Points Schmoints!: Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets

From the Rule of 20 to the right and wrong way to use the Big Double, Marty Bergen has set the standard for modern bridge tip books. His engaging storytelling style and insightful teaching provide clarification to readers of all levels, although the book is clearly aimed at the novice to intermediate crowd. A great re-entry to the book arena by Marty. I just miss the mad scientist who wrote the "Better Bidding with Bergen" books!

This book is filled with entertaining stories along with easy-to-understand tips and techniques that will improve every facet of your game. 1996 Bridge Book of the Year.

This is the perfect book for players who more-or-less have the basics in place. This will correct your misconceptions and raise your game a couple of levels. The first half of the book is all about bidding, and rather than just talking about basic bidding, tells you what to do in those tough borderline situations. A great example is his "Rule of 20", used to decide whether to open the bidding or not: If the sum of your HCP and the number of cards in your two longest suits is 20 or more, open with your normal 1-level bid; else pass. Very effective, and better than counting short-points or long-points, since this takes into account the ENTIRE distribution.The second half of the book is about declarer play and defence, and is equally good. What distinguishes this book from the rest is that the author doesn't waste space on the basics, and instead concentrates on the intermediate-to-advanced stuff.

This is the perfect book for players who more-or-less have the basics in place. This will correct your misconceptions and raise your game a couple of levels. The first half of the book is all about bidding, and rather than just talking about basic bidding, tells you what to do in those tough borderline situations. A great example is his "Rule of 20", used to decide whether to open the bidding or not: If the sum of your HCP and the number of cards in your two longest suits is 20 or more, open with your normal 1-level bid; else pass. Very effective, and much better (and easier) than counting short-points, long-points, or quick tricks, since this takes into account the ENTIRE distribution. The second half of the book is about declarer play and defence, and is equally good. What distinguishes this book from the rest is that the author doesn't waste space on the basics, and instead concentrates on the intermediate-to-advanced stuff.Another selling point of this book is Bergen's great sense of humor. Peppered through the book are short anecdotes of actual hands played by him, his friends or students. Most of them are very funny. One gets the sense that Marty was "saving up" his experiences for this book, and has put all his best stuff on paper here. None of his other books come close to the standard set by this book for content or organization, though "More Points Schmoints" tries hard.

A must for intermediate duplicate bridge players who want to improve their bidding skills. Experts will also find the book beneficial as a review. Easy and enjoyable to read.