[puddledive]

Hi, many players in my club have 40 years experience on me and partners is it best to defend or bid for a sacrifice obviously dependent on vulnerability. Opinions on this appreciated

[0 carbon]

Depends on what you & P have. If aces or ruff possibility 1st trick, double. If no controls, short in opp suit, when they are vul, then consider sac. Often best to leave it to the last one to speak to sac as they may have a double.

[jillybean]

Regardless of whom your opponents are, just bid your hand.

[pescetom]

And don't worry too much about 40 years more experience, if they never made Bermuda Bowl there is a reason and now they are now old.
It's more of a problem if you are too

[P_Marlowe]

 puddledive, on 2024-September-21, 10:30, said:

Hi, many players in my club have 40 years experience on me and partners is it best to defend or bid for a sacrifice obviously dependent on vulnerability. Opinions on this appreciated

Try to play your own game.

40 years sounds a lot, but this also means, that the lecture, which taught you the game, have not so long past for you,
in comparison fro them.
Try to stick to your system, dont follow any advice, quite often it will be contradictionary and may not work with they
system you learned. And keep it simple with regards to bidding and signaling in defence.

The boring advice: forget about the slam level, try to get to game reg. with 25+HCP, dont forget, if you have bid game on
power, dont forget to make the penalty double, if they out bid you.
And follow the advice "the 5 level belongs to the opponents", i.e. if they have bid to the 5 level in competion, dont bid
5 over 5, be reluctant to go to the 5 level (*), make the penalty double.
This is a BOLS tip, other useful BOLS tips, can be found here
https://bridge-tips....bridge-tips.pdf

Also be reluctant to bid 4 in a minor over their 3 of a major.

The keep it simple tip is also a BOLS tip.

If possible, try to pick one person as your go to guy in case of question.
This way you get at least hopefully consistent advice.

(*) Bidding 4S over 4H is ok, quite often even best, but this is not a violation of "the 5 level belongs to opponents".

Another useful collection of tips
https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/0304365874

[P_Marlowe]

And most of all, have fun.

[blackshoe]

XO in my first ship: If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.
Me: I'm having fun. Does that mean I'm doing it right?
XO: No.

[AL78]

pescetom, on 2024-September-21, 15:02, said:

And don't worry too much about 40 years more experience, if they never made Bermuda Bowl there is a reason and now they are now old.
It's more of a problem if you are too

Given making the Bermuda Bowl is the equivalent of being world class, I would hesitate to imply that not being in the top fraction of a percent of bridge players in the world says anything about their ability at the game beyond not being amongst the best in the world.

[pescetom]

AL78, on 2024-October-17, 12:46, said:

Given making the Bermuda Bowl is the equivalent of being world class, I would hesitate to imply that not being in the top fraction of a percent of bridge players in the world says anything about their ability at the game beyond not being amongst the best in the world.

Irony and understatement are not for all.
Substitute whatever you think would distinguish them from you and I, after a mere few decades of practice.