October 2009 - 60

There is a great play in bridge
called a "stepping stone squeeze."
In this maneuver, an opponent
is faced with the choice of
establishing a suit for you or
of being thrown in to play to
your now-stranded winner in
dummy.
My friend, Claude Vogel,
couldn't wait to tell me about this
neat coup he pulled off. It seemed it
wasn't exactly a stepping stone, but
this is Claude, after all. He proudly
announced to me that he had pulled
off a "stepladder coup."
After a few year's absence,
Cookie Hoberman, chair of the
Omaha Regional (which is neither
in Nebraska nor Omaha) prevailed
upon me to attend. If you have not
been to this regional, it is a must.
The hospitality is amazing with a
beautiful playing site attached to a
bunch of really nice and fairly priced
hotels. There are fantastic speakers
like Bart Bramley and Billy Miller,
plus any touring pros who can form a
sentence.
Okay, I have to tell you Bart's topic.
It was "filling out the convention
card from the back." What? In case
you run out of time, at least you know
what your leads are and what form
of Blackwood you play. People were
actually nodding and stuff as if this
made sense. It was an easy crowd, I
tell you.
It is possible that I may be banned
from Omaha because of my talk.
You see, I encouraged the folks
to have fun at the bridge table. I
introduced them to the double card
and explained that it is legal for them
to preempt without a classic. As an
example, I told them about a fun
60

By George Jacobs
NOBET8888@aol.com

experience from that morning. I held:
7 6 4 3 A 6 J Q 10 9 4 3 2,
which has two flaws for sure and
maybe more, but the game belongs
to the bidders. Yes, I opened 3, and
it went Pass-4-Dbl; Pass-5(!)-
Pass-5; Pass, 6-All Pass. I can't
show you the full deal as it is still in
court, but we were plus 150 for down
three. At the other table it went Pass-
Pass-2-Pass; Pass-Dbl-All Pass.
So in Iowa, or wherever we were, one
can only bid slam or defend at the
two level. Our teammates got plus
1100 at the other table.
Anyway, there were more than
300 people at the lecture (there was
not that much to do there) and most
of them tracked me down to tell me
of their successes (many) and their
failures (fewer) in preempting and
using the double card as a weapon.
Some of that is not true - there
is plenty to do. A casino was steps
away, and a quaint dining area was
also fairly close. I may have to wear
a disguise, but I am going back.
One lady insisted that I ruined her
husband and that he was bidding and
preempting and cackling all night.

I learned a new number when
I played the following hand.
Usually a number is a bad thing,
but my teammates (Jeff Miller,
Brad Carmichael and Steve
Beatty) were pleased with
the result. In fourth seat at
unfavorable vulnerability, I
held:
 -  - K 10 9 8 6 4 3 2 A J 10 9 5.
Dealer opened 1, partner passed
and RHO bid 2. I was thinking
about including clubs, but then I
recounted my eight-card suit and
decided the clubs would have to fend
for themselves. So I fired away with
5. Lefty bid 5 and partner came
alive with 6. Righty bid 6 and
there you are. When is the last time
you considered bidding a grand as
a sacrifice against a non-vul slam?
Well, this is Omaha and they put
steroids or something in the beef,
and before I could say "stepladder
squeeze," I had bid 7. I suspected
I was in a bad spot when the bidding
went Dbl-Pass-Dbl. Yes, they both
doubled! This was even before I had
given the lecture!
Dummy hit with four diamonds to
the A-Q and a doubleton Q. The
K was on my right and I ended
up plus 2330. Our teammates were
allowed to play 6 at the other table,
making on the lead of the A. We
won 22 IMPs, my second-highest
gain ever. Some day I'll tell you about
how Claude and I were plus 5540.
Omaha, the land of big hospitality,
friendly people, the chance to play
against Bill Gates and Warren
Buffett, great bridge and tons of fun.
After Gatlingburg, this is my favorite.
Ciao for now.
r
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2009
