Amazon Product Description
- Anyone who learns the principles set out in this book need never again be accused of playing against the odds.
- Hugh Kelsey will always be remembered as one of the giants in bridge. He had a formidable reputation as an international player and as a writer and analyst of the highest order - one of the all-time great bridge writers and analysts. He was the author of more than 50 outstanding bridge books and was the bridge advisor and editor for the Master Bridge Series1 from its foundation.
- Michael Glauert is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of East Anglia.
Cover Blurb
- Backing outsiders has ruined many a punter at the bridge table as well as at the race track. Few players have any idea of how to harness the odds to solve the problems that constantly recur. Which is the best line of play? Is it better to finesse or play for the drop? Will the diamonds break? Can the chances be combined? What are the exact odds?
- Here at last is a simple guide to these situations. Keeping theory to a minimum, the authors show by means of many practical examples how to calculate the odds and how to come up with the right answer time after time at the bridge table. Anyone who learns to apply the principles set out in this book need never again be accused of playing against the odds.
- The authors could hardly be better qualified for their task. Hugh Kelsey has earned a world-wide reputation for accurate bridge analysis and lucid prose, while Michael Glauert is a keen and proficient tournament player who holds the first Chair of Mathematics at the University of East Anglia. The reader can therefore be assured of practical bridge advice based on sound mathematical principles.
Introduction (Full Text)
- A haze of confusion surrounds the way in which probabilities apply to the play of the cards, and the player seeking guidance is poorly served by bridge literature. Most manuals on card-play give a table showing the probable division of the opponents' cards and a few example hands, it is true, but this barely touches the fringe of the subject. At the other extreme are the scientific tomes on probability theory, well-nigh incomprehensible to anyone but a mathematical genius, and in any case of little use as practical guides.
- This book is an attempt to cultivate the neglected middle ground where most of the real problems lie. It is a book about bridge, not about mathematics. But bridge is a game with a mathematical structure, which we ignore at our peril. Before getting to grips with the practical side we look at some fundamental ideas about probabilities, because a misunderstanding in this area is often at the root of a player's reluctance to put his trust in what he has read.
- Once we have gone over the ground and uncovered a number of simple (but in some cases novel) principles, we go on to show how the application of these principles enables a player to calculate the odds and come up with the right decision in a wide variety of situations. The emphasis throughout is on practical examples, worked out in detail, with the aim of encouraging the reader to tackle similar problems for himself when he meets them.
- Working on this book has certainly clarified our ideas about bridge probabilities. We hope that reading it will help to clarify yours.
ContentsIntroduction - 7
- Facts and Figures - 9
- Distribution of Opponents' Cards - 19
- Percentage Play - 29
- Combining Chances - 42
- The Care of Options - 55
- Changing Odds - 67
- Vacant Places - 79
- Freedom of Choice - 92
- Free Choice Variations - 106
- Surveying the Scene - 116
In-Page Footnotes ("Kelsey (Hugh) & Glauert (Michael) - Bridge Odds for Practical Players")
Footnote 1: This blurb is taken from the reprint by Master Bridge.
Book Comment
Victor Gollancz, 1980
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2024
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)