How to read your opponent's cards;: The bridge experts' way to locate missing high cards

by Michael Lawrence

Mike Lawrence is concerned less with how to play your hand than with how to think about playing. The idea is to minimize risk by deducing where your opponent's high cards are. Lawrence shows how to spot and interpret clues from the opening bid on with chapters titled "Sizing Up the Case," "Finding the Witness," "Analyzing the Clues," "Conducting the Investigation," "Checking the Evidence," "Nailing Down the Case," and "Making Your Sixth Sense Work." The latter deals with watching your opponent's body language for the "tells" that reveal their thoughts involuntarily. Each chapter but the last features a quiz section to help you practice techniques.

Genres: Nonfiction

175 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Lawrence's first book was a winner. Chapters deal with increasingly sophisticated techniques and deductions, all building upon each other. Learning to apply these concepts is a rite of passage for the intermediate player who wants to move to the next level. I am sure I will reread parts of this book and derive new understanding each time.

[Philip William · Rating 5 out of 5]

It does what the title claims.

Within pages you are going to become better at working out which of your opponent's has which critical cards. After each section Mike Lawrence sets quizzes which force you to go through the same process that you go through at the table.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much. It really taught me how to think before and as I play the cards

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific bridge book - very insightful, and with great tips.

[SlayerReborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insights

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers tremendous insight in how to deduct what cards lie where with your opponents. The only thing I can say negatively is some parts of it seem a little dated and there are a few examples that I would question on how the conclusions were reached. Having said that, the book is excellent is giving a framework on what to look for and how to deduce what cards lie where. It also gives some great examples when you have to have a certain card be on one side or the other and then how to go about determining your play.

[Piet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very worthwhile book.
It is a must for any average player.
The thing is I have come across many of the recommendations before but I need the determination and willpower to execute them.
Take the two minutes study for every hand in order to recap the bidding, count the points and work out the distribution of the opponents' hands.
Although I tell myself every evening at the club to do this, I am almost always distracted by other factors as: Am I in the right contract ?, will this be a good score ? or how nasty are these opponents again!

[Peter Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great bridge book. I know it is old (one of his first), but it still resonates twenty years later when I read it a second time. Clear, to the point, and not over-loaded with detail on a single topic. A fast survey of ideas that still has plenty of support.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now have xray vision. Bridge bitches beware...

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful guide to finding clues about or working out where missing honours must be. Recommneded for intermediates.