IAC Forums
Chew the Fat! => Sleight of Hand => Topic started by: jcreech on March 26, 2020, 02:34:01 PM
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I know that some have strong feelings about goulash hands and tournaments, so I am hopeful for a lively discussion.
Goulash can be a good exercise for normal bridge, but it takes both pairs at the table approaching the hands as if it were normal bridge.
Think of it like any other specialized exercise to help a player learn a technique (e.g., identifying the danger hand and how to play to neutralize the danger, identifying endplay potential and execution to achieve the endpaly).
Both pairs have to approach the hand as a normal bridge situation, then once one side has begun preemptive actions, then both sides can practice their ability to judge, their competitive bidding skills and their defensive understandings to deal with abnormal hands.
Once either pair approaches the opening with specialized methods, they are purely catering to the less than 10% of all hands that goulash hands represent and the value to improving normal bridge skills is lost.