Larry Griffey : Develop an organized plan to improve your bridge. Many become bogged down and plateau at a lower level than they would like. Are you having the same year of experience ten times or ten years of experience? Real improvement requires hard work, a great deal of study, and knowledgeable counsel.
Bruce Ohmann : Know what signal applies on defense: When partner leads the suit, it is usually attitude. If the attitude is obvious, then count applies. If shift is called for, then suit preference applies.
Spike Lay : Balance aggressively when the opponents have found a fit and stopped at the two level.
Gail Rust : Are your opponents guessing too many Queens? To keep opponent from looking in your hand, make little frames with your index finger over the top of the cards when holding them. Also watch what you are doing when you pick up cards and put them into your hand. Many people have a tendency to flash cards at that time.
Candace Fowler Griffey : System errors are easy to eliminate. You have to sit down with all your regular partners, develop a set of notes or agreements and update them on a regular basis! Give serious thought to filling our your convention card.
Marilyn Garcia: When you are the declarer, plan your play before calling for the first card from dummy. Use the ARCH method. Analyze the opening lead. Review the bidding. Count your winners or losers. Decide How you will play the hand.
Joe Reeves: If you are not disciplined with your weak two bids, then you and your partner need to play a convention to clarify your calls. Otherwise, your partner won't know what to do when you open 2H with xx, Qtxxxx, Qxxx, x or maybe xx, KQJxxx, Kxx, xx? Try using Ogust.
Shirely Townley: If your partner knows you can trump a card, and leads a low or high card, pay attention. that card is telling you what partner wants you to lead back. A high card calls for the higher of the non-trump suits. A low card calls for the lower of the non-trump suits.
Betty Bayard: Don't be afraid to call the director. It is not an insult. It is why we are here.
June Byrne: Don't just count points. Aces and kings are undervalued. Quacks are not worth their count. Honors alone are not as useful as honors which are bunched together. Look at the whole hand to decide what it is worth.
Pat Heading: When you are on lead against NT, and your RHO bid your longest and strongest suit, don't be afraid to lead it. This is especially true if RHO opened a minor.
Peggy Lupo: Try to play against better players. Don't be afraid of them. They are just people and you will be sure you have two quick tricks.
Linda Miller: When you open a rule of 20 hand, make sure you have 2 quick tricks.
Charles Dodd: Take great liberties when overcalling at the one level.
Bob Durand: Never lead a doubleton headed by a J unless your partner bid the suit.
Betty Sandifer: When partner makes a strange bid you do not understnad, keep bidding. If you are not sure if a bid is forcing, it is better to bid again than to pass.
Scott Weiss: When defending against 3NT contracts, place about 15 high card points between your hand and your partner's hand. Use this as a rule of thumb. This, along with the bidding sequence, will help you to visualize your defense, especially after dummy has been revealed. On opening lead, if you have only a few of those 15 HCP, and thus few entries to y our own hand, try to find partner's long suit.
