12 tricks. Opponets best return is a diamond breaking up some squeeze posibilities but say they return a
passive club, win in dummy. Play Ace of clubs unblocking the suit then test spades.
If spades are not 4-3 I have 3-3 hearts to fall back on and some chances for squeeze depending on who covers spades, hearts and possibly diamonds. I'm pitching diamonds on the spades. Come to hand with the diamond ace and play the last club. If west
has the long spade he must keep it so I pitch a spade from dummy. If my diamond jack is not good someone keeping K or Q and east must control spades as one of his last 4 cards I play queen of hearts followed by the ten of hearts. I should have a count and if hearts are know to be 4-2 with west I can try to pin the 9x of hearts in east. Or I
can hope for 3-3 hearts. The duck of the low spade at trick two is the key to the hand.
DrDbl

Our mysterious stranger has it right.

The key idea of the hand is that if you play hearts first and you're wrong, you are down, but if you play spades first and they break badly, you still have time to try the hearts. You only fail if both suits misbehave.

Honorable mention for bobman for realizing that he could afford to lose an early trick and try hearts later, but picking diamonds instead of spades for his lost trick.

i haven't played since before I moved down to LA. (part of a reason was only haven't my mac laptop)

I think I could try and find some time to play again.

Here's a hand I had no idea how to bid.
S:x
H:x
D: AKTx
C: KQJ9xxx

opponents only vulnerable, I deal. random online partner, so only standard bidding. Bidding goes 1C-1S-2D(?)-2NT-3C-3NT. Any thoughts, particularly about my rebid?