BRIDGE NOTES

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20956, 9 September 1933, Page 7

BRIDGE NOTES

ON BAD LOSERS (srx<iAi.i.T yvrhtm roa tbh rßr.su.) [By WILLIAM SHACKLK.] In. my post bag this week there was an interesting letter regarding an evening's game which by reason of, shall I say, the lack of sportsmanship of one of the players ceased to be either entertaining or interesting. The reason was that early in the evening "A B" were sitting with extraordinarily good cards, and as the game was auction they had naturally bid only sufficiently high to obtain the privilege of playing the hand. After a while one of the opponents, who evidently was unable to take a big defeat sportingly, commenced to make quite absurd bids in order to prevent "A B" from playing the hand. Rightly, the other three players objected to this foolish burlesque of the game, though they were unable to circumvent it. My correspondent suggested that the only remedy would be to alter the present method of scoring at auction so that a side scored below the line only such points as were contracted for, as at contract. Tins question has often been raised, and It was because of such hands that "Plafont" was first introduced. It is from "Plafont" that contract has been evolved. In all card games an clement of luck must be present, as the distribution of the cards is purely by chance, and for that reason one will occasionally find that vevy unequal distributions continue for, at times, quite long periods. How many players for instance, will insist on sitting eastwest because the last rubber was won from east-west chairs? The remedy is to learn for oneself that the law of averages is of necessity operative over any long period, and then one will oc much more philosophical when big hands are dealt against one, because one knows that one's own turn for such big hands will come in due I course. I Incidentally, many players have at times met with the experience of my correspondent, and have found that the only cure for such players is to play for a small stake. This is, as a matter of fact, generally a complete cure, for the unsporting one is a very poor loser. When he finds that it is costly to spoil other persons' entertainment by such puerile methods, he is liable to cease such "spoilt child" antics. It may interest those players who are keen on figures and records to note the following, which occurred at a Christchurch club one evening this week. The first two rubbers were completed in four deals. The third rubber took three deals, though this was only through poor play, because declarer made only two no trumps where four should have been made in the first deal. The next two rubbers were pointless ones for the losers, while in the sixth rubber 18 points, simple honours in spades, only were scored by the losing pair. Seventh rubber was identical as regards losers' score. Then a slight change took place, but still losers could not score below the line. Five further rubbers were played, yet only on one occasion was a third game necessary for rubber. Twelve rubbers and only 25 games! Such peculiar runs of luck are rare, but we should recognise that they will come at times, and always remember that it is part of the game.