tennis, life and a few things in between

Perhaps due to my Sunday lousy tennis match, tonight on the bridge table I’ve many very interesting and good hands, with two lovely decks of cards.

I’ve been resisting to learn the conventions and keeping scores. But as I play more, I do feel the urge or need to learn these – they’re part of the game and knowing them, only add more fun to the game. SOOOO … I’ll start learning.

The very first hands. My partner has 5 ♦️so opened it at 1♦️; 1 N and I bid 2♦️, pass. My partner rebid to 3♦️ and played the hand: we made 3. However, with 7♠️ I considered to bit at 1♠️ at the first round, and at the 2nd round but I didn’t. Just wanted to support my partner’s diamonds. Was I wise? Probably not n I should have bid spade ♠️, knowing my partner has good diamonds. Oh well.

Ira: With distribution points, you have no C’s, you had to respond 2S showing opening points and a S suit; if partner responds 3D then bid 4D

Today is, perhaps the first time that I feel I should learn some conventions.

This hand I was wrong to open at 1♣️ without specifying it was a short club. My partner took it at face value and bid 2♣️ – of course we lost.

If there was a hand or two that prompt me to wanting to learn conventions, this has to be it.

Short club bidding means a pretty even hands with the club being the weakest and shortest suit – letting your partner to bid a new suit. Below is two examples:
– When 1♥️ and 1♠ guarantee 5 cards and 1♦️ guarantees 4 cards, 1♣ can be as short as 2 (4=4=3=2).
– When all of 1♦️, 1♥️ and 1♠ guarantee 5 cards, 1♣ can be as short as 1 (4=4=4=1).

♠️♥️♦️♣️

This hand I doubled my mate who played 2♥️, and we won.

Double refers to bridge score, which means I dare the mate to make what s/he has bid.

The normal score for 2♥️ is 30 point per trick. If they fulfill the contact, there should be 60 point below the line – which will be part to the total 200 rubber.

They failed, so we score ??

Three hands below: the first (left) played ♣; the middle hand, although we won but clearly we should’ve played heart ♥️ with all the five high cards – miscommunication and me not good at conventions. The third hand with 18 points, not counting two doubletons, which worth 1 point each.

Today perhaps is the first time that my hands weren’t too good.

All nines [Lol] 二手全九的烂牌🃏 with one has no point. The bottom hand, the opponents played 2N

整晚 除了9⃣️ 还是九 [Lol]
有朋友说 不错了 好过 23456 [偷笑]
也是: 要求低常乐, 人傻也常乐

Bridge‘s score goes by the tricks taken. It has two kinds of points: above the line (in tourneys) and below the line points. The later is earned for fulfilling the bid contract.

For the time being, I only record below the line points.

Each suit 花色 has a scoring value. Getting to 100 points = making a game. Two games = rubber.

~ NT ^{1st trick} 40, ^{2nd trick+} 30
~ ♠️♥️ 30 pt each – majors
~ ♦️♣️ 20 pt each – minors

Playing NT requires a little skill because there isn’t a trump suit. If a lowly 2♣️ is led and others don’t have ♣️, no matter how high the card is played, the lowest 2♣️ wins the trick.

• How to score rubber: one of the team to win two games which means 200 points (contract points) that records below the line.
• winning bid’s points – contract points – record below the line, overtricks are above the line, which doesn’t count toward rubber.

This above hand, I opened with 1N, which is wrong, should be a level 2 opening, like 2♣️.

1. me NT, pass, my partner 2♥️, pass;
2. me 3♥️, 3♠️, pass, pass
3. me 4 ♥️, ppp

We made the game, winning 10 tricks.

More on scoring:

Overtrick points

Slam bonus

• a slam 12 tricks, earns a bonus of 500 points if not vulnerable and 750 points if vulnerable;
• a grand slam, all 13 tricks, earns a bonus of 1000 points if not vulnerable and 1500 points if vulnerable.

Penalty points

Double is one of bidding tools used in bridge, which means you dare your opponent if you don’t think s/he can fulfill the bid or the contract.

If they make their bid (# of tricks unaffected) they’ll score additional points.
If they fail to make the contract, their opponents will award extra points.

This hand, the player to my right opened with 1 ❤️, I doubled; to my left 1 ♠️, my partner doubled. 2 ❤️ was played. I led with 2♣️. They made two. 😂 They were too nice to tell me what my penalty was.

Here is the takeout double, one of the conventional tools.

This hand with 15 pts plus the ♣️ singleton: pass, me 1 ❤️, pass, 2 ❤️ from my partner. Looking at my ♦️ and especially ♠️, I didn’t go to 4 but we ended up making four.

Last week, my hands were mostly hearts, and tonight are mostly diamond ♦️.

One lesson that engraved in my mind tonight is 13 points for bidding are really important.

For example this hand: my partner and I both passed the initially round but when our opponent to my right bid 1♦️, I followed with 1❤️ and the hand ended up with 3❤️.  Although we’ve 9 ❤️ (J 10 7 4 3 and my partner has ❤️K 9 8 6) but we don’t have ❤️A & Q, actually we don’t have a single A – there goes 4 tricks. My lacking void or singleton put us in debt further.

整晚的♦️
这手 3❤️ … 输的没有然后了

Tonight is the heart night: I’ve so many good hands with hearts. No slams tho lol …

One hand I played diamonds and could have been a slam. Then I got lazy, instead playing ♦️9, I casually put out 6 which was closer to me. Yup, I lost the trick to ♦️7.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 😊 整晚都是❤️ 一手接一手的

This hand I’ve a singleton, was pretty happy but it was the trump suit 😂. I led ♠️ A K, then ♣️3 the third round. My left followed with ♣️A … We won the hand, hands down.

这手有个单张 高兴😊 … 然后 就没有然后了 – 人家的王牌🃏 😂

俺出的 ♠️ A K, 第三轮是♣️3 , 左手跟了♣️A … we won the hand, hands down [呲牙]

I got Karen to play and we teamed up. She’s a good player but doesn’t offer any opinion unless was asked.

Luckily, my hands have been good, and we made most of our biddings. It was so good, that I misplayed 2nd to the last card and missed a slam. This was 4♥ hand, and after 11 tricks has been played, my partner and I both had a ♥. I should have used her ♥A to trump. But instead I played her last ♠ when ♦ was led. One of the opponent’s ♦ was a little higher. What was I thinking??? Too relaxed and careless.

An interesting hand. The opponent to my right was the dealer and opened the bid with 1♦. I’ve six ♦ AK etc., with 13 points. So, I doubled him. The hand ended up in NT.

Played my first grand slam, mostly on my partner’s strength – forgot to take a pic of her hand – unfortunately we didn’t bid for it [大哭]: result of my not wanting to learn the bidding conversions. 
For this hand, my partner opened with 1N; I responded 2H; she jumped to 4H.

~ played my 2nd grand slam 2N  

… my first slams, and the second  

I normally get decent / interesting hands at bridge, to compensate my lack of skill -:)

Bidding is the first part of the fun in bridge, and the various conventions add fun to the bidding.

Each convention has a set meaning, so you could communicate with your partner, to arrive at the correct and or the maximum level, to score a game (100 points).  … why don’t we just use plain language (??) instead?

…

• 2♣️ bid is artificial = 22 HCP or 9+ tricks
• 2♦️♠️♥️ bid is weak 2 bid: 5-10 HCP and 6-card suit

…

Other bids:

• 2 club bid
• cue bid rho bid your suit
• doubles: take out & penalty
• 4NT is asking for aces
• short club 13+ … anyone but this one
• weak two 5-10 pt, 6+ in ♠️/♥️/♦️
• strong 2♣️ club here
• strong 2
• strong 1NT 15-17 pts here