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. Name: Points Schmoints! Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets
Author: Bergen, Marty
Popularity: ABTA Book of the Year 1996
Target Audience: Novice
Category: General
Pages: 210 Date: 2002

More Bergen Bridge Books...

Synopsis: 65 enjoyable hands and stories that reveal many of the author's secrets. Subjects include the Rule of 20, how to count trumps the right way, the real scoop on doubles, and finesses are overrated. The first half of the book is all about bidding, and rather than just talking about basic bidding, tells you what to do in those tough situations when you don't know what to do. A great example is his "Rule of 20", used to decide whether to open the bidding or not: If the sum of your HCP and the number of cards in your two longest suits is 20 or more, open with your normal 1-level bid; else pass. Very effective, and better than counting short-points or long-points, since this takes into account the ENTIRE distribution. The second half of the book is about declarer play and defense, and is equally good. What distinguishes this book from the rest is that the author doesn't waste space on the basics, and instead concentrates on the intermediate-to-advanced stuff.
 

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Example from book:

Contents                    (also see Index)

CHAPTER 1 -  OPENING BIDS -
YOUR BEST FIRST MOVE                                                                     1

“Points, Schmoints!” — Use the Rule of 20                                              1

The Not-So-Short Club                                                                               5

Bond Knows All the Tricks                                                                         6

Dear Marty: What Suit Should I Open?                                                    8

Always Open 1NT — Even With a Five-Card Major                                9

The Spades Have It — The Rule of 15                                                     11

 

CHAPTER 2 -  PARTNER OPENS 1NT -
NOW WHAT?                                                                                            13

Stayman Without Eight Points? Never Say Never                                   13

Think Twice Before Revealing Your Secrets                                           15

 

CHAPTER 3  - NOT FOR EXPERTS ONLY                                          17

21 Rules of Being a Good Partner                                                            17

He Sure Talks a Good Game                                                                    19

Thou Shalt Obey The Law of Total Tricks                                               21

 

CHAPTER 4 - FITS AND MISFITS                                                        25

Sometimes the Fourth Suit is the Best Bid                                               25

Beware the Misfit                                                                                      28

Don't Be Shy, Tell Me What You Prefer                                                  31

A Unique, Crucial Exception                                                                      32

 

CHAPTER 5 - THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES                                       33

Chivalry is Not Dead                                                                                  34

A Deadly Game of Bridge                                                                          35

 

CHAPTER 6 - CUEBIDS:
“MICHAELS ROW YOUR BOAT ASHORE”                                       37

Seven Bills; I Mean B-I-G Bills                                                                37

Cuebids, No More Dangerous Than Dynamite                                        41

 

CHAPTER 7 - DOUBLES ANYONE?                                                     45

Saved by Marty (A Story by Larry Cohen)                                              45

No Time to Prepare — Order Takeout                                                    48

An Offshape Double is Nothing But Trouble                                           50

Negative Doubles: The Quintessential Convention                                53

 

CHAPTER 8 - AFTER THE DOUBLE                                                    57

Searching For Signs of Life                                                                       57

The Goal After Redouble is to Kick Butt!                                               61

How Do I Support Thee?  Let Me Count the Ways                                64

 

CHAPTER 9 - COMPETITIVE BIDDING -
LIKE FOUR PEOPLE BOXING                                                             67

Overcalls: If the Suit Fits, Bid It                                                              67

Stand Tall After a 1NT Overcall                                                              72

Do You Know Your Balancing Basics?                                                    75

 

CHAPTER 10 - PREEMPTS FOR FUN
AND PROFIT                                                                                           81

Sock It To 'Em With an Opening Three-Bid                                            81

Responding to Preempts is a Cinch                                                          83

The Weakest Weak Two-Bid Ever Made                                                88

Why Not Have a Grand Old Time                                                            90

 

CHAPTER 11 - THE RULE OF 11:
CAN YOU SUBTRACT?                                                                          93

Partner Leads Fourth Best — What Next?                                             93

Declarer Passes the Test                                                                          97

 

CHAPTER 12 - DON'T BE STUMPED
WHEN PLAYING NOTRUMP                                                                99

Not a Good Declarer, But What a Great Dummy                                    99

Are You Guilty of Premature Grabbing?                                                 102

If You Don't Have Entries, You Ain't Got Nothing                                 104

A Record That Will Never Be Broken                                                    106

 

CHAPTER 13 - SOME PLAYERS
DO IT WITH FINESSE                                                                           109

Hold That Finesse                                                                                    109

Take Everything in Sight                                                                         113

I Never Met a Five-Card Suit I Didn't Like                                           114

Finesses Do Have Their Day in the Sun                                                 116

How Low Can You Go?                                                                            119

 

CHAPTER 14 - TRUMPS ARE WILD                                                  121

Charting Your Trump Course                                                                  121

Drawing Trumps: Count on Your Opponents                                          122

Dummy's Ruff Can Be Smooth                                                                124

Drawing Trumps First is Often the Worst                                               126

Maneuvering Trump Entries Like a Virtuoso                                         129

It is Not Illegal to Count Winners in a Suit Contract                              132

 

CHAPTER 15 - DECLARER'S TRICKS AND TRAPS                        133

Help Your Opponents Take the Bait                                                        133

Some Expensive Advice                                                                            136

Life is Pleasing When You Start Squeezing                                             137

Is Bridge a Mathematical Game?                                                            141

 

CHAPTER 16 - DEFENSE:
DO A LOT WITH A LITTLE                                                                  145

Force Declarer to Trump — Absolutely!                                                 145

Hustler's Delight                                                                                       148

An Artist With a Small Canvas                                                                 150

Do You Believe in Magic?                                                                        152

 

CHAPTER 17 - THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS                                 155

When to Say No to Second Hand Low                                                     155

You Be the Judge                                                                                      158

If Declarer Smart, Defender Not                                                             162

Give Partner the Signal                                                                            164

 

CHAPTER 18 - DISCARDING:
THROW LOSERS, KEEP WINNERS                                                   169

Give to Charity But Keep Parity                                                             169

Accentuate the Negative                                                                          173

Improve Your Discards — Even the Odds                                              176

 

CHAPTER 19 - OPENING LEADS: STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN    179

Lead Trumps When You Are Not in Doubt                                             179

A Good Lead is All You Need                                                                  182

Watson, I Just Got a Lead                                                                       183

Nervous But Game                                                                                   186


Index                                     

Alert.......................................................................... 26, 41, 43, 45, 46, 96, 187

Attitude signal................................................................... 17, 168, 173-178, 187

Balancing......................................................................................... 75‑80, 187

Blackwood..................................................................... 119, 188, 189, 193, 194

Convention....................... 10, 27, 38, 40‑42, 46, 53, 54, 63, 66, 88, 176, 187‑202

Covering honors....................................................... 113, 120, 133-135, 189, 198

Crossruff.................................................................. 44, 125, 132, 146, 182, 189

Cuebid................................................................. 38, 41‑43, 50, 57, 58, 189, 194

Develop.................................................................. 116, 126, 128, 162, 190, 191

Discard.................................... 95, 96, 112, 138-140, 151, 166, 168‑178, 190, 195

Draw trumps.......... 115, 118, 121-124, 126-132, 134, 135, 143, 146, 147, 163, 190

Duck......................................... 113, 117, 120, 130, 131, 133, 135, 173, 176, 190

Endplay.......................................................................... 111, 126, 191, 192, 201

Entries.................... 84, 105, 112, 115, 118, 126, 129‑131, 155, 163, 174, 188, 191

Establish................................................................. 105, 123, 162, 163, 190, 191

Finesse.................. 7, 24, 36, 109, 110, 134, 135, 141‑143, 161‑163, 191, 192, 198

Fit.............................. 1, 41, 45, 46, 53, 61, 64, 65, 73, 75, 89, 103, 141, 187, 191

Forcing bid......................................................... 9, 31, 32, 55, 92, 139, 192, 195

Forcing game......................................................................... 146‑149, 183, 192

Fourth-best lead................................ 93, 96-98, 103, 156, 167, 185, 192, 198, 199

Fourth-suit game forcing.................................................................... 25-27, 192

Game forcing................................................. 26, 27, 58, 187, 192, 193, 195, 201

Garbage Stayman.............................................................................. 13, 14, 192

Invitational bid......................................... 14, 25, 28, 31, 58, 64, 77, 119, 193‑195

Jacoby transfer................................................................. 42, 142, 143, 193, 194

Jordan 2NT........................................................................................... 66, 193

Jump shift...................................................................................... 58, 193, 202

“Last is best”.......................................................................... 111, 191, 194, 200

Law of Total Tricks.............. 21‑23, 64‑66, 73, 74, 86, 87, 101, 150, 152, 194, 202

Lead-directing double....................................................................... 69, 185, 194

Limit raise................................................................................. 64, 66, 185, 194

Michaels cuebid.............................................................. 38, 41, 42, 44, 188, 194

Misfit...................................................................................... 5, 28‑31, 63, 195

Negative double............................................................................ 53‑56, 73, 195

Odd-even discard........................................................................... 176‑178, 195

1NT opening bid............. 9, 10, 13-16, 20, 41-43, 80, 106, 108, 119, 184, 193, 200

1NT overcall................................................................... 10, 71-74, 78, 193, 195

1NT rebid............................................. 9, 28, 32, 55, 99, 100, 114, 159, 188, 195

1NT response......................... 29, 30, 53, 58, 59, 72, 105, 122, 156, 179, 180, 195

Overcall............. 3, 10, 42, 50‑56, 67‑73, 77, 78, 159, 160, 190, 193‑195, 198, 202

Parity............................................................................................ 169‑171, 196

Penalty double.................................... 7, 28, 37-40, 61, 73, 74, 148, 188, 190, 196

“Points, schmoints”...................................... 1, 22, 64, 73, 86, 149, 159, 186, 196

Preempt........................ 37, 38, 48, 59, 64, 68, 78, 80‑92, 126, 152, 153, 196, 202

Preference...................................................... 28, 31, 32, 164‑168, 176, 177, 196

Raises.................. 5, 9, 14-16, 21-23, 32, 46, 64‑66, 83-86, 93, 130, 139, 159, 192

                                                                                      194, 197, 199, 200, 202

Rebidding a suit.................................................................. 5, 25, 29, 31, 62, 197

Redouble........................................... 6, 39, 40, 61-64, 66, 72, 149, 188, 197, 199

Rule of 11..................................................................... 93, 96‑98, 126, 192, 198

Rule of 15........................................................................................ 11, 12, 198

Rule of 20....................................................................................... 1‑4, 81, 198

Sacrifice....................................................................... 22, 38, 86, 117, 187, 198

Second hand low..................................................................... 111, 155-157, 198

Sequence.................................................. 116, 156, 169, 180, 182, 192, 193, 199

Short club...................................................................................... 1, 5, 26, 199

Side suit.......................................................................... 111, 117, 126, 181, 199

Sign off.......................................................................................... 83, 193, 199

Singleton....................... 2, 8, 19, 29, 31, 50, 51, 61, 68, 69, 71, 188, 189, 199-201

Slam............................................... 15, 16, 27, 38, 89, 91, 92, 101, 110, 119, 120

                                                  123, 132, 183, 190, 191, 193, 194, 197, 200, 202

Spot card........................................................................... 19, 97, 165, 177, 199

Squeeze.......................................................................... 101, 137‑140, 200, 201

Stayman......................... 10, 13, 14, 16, 27, 32, 106, 188, 189, 192, 194, 196, 200

Stopper......................................................... 15, 25, 27, 49, 53, 72, 78, 195, 200

Suit preference signal...................................................... 164, 168, 176, 195, 200

Suit splits............................................ 89, 103, 115, 124, 132, 143, 146, 161, 199

Supporting partner...................... 9, 16, 46, 58, 64‑66, 69, 71, 73, 85, 86, 188, 200

Takeout double.......................................... 23, 45‑66, 69-72, 78-80, 190, 193, 200

Third-hand play........................................................... 93‑95, 161, 187, 188, 200

2 opening....................................................................................... 38, 90, 201

Unbid suit............................................................. 25, 52, 58, 107, 182, 183, 201

Unblock.......................................................................... 105, 112, 117, 196, 201

Unusual notrump overcall........................................................................ 79, 202

Up the line................................................................................. 5, 100, 172, 202

Uppercut....................................................................................... 152-154, 202

Void........................... 2, 29, 42, 43, 52, 86, 125, 137, 187, 189, 190, 197-199, 201

Vulnerability................................. 37, 65, 67, 69, 71, 81, 88, 90, 91, 148, 191, 202

Weak jump overcall................................................................................. 78, 202

Weak jump raise................................................................... 64, 65, 74, 130, 202

Weak two-bid................................................................ 82, 88‑92, 191, 201, 202

Yarborough.......................................................................................... 150, 202

 

 

 

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