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Rule 11

Play against good players as often as possible.

When I first started playing in college many years ago, there weren’t all the levels of stratified events. So most of the time, we learned the game in the same field as many of the top experts of the era. Of course, it’s a terrific feeling to do well and add to your Masterpoint total. However, if you want to improve, one of the best ways is to compete against better players. Sometimes this is not easy to do, because the events are limited by the number of points you have. But when you have a chance, enter the open game instead of the limited one at your club or in a tournament. Sure, you’ll learn some humility (which is great to keep your ego in check) and you’ll improve your game if you study and work on building a solid partnership. Some clubs have mentor programs where you can have the opportunity for a game with a more experienced player. 

Rule 12

“The harder you practice, the luckier you get.”

This true quote has been uttered by a number of top athletes including Gary Player and Michael Jordan. You have seen countless players who come to the club or tournament week after week (and there’s certainly nothing wrong with the social aspect of our fantastic game) without attempting to learn anything new. They simply do the best they can and are usually satisfied with the results. Whatever you are devoting your time to, why not strive to be the best you can be; it doesn’t matter whether it’s your family, occupation or playing a game. Try to balance your bridge hours between playing, reading books and articles, improving your partnership(s), and evaluating your past results with your partner. 

Rule 13

Stay in shape by finding activities that give you more stamina.

Although it might surprise you, many of the best bridge players in the world spend much of their spare time improving their physical and mental capabilities away from the table. They schedule time at the gym regularly or have a normal routine of walking, jogging or running. No matter what level player you are, the benefits can be tremendous. And research has shown that meditation, yoga, tai chi and other similar activities improve every part of your life. I learned to meditate almost 50 years ago; I practice it twice a day and having some quiet time by yourself away from all the distractions of life is priceless. Choose activities that stimulate you, because everyone has a different perspective on what is fun to do or at least tolerable in your daily life.

Rule 14

Learn the Law of Restricted Choice

In its simplest form: If you are missing four cards in a suit including the queen and the jack, and you are in a position to take a finesse after one of these honors appears on the first trick, you should do so. This may seem to contradict “Eight ever, nine never”, but the odds are about 2 to 1 that the finesse is the winning play. One example:

North A 10 652

West 4                        East Q

South K873

When you lead the K from the South hand, West plays the 4 and you play the 2 from North (the dummy), the Q appears from East. When you lead the second round of the suit from South (the 3) and West plays the 9, the best play is to finesse against the J in West hand, playing the 10 from North. You are hoping West started with J94 and East with the singleton Q. 

Rule 15

Avoid any unilateral decision on the 1st round of bidding.

I learned this sound advice from Gavin Wolpert on his Bridge Winners site. If you haven’t been there: bridgewinners.com, you should definitely give it a try. It’s free and there are worthwhile articles for every level player. My favorite is a brilliant video by Gavin, detailing how the expert mind works as he shares his thoughts from all 52 final hands from his 2011 NABC Open Pairs win in “Road to Victory.” His point is that if you make an unusual action on your first bid of the hand, it is usually impossible to show your partner what you really have. If you want to “take a view”, wait until later in the bidding to take control or use your impeccable judgment.

Click here to read the next Five Rules to Make You a Better Player.

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