Customer Reviews

Following the Law the Total Tricks Sequel

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

 

 

The Law. It's not perfect by any means, but understanding it can improve the game of nearly any player of intermediate or better strength. (Rubber bridge players can get by without it, though advanced players ought not; matchpoint duplicate players can't survive without it.) Larry Cohen's first book on the subject, To Bid or Not To Bid, is a fabulously valuable explication of the principle.

Unfortunately, the Law is fairly simple and can be presented, as it is, in one not-lengthy book. Why is that unfortunate? Because Cohen didn't stop at one. The sequel, Following the Law, wasn't necessary, and it doesn't even manage to be valuable. Well over half the book is presentations of deals on which the Law was applied, or could have been. Golly, ya think it worked in those cases? Little is gained from these examples, and they serve only to justify a book that otherwise could have run around thirty pages.

Cohen also includes some tips on adjustments, but there's far too little of this, the most difficult aspect of applying the Law for most players. He also discusses the DONT convention in detail, but there are better explications elsewhere. The rest is little more than a rehash of what was clearly stated before.

If you haven't read the first book, do so. If you have, skip this one.

Just like the Authors first book onthe LAW, this one could have been 20 pages long with some editing and organization.

Overall, the concept (the LAW) is worth knowing, just be aware that at higher levels its not as accurate as Cohen and Marty Bergen would have you think.

Its worth knowing about the LAW, just from a much shorter better presented source.

If you have read Cohen's first total tricks effort, understood it, and incorporated the principles of the Law of Total Tricks into your competitive bidding, you do not need this book. If the Law of Total Tricks does not inform your competitive bidding decisions, buy this book or the original. The second effort has a cleaner presentation including a thorough description of the wonderful DONT convention for competing over natural adverse notrump bids. If you take your bidding seriously, you owe yourself a solid understanding of Cohen's total tricks principles.

The Law of Total Tricks forms a basic structure for competitive bidding which, according to Cohen, means 75% of total hands. Understanding how far to push your opponents, how far to allow them to push you, and when to make deadly doubles makes the difference between a 40% session and a 60% session. Cohen's writing makes what could be a difficult subject easy to read and he provides plenty of examples from famous players and matches to help explain his subject.

After buying and reading To Bid or Not to Bid, I was left with a few questions on exactly how to apply the LAW and thought that this sequel would provide exactly that--detailed analysis of when to push ahead, when to back off, when to double, and how to analyze hands and bidding to determine the total number of trumps and the total number of tricks (these are equal except where adjustments make them different).

I have to say that I enjoyed reading this sequel, but there simply wasn't a lot of new information, new instruction or memory tags to help apply. I understand that I'm safe bidding to my level of safety (my number of trumps), and that I should try not to let them play at their level of safety--but I could use some really clear discussion of when to bid them past two with 16 total trumps (8 and 8) which means going past my own level of trumps (assuming they have spades and I have hearts). I loved Cohen's examples of deducing a trump fit when partner hasn't bid, but I need more discussion if I'm going to use this.

Bottom line--I'm a believer in the LAW but I was looking for more help in applying it. I hoped the sequel would give me that. In fact, rereading the first book was more helpful than reading the second.

Though I have read the book 'To Bid or not to bid', I have found that I often count it wrongly. This book tells me how to use it a real situation. It is very helpful.