[mycroft]

Well, if it isn't true, "The Rodwell Files" wouldn't have been written :-).

But yes, where the "play books" are dated is in the information they glean from the auction (yours and theirs). But since the "how to analyze the auction" parts are still valid (even though the information is different), the tools being taught transfer.

[pescetom]

mycroft, on 2025-October-29, 11:20, said:

But yes, where the "play books" are dated is in the information they glean from the auction (yours and theirs). But since the "how to analyze the auction" parts are still valid (even though the information is different), the tools being taught transfer.

Absolutely. But as I noted here and elsewhere, a page or two of preface explaining the dated bidding agreements and carding agreements would make it all transfer more easily.
If Wikipedia survives AI, such an explanation could even be provided without reprinting the old book.

[Zelandakh]

mikeh, on 2025-October-19, 23:26, said:

The old rule of adding your hcp to your spade length and passing if the total was less than 15 has proven, to me anyway, to be a pretty good rule of thumb

I only know this method (Pearson Points) for judging 4th seat openings. Are you saying you use them in third seat too, Mike, or have you just misread the auction?

TMorris, on 2025-October-24, 03:47, said:

Playing a weak nt the choice is pass or 1nt.

I think this is completely wrong and the result of playing in a sheltered social bridge environment. It is routine on many WNT hands to open something other than 1NT even playing English Acol, since the opening does not promise a rebid. Here if the clubs were somewhat better, opening 1♣ and passing any response would be completely ok. Similarly, you can open this 1♥ and pass any response, which is likely to be good except when partner responds 2♣ on a 4 card suit - a gambler's move but one with decent odds, especially at MP. You can even open this shape 1♦, since 2♣ will more or less always be a 5 card suit - not on this hand of course but in general. In short, I'd encourage you in third seat to think about possible auctions and what advantages/disadvantages each opening option gives you rather than just parroting the 1st seat bidding notes. The situations are different and Acol gives fantastic flexibility here in choosing which message to send and how high to preempt with your WNT hand.


One final point, more generally. All of the high level 5cM pairs I have seen opening this type of hand 1♥ combine it with some form of Drury. You should factor this and the rest of the system in when deciding whether this is worth a 3rd seat opening or not. Being able to control the resulting auction is an important consideration in this sort of decision.

[mikeh]

Zelandakh, on 2025-October-31, 11:40, said:

I only know this method (Pearson Points) for judging 4th seat openings. Are you saying you use them in third seat too, Mike, or have you just misread the auction?



I think this is completely wrong and the result of playing in a sheltered social bridge environment. It is routine on many WNT hands to open something other than 1NT even playing English Acol, since the opening does not promise a rebid. Here if the clubs were somewhat better, opening 1♣ and passing any response would be completely ok. Similarly, you can open this 1♥ and pass any response, which is likely to be good except when partner responds 2♣ on a 4 card suit - a gambler's move but one with decent odds, especially at MP. You can even open this shape 1♦, since 2♣ will more or less always be a 5 card suit - not on this hand of course but in general. In short, I'd encourage you in third seat to think about possible auctions and what advantages/disadvantages each opening option gives you rather than just parroting the 1st seat bidding notes. The situations are different and Acol gives fantastic flexibility here in choosing which message to send and how high to preempt with your WNT hand.


One final point, more generally. All of the high level 5cM pairs I have seen opening this type of hand 1♥ combine it with some form of Drury. You should factor this and the rest of the system in when deciding whether this is worth a 3rd seat opening or not. Being able to control the resulting auction is an important consideration in this sort of decision.

In third seat, I’ll open many hands that don’t add up to 15 Pearson points but only with decent suits and decent shape. Opening 1m in third seat on hands that lack shape and spades, and have minimal hcp, is a losing proposition in my view. And with a 6+ suit I’m inclined to open at the 3 level.

Now, style matters. In my main partnerships we don’t pass many 11 counts in first or second. So when it comes around to me in third and I’m relatively short in spades and have no good suit and no good shape, I pass.

Bidding rates to help the opps more than it helps us. Now, against weaker club players these factors don’t carry as much weight as they do against players who, in playing the hand, remember the bidding, lol.

Here a 1H opening has a modest lead directing appeal but I definitely don’t want to be competing to the 3 level in hearts very often and the lead directing element isn’t as strong as with, say, KQ10x.

As with all efforts to embody bridge wisdom in a single metric, Pearson points are flawed, but my experience suggests this ‘rule’ helps in borderline cases in 3rd and 4th.