Matchpoint and IMP events are based on very different scoring systems. Matchpoint scoring rewards the frequency of gain; how often do you find the winning action? IMP scoring rewards the amount of gain, the same basis for rubber bridge. Each form of competition is distinctive, and a successful, well-rounded player must master a broad range of strategies.This book looks at the tantalizing question of which form of scoring is the more skillful, examines the role of luck, and shows how to pick a personal style.Like my books on demon doubling, 3NT, and penalty doubles, the book is intended for the intermediate and advanced intermediate club and tournament player.

Matchpoints Versus IMPs

Augie Boehm

HNB Publishing

Bridge writers often refer to 3NT as “everyone's favorite contract.” Probably you know players who love to leap to 3NT and sweep in the matchpoints when they steal the contract or collect valuable overtricks. Perhaps you're one of them. Having said that, many players carry the notion much too far, succumbing to the lure of 3NT even when the evidence suggests otherwise.Part I of this book will equip you with a variety of useful, easy-to-master bidding tools to help you and partner discover when to grab the 3NT brass ring, and, just as important, when to avoid it. Reaching good 3NT contracts doesn't confer an automatic bonus—there is that niggling rule about needing to make what you bid. So, Part II is dedicated to the play of 3NT. Since you are apt to defend 3NT twice as often as you declare (50% versus 25%), defensive counters are given full weight.The study of one topic in depth helps you better comprehend the totality of bridge. It's a classic approach: take a complex structure, break it down into parts, and closely examine the details. Your bidding will develop a smoother flow, your tactics will sharpen, and your card play will gain accuracy. You will win more.

Three Notrump in Depth

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

Nothing exemplifies the keen competitive spirit of tournament bridge better than the penalty double. Anytime a final contract is doubled, the stakes are raised not just the score but the implied mano a mano challenge. When you acquire a feel for opportunistic penalty doubles, you have added a potent weapon to your arsenal. Your courage to double freely and wisely will make you a respected and feared opponent. And if the opponents occasionally make a doubled contract against you, be consoled by what a mentor taught me: if they never make a doubled contract, you aren t doubling often enough. This book, like my books on demon doubling and 3NT, is intended for the intermediate and advanced intermediate club and tournament player.

Wielding the Axe

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

In this charming memoir, Augie Boehm shares tales and insights from his unique perspectives as an expert bridge player and a world-class musician. The book chronicles Augie's life journeys and reveals the highs and lows of a life in and around the game of bridge, from the highest-level tournaments to the most-dubious bridge club in Times Square; from the carriage trade to luxurious cruise ships to Sing-Sing penitentiary. In this book, you'll find glimpses of Stephen Sondheim, Omar Sharif, the Rockefellers, bridge legends, and the colorful characters who populate the wonderful world of bridge--be prepared to laugh. Augie was raised in a bridge-playing family and in the company of many of the game's legendary players. Augie has competed in tournaments since he was nine years old, and his story encapsulates much of modern bridge history. It shows how the game has evolved, with alerts, silent bidding, changing fashions in conventions, and more. Take note of how the conduct and ethics of players have shifted dramatically. How did the enormous proliferation of systems take hold? What was the impact of the great cheating scandals? Augie has witnessed the significant changes in the game over the past half-century from the inside track of a bridge professional. For newcomers to bridge, the book provides an interesting background of the world's greatest card game. For experienced players and tournament veterans, there are many nostalgic reminiscences--all in the lively, conversational style that has made Augie one of the most successful players, writers, and teachers in bridge.

Big Deal: A Memoir from the Wonderful World of Bridge

Bridge Smarts

If bidding were as simple as counting high-card points, most of us would have lost interest in bridge a long time ago. Appreciating the life-long challenge of a game immune to mastery, experts are always trying to hone their bidding judgment. This book's aim is to help you develop good bidding judgment by refining and improving your hand evaluation, which is the bedrock of good bidding. Learning the requirements for everyday sequences suffices to solve a great many situations -- but often not when a borderline hand falls into the gray zone. Then, it is important to understand what your hand is worth. And that's the main point of Part I of this book. Part II explores using judgment for potentially problematic bidding sequences not neatly resolved by your bidding toolbox. Applying the hand-evaluation judgment learned in Part I will help you think outside the box.

Expert Hand Evaluation

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