Customer Reviews

How To Play Card Combinations (Devyn Press Bridge Library)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book presents excellent, thoroughly explained card combinations in context (for example, a variety of declarer-play problems in which dummy holds Qx of a suit and declarer holds Ax of the same suit, or vice versa). The reader "listens" to the author's train of thought as he plans the play of the hand. It is both fascinating and instructive to see the numerous correct ways to play the same suit combinations, depending on the hand in which they appear. This book is sure to improve anyone's declarer play (unless you're already Zia or Meckstroth), far beyond the how-to of the half-dozen or so suit combinations treated in a collection of about 50 hands. As in all of Lawrence's bridge books, the lessons average to expert players need to learn are clearly and cogently stated.

On first reading Mike Lawrence's book on card combinations, I was disappointed. In fact, the book only deals with how to play seven particular suit combinations (one chapter on each). The obvious disappointment is that, even after having fully mastered the book, one will ostensibly only have mastered seven suit combinations!

Yet, on further consideration, any disappointment was mitigated by two realisations:
1) At least one will have mastered seven suit combinations; that is, be able to play them perfectly in any of a number of situations - no trumps contracts, suit contracts, contracts where entries to dummy are at issue etc.
2) One expects that the logical discussion employed to analyse these particular hands can be gradually applied to other suit combinations.

The title "humbling concept" applies here, as Mr. Lawrence's book makes it clear how difficult a task it is to become a master of bridge. Let us say there are 200 suit combinations which actually are of interest. Then one would need to read almost 30 books of this size (227 pages) to master the topic thoroughly.

In conclusion, I suspect that if it were possible to discuss all (or even most) suit combinations thoroughly in one book, Mr. Lawrence might have written such a book. Instead, one should respect his decision to concentrate on seven suit combinations, and we can perhaps hope for other books to follow.

Start with Mike Lawrences "How to Read Your Opponents Cards". Get comfortable with the concepts he presents. Then try this. The book presents a set of chapters each featuring a common combination, such as KJx.

The reader will need to place cards based on the defenders bidding (or lack of it), and whats been played (and wahts not been played).

The book really is about deduction and counting, not how to play a suit to maximize the number of tricks. Don't let that stop you from buying and reading it, its well worth the time and money.

How to take more tricks as declarer or as defender by playing the odds. Helps you to spot problems that may arise later in the hand. Recommended for all levels.

The title of this book misleads. One gets the idea that this book will attempt to show players the best a priori plays of the dozens (hundreds?) of key card combinations in bridge. Instead, we receive an in-depth analysis of 7 specific situations. Admittedly, most of these combinations will arise frequently, and Lawrence analyzes them effectively and thoroughly in various contexts. However, I was hoping to see a method to analyze generic combinations at the table quickly, one that would have use in more than only a few specific situations.

Great analysis by Lawrence, a la "Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence", but not what I was looking for in a book with this title.

This is a book so dense with value that I believe I got as much out of it the 2nd time I read it as I did the 1st. It is further evidence that Mike Lawrence is among the best bridge writers ever.

The book is not a catalog of dozens of combinations with rules about how to play them. Rather Lawrence teaches the reader how to analyze card combinations in context by taking seven combinations and thoroughly discussing several hands containing each of them. He teaches the reader to fish, as it were. It is as if you are sitting at his elbow as he bids and plays the hand all the while giving you a play-by-play of his thoughts. He calculate the odds; he reads the defense; he counts the hand; he deduces from the bidding. But he also takes note of interesting sidelights and insights in both bidding and play. For example he pauses to describe a particular defender false-card tendency that he has observed in his career.

After reading this book the first time, I made an effort to put what I had learned into practice. As I encountered combinations not contained in the book, I would try to think about them as Lawrence does. And as combinations recurred but in different contexts, I would make notes after the session so I could compare ideas about the specific combinations. Sure enough each instance of J9xx opposite K8xx has both similarities and differences with other instances of the same combination. And sure enough, I was getting better at playing them.

Not only did I learn from this book, but it was fun to read. Both times.

The book was as described correctly but harder to follow and learn from than I had hoped. It was delivered promptly. Thanks.

This is *NOT* a book on how to play a single suit in isolation.
Its a book on how to play a bunch of common combinations, based on what you know about the entire hand.
Its filled with gathering clues and applying Logic to figure out whether to lead to the K or J in KJx in dummy.

For a book ONLY about suit combinations, try Klingers Card Play Made Easy.


I think the reviewer who only rated the book a 3 is way off the mark. Its a great book, and he is basing his lower rating on the fact that the book was on a somewhat different topic than he expected.
Thats like me saying Kit Woolseys "MatchPoints" isn't so good becaus eit covers things other than MP, like hand evaluation, etc.

This is a great book. Sout of like the sequel to "How to Read Your Opponents Cards"

All about placing unseen cards, and what Terence Reese called 2nd degree assumptions. If you liked How to Read your opponenets cards, you will like this. More of the same, just a step more advanced.