Card Combinations

This is a book so dense with value that I believe I got as much out of it the 2nd time I read it as I did the 1st. It is further evidence that Mike Lawrence is among the best bridge writers ever. The book is not a catalog of dozens of combinations with rules about how to play them. Rather Lawrence teaches the reader how to analyze card combinations in context by taking seven combinations and thoroughly discussing several hands containing each of them. He teaches the reader to fish, as it were. It is as if you are sitting at his elbow as he bids and plays the hand all the while giving you a play-by-play of his thoughts. He calculate the odds; he reads the defense; he counts the hand; he deduces from the bidding. But he also takes note of interesting sidelights and insights in both bidding and play. For example he pauses to describe a particular defender false-card tendency that he has observed in his career. After reading this book the first time, I made an effort to put what I had learned into practice. As I encountered combinations not contained in the book, I would try to think about them as Lawrence does. And as combinations recurred but in different contexts, I would make notes after the session so I could compare ideas about the specific combinations. Sure enough each instance of J9xx opposite K8xx has both similarities and differences with other instances of the same combination. And sure enough, I was getting better at playing them. Not only did I learn from this book, but it was fun to read. Both times.

Good book - as usual, for a Mike Lawrence book.

There are two very different approaches to the study of combinations. The "puzzle" approach presents cards from a single suit, perhaps on a flashcard, and you might then be asked to "win 2". There may be one correct answer based upon probabilities that are applicable only if nothing else is known about the rest of the hand. This is not the Mike Lawrence approach. This book takes a more useful "contextual" approach that views card combinations as part of a complex of information that declarers use to develop a plan for the play of an entire hand. The material is organized in a way that demonstrates why there is no single correct way to play any specific holding of honor cards. For example, chapter one contains eleven complete hands in which one suit contains J10x opposite Axx. Lawrence shows why the correct way to play this combination depends upon the auction and opening lead, the HCP distribution and suit count, the location of a danger hand, the scoring method and safety play considerations, and sometimes signals and "flickers" of hesitation by the defenders. In short, combination play is just part of the process of reading the clues and planning the overall play of the hand. Students of the game who enjoyed Lawrence's award-winning book "How to Read Your Opponents' Cards" will surely be very pleased with "How to Play Card Combinations". Both are excellent books that contain numerous conceptual and practical insights into how successful declarers play bridge.

For the advanced player who wants to improve his or her game, this is an excellent book. The author takes simple card combinations (such as Qxx opposite Jxx) and shows how they can be played differently depending on the context and inferences declarer can draw.

The title of this book misleads. One gets the idea that this book will attempt to show players the best a priori plays of the dozens (hundreds?) of key card combinations in bridge. Instead, we receive an in-depth analysis of 7 specific situations. Admittedly, most of these combinations will arise frequently, and Lawrence analyzes them effectively and thoroughly in various contexts. However, I was hoping to see a method to analyze generic combinations at the table quickly, one that would have use in more than only a few specific situations. Great analysis by Lawrence, a la "Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence", but not what I was looking for in a book with this title.

Great book. It illustrates how experts think about playing a hand. I recommended it to a friend, who also found it helpful.

On first reading Mike Lawrence's book on card combinations, I was disappointed. In fact, the book only deals with how to play seven particular suit combinations (one chapter on each). The obvious disappointment is that, even after having fully mastered the book, one will ostensibly only have mastered seven suit combinations! Yet, on further consideration, any disappointment was mitigated by two realisations: 1) At least one will have mastered seven suit combinations; that is, be able to play them perfectly in any of a number of situations - no trumps contracts, suit contracts, contracts where entries to dummy are at issue etc. 2) One expects that the logical discussion employed to analyse these particular hands can be gradually applied to other suit combinations. The title "humbling concept" applies here, as Mr. Lawrence's book makes it clear how difficult a task it is to become a master of bridge. Let us say there are 200 suit combinations which actually are of interest. Then one would need to read almost 30 books of this size (227 pages) to master the topic thoroughly. In conclusion, I suspect that if it were possible to discuss all (or even most) suit combinations thoroughly in one book, Mr. Lawrence might have written such a book. Instead, one should respect his decision to concentrate on seven suit combinations, and we can perhaps hope for other books to follow.

Helps improve skills with how to play different card combinations. It is very well written with excellent examples.