Jennbridge: Losing Trick Count--October Update

Here's the latest news on Losing Trick Count. If you're attending the Fall NABC in San Francisco you are welcome to attend a free presentation on Losing Trick Count which I'll be giving with Gene Simpson on Wed., Nov. 28 at 9: 15 a.m.  I've prepared a 2-page handout and am looking forward to it.

• In the works is a project to have LTC Vol. II translated into Japanese! 
• Baron Barclay is now selling LTC Vol. I and Vol. II.

 Here are some recent comments from readers:

• Ruth in Ontario and Maureen in St. Louis both write:  Please send me Vol. II.  I enjoyed your first volume very much. 
•  From Vickie in Oregon:  I have benefited from the ideas in Vol. I.  Thanks for putting this in a booklet form--great information.  Please send a copy of Losing Trick Count, Vol. II.

Andres from Canada writes:  What is the difference between LTC Vol. I and Vol. I?

In response I sent him the following:  Losing Trick Count Vol. I explains how to count losers, when to count losers and why to count losers and also includes an "optional refinement" section on incorporating losing trick count with elements of Bergen raises.  The second part of the booklet presents actual hands played at both matchpoints and team play which illustrate the principles.

This booklet explains the basics of LTC and includes actual hands played at all levels of competition from the local duplicate to the World Mixed Pairs. Using only these basics will greatly fine-tune your bidding and hand evaluation. 

Losing Trick Count, Vol. II contains the six Bridge Bulletin articles *expanded* along with New Topics and More Great Hands. New topics include additional ways to use Losing Trick Count:

•   LTC Bidding Chart
•   LTC in opening 1NT
•   LTC in opening 2 Clubs
•   LTC & Reverse Drury
•   LTC & Inverted Minors
•   Preemptive Gerber
•   New hands using LTC in notrump auctions
•   A Note on Cover Cards
•   Adjustments to LTC
•   Why Deduct the Losers from 24?
•   Using LTC with Bergen Raises
•   New Great & Fun Hands

I'll close with an anecdote.  In a recent team game my partner overcalled 1♠.  Both opponents were bidding and I made a cuebid showing a limit raise in spades--an 8-loser hand.  Partner stopped short of game and we lost 10 IMPs as our counterparts bid it.

It wasn't until the next day that he made a confession:  He actually had a 6-loser hand, but he "didn't like it" so he didn't bid game when I invited!  Luckily there is a happy ending.  We won the event despite this hand and he vowed that henceforth he would faithfully follow Losing Trick Count principles--a method that has been proven time and again to be effective.

See you at the table!