tennis, life and a few things in between

How would you bid with these three hands? I played and won my first slam 😊 lost the last trick to ♣️K. My partner’s hands have been great too.

… My first grand slam …

你会怎么叫这三手牌? 打赢了第一个小满贯 可惜最后一圈输给了♣️K

From left:

1. Hand 1: I stated with 1♣️
2. Hand 2: I stated with 1♥️ then 2♠️
3. Hand 3: I started with 1♥️, my partner bid 2♦️. My thinking heart/spade need 4 extra tracks to game (diamond needs 5), so I bid 4 hearts on the second round. (My partner has 7 diamonds.) Forget if we made game 😂

Opinion 1: 1st hand correct bid; 2nd hand spades are better than hearts; 3rd hand with distribution you have 17 points, void =4points; you should have game or slam if your partner opened first or if you opened and your partner jump-shifted indicating 10 or more points.

Opinion 2: I agree with your bid on the first had. On the second, with two 5 card suits, it is best to bid the higher ranking first, unless there is a clear discrepancy in the strength of the two suits. In the third hand, I would not have gone to 4 hearts and just bid two hearts.

🥂 cheers 🥂 my first slam, in Bridge.

The top is my partner’s who bid diamond, and bottom mine, responded with heart. Then he insisted diamond for which I passed. My mistake bec I should help him to bid higher.

The winning result achieved when I was the dummie -:) oh well.

俺第一个小满贯 – I was the dummy 也许是赢的关键 [捂脸]

上是搭档的 下是俺的

干杯🍻 🍷

My first grand slam

I’m picking up this card game again, and have been playing the contract bridge 定约桥牌 once or twice a week.

The players here don’t do duplicate bridge because each time, whomever shows up, starts the game. Day and time are set but not players. Some times it’s only 1 table and other times, three+ tables. We rotate every four games so the 5th, 9th or 13th player get to play.

After awhile, I started the girls night.

Some basics

• The points: 40 hcp, long (4+) & short suit   
• The scoring
• The bid & response; slam bidding; NT bid 
• The conventions 

Fun way to Serious Bridge (1978) by Harry Lampert is a good book to brush up skills, or learning to play. It was published in 1978, 13 years ahead of the For Dummies book series.

• 6 4 3 1, jump
• 7 3 2 1
• Best suit vs responding to bid: 3 3 3 4
• Long suit wins NT
• cue bid rho bid your suit ↓
• someone bid your suit; 1st time bid 5 and making it
• 4NT: asking for As; how to respond; 2025
• Ace and space
• Good hearts ♥️
• weak 2♠️ 
• two singleton As and long in spade – not good for NT
• void and long in ♠️ and more
• Long suit in ♠️ – time to learn the conventions
• Too many all 9s
• NT and scoring
• Two doubles in a hand
• A diamond night ♦️ importance of 13 pts
• A night filled with ♥️
• A few good hands

The slams !!!

Girls’ night in

• a losing night
• two slams night
• Just another good hands night
• A 21 hcp
• A 22 hcp opening hand
• Bid 5 and making it

… some hands to remember

1. 2025 Jan 6
2. 2024
3. 2023 annual

没人打百分 (这该有多老呀)
只能打桥牌 … 更老

临时抱佛脚 – 这本📖 不错 👍

… 每次开叫前 借用手指头数分
然后
就没有 然后了🤣
热情不减

Some terms – contract bridge glossary

• game: ^{100 pts}
  • 3NT ^{40 for the 1st trick + 30 each for the 2nd/3rd}
  • 4 ♥️♠ majors ^{4 tricks × 30 points per trick}
  • 5 ♣ ♦️ minors ^{5 tricks × 20 points per trick}
• double: game can also be made via a doubled or redoubled contract: e.g., 2♠ doubled is worth 2 × (2 tricks × 30 points per trick) = 120 points.
• rubber: best of three games (a game =100 pts); a team which has already won a game toward the current rubber is said to be vulnerable
• above the line

… some newbie mistake

• 32 hcp w/ all A & K: 1NT

We found a couple who plays bridge and merrily we played.

After a few hands, a wired thing happened: a card ♣️8 is missing. And high and low, we can’t find it. Oh well!!!

We two played a Gin, and then Gin rummy (wiki) during the down time. I like it.