Home Page of Richard Pavlicek, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Welcome, Bridge Players!

Basic Quizzes	Advanced Quizzes	Not Too Serious
Bridge Puzzles	Bridge Articles	Instant MP Games
Bidding Practice	Matches and Exhibits	Bridge Systems
For Experts Only	Bridge Utilities	Bridge Calculators
Odds and Theory	Bridge Data Files	Duplicate Forms
Non-Bridge Stuff	Have a Nice Day!	Recommended Links

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Too bad, pard. That was an unlucky grand slam.
The ace of trumps was offside.

Basic Quizzes

• A Whale of a Tale — bid and play a fun hand
• The Third Man — can you be trusted when partner leads?
• Look Before You Leap — think now, play later
• Communication Hang-ups — don’t call me, I’ll call you
• Look Mom! No Points! — bad hands can be fun, too
• Are Your Finesses on Target? — put yourself to the test
• Six ‘Ruff’ Slams To Make — can you survive the storm?
• Send In the Clowns — yes folks, the circus is in town
• Major Adventure — beating on Judy and Trudy
• Grand Awakening — a night in Bran Castle

Sorry, partner. I woulda led my singleton…
but I couldn’t find it — it was so small.

Advanced Quizzes

• Win It? Or Duck It? — test your defense
• Who’s On First? — crucial plays at the first trick
• An Unusual Experience — bid and play an unusual hand
• Posing a Dual Threat — test your play on this tough deal
• Ace Bidding Detective — spot the crime in the bidding
• I’ve Got You Covered! — when to cover an honor led
• Eight Ever… or Maybe? — how to play K-3-2 opp. A-J-10-9-8
• Going With the Odds — choose the best line of play
• Take Me To Your Leader — choose the best opening lead
• Root for the Home Team — can you defend like Bill Root?
• Notrump Play Workout — 24 challenging problems
• Suit Play Workout — 27 challenging problems
• Mixed Play Workout — 30 challenging problems
• Those Were the Days — 27 challenging problems

Did you know?
43.6 percent of all slam contracts fail.
62.7 percent of all bridge players are women.
97.8 percent of all bridge statistics, including these, are made up.

Not Too Serious

• The Acronymphomaniacs — almost as clear as MUD
• Intergalactic Bridge — proof at last: we are not alone!
• Reindeer Invade OKbridge — can the Internet survive?
• The First Round Duck — a word from Emily Litella
• Valentine’s Finesse — the way it all began
• Hooves Produce Great Feat — arctic grudge match
• Slick Willy — scandal at the local bridge club
• The Un-Finesse — my uncle Cedric, nuclear physicist
• Ancient Roman History — un-modern bridge conventions
• Rudolph’s Revenge — reindeer and Eskimo clash of ‘97
• Do It with Finesse — the latest book by Juan Morehook
• Aces Are Meant To Take Kings — meet the infamous Duke
• Rudolph’s Throw-in Play — a Christmas leftover
• Bridge Jokes — laugh and the world laughs with you
• Bridge for Morons — guaranteed to make you a player

Speaking of morons:
Did you hear about the guy who wanted to learn bridge in one day?
He bought 35 copies of “Five Weeks To Winning Bridge.”

Bridge Puzzles

• Short Bridge Puzzles — test your logic and ingenuity
• Bridge Word Puzzles — make yourself useless!
• Puzzlers Anonymous — join now, before it’s too late
• ‘Twas the Mabel Before Christmas — and all thru the house
• Can You Solve a Mystery? — help me construct a deal
• The “Great 88” Conspiracy — find the impostors
• Theatre of the Macabre — 15 curious puzzles
• Mind Bogglers I — 10 difficult puzzles
• Mind Bogglers II — 10 difficult puzzles
• Mind Bogglers III — 10 difficult puzzles

A well-balanced player makes up for his inadequacy
in the bidding with his ineptitude in the play.

Bridge Articles

• Trumped Up Charges — 10 published articles
• Endplays ‘R’ Us — 10 published articles
• Odds and Ends — 10 published articles
• Tricks with Trumps — 10 published articles
• Squeezes and Endplays — 10 published articles
• Notrump Play — 10 published articles
• Trump Handling — 10 published articles
• Squeeze Plays — 10 published articles
• Defensive Play — 10 published articles
• Miscellaneous Topics — 10 published articles
• From Richie to Rich — 6 published articles
• Humorous Articles — 15 newspaper columns
• 1989-90 Articles — 50 newspaper columns
• 1988-89 Articles — 50 newspaper columns
• 1987-88 Articles — 50 newspaper columns
• 1986-87 Articles — 50 newspaper columns
• 1985-86 Articles — 50 newspaper columns
• 1984-85 Articles — 50 newspaper columns

Joe knows nothing about the game.
His wife plays twice as well.

Instant Matchpoint Games

• About Instant Matchpoints — 2 informative articles
• How To Use These Deals — read this first!
• 2006 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2005 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2004 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2003 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2002 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2001 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 2000 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1999 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1998 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1997 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1996 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1995 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1994 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1993 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1992 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1991 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1990 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1989 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1988 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN
• 1987 Analyses – PDF – Hands – Separated – Awards – RBN

I never met a man I didn’t like… -Will Rogers
‘cept the bastard who doubled my slam. -Will Pavlicek

Bidding Practice

• Bidding Practice Dealer — make your own deals!
• About the Following Files — read this first!
• Beginner Review — 24 deals with awards & bidding
• Intermediate Review — 24 deals with awards & bidding
• Slam Bidding — 48 deals with awards & bidding
• Competitive Bidding — 24 deals with awards & bidding
• Popular Conventions I — 48 deals with awards & bidding
• Popular Conventions II — 48 deals with awards & bidding
• Bidding Challenge I — 50 deals with actual expert bidding
• Bidding Challenge II — 50 deals with actual expert bidding
• Beat the Computer I — 50 game+ deals bid by computer
• Beat the Computer II — 50 game+ deals bid by computer
• Minor Openings — 100 topical deals bid by computer
• Major Openings — 100 topical deals bid by computer
• Notrump Openings — 100 topical deals bid by computer
• General Auctions I — 100 random deals bid by computer
• General Auctions II — 100 random deals bid by computer

Did you ever notice that experts avoid the use of Blackwood,
and novices use Blackwood with a void?

Matches and Exhibits

• Levin-Soloway vs. Pavlicek ‘99 — once upon a midnight Drury
• Goldway vs. Pavlicek ‘99 — billed as the “grudge match”
• Goldway vs. Pavlicek ‘97 — an exciting OKbridge match
• Partnership Profile — Marc Smith grills the Pavliceks
• Minor Openings — auctions after 1 C or 1 D
• Major Openings — auctions after 1 H or 1 S
• One Notrump Openings — auctions after 1 NT
• Strong Openings — auctions after 2 C or 2 NT
• Weak Two-Bids — auctions after 2 D, 2 H or 2 S
• Preemptive Bids — auctions after 3-4-5 of a suit
• Competitive Auctions — gunfights at the OK Corral
• Doubled Contracts — blood on the bridge table
• Slam Contracts — the good, the bad and the ugly

There once was a player from Beirut
Who thought he would try to be cute.
He overcalled a spade
And died as he played.
The postmortem: a four-card suit.

Bridge Systems

• Basic Bridge — for beginners (very simple) — ACBL – OKbridge
• Basic Bridge II — for intermediate players — ACBL – OKbridge
• Standard Bridge — for experienced players — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Standard “Plus 2” — includes Jacoby and Michaels — ACBL – OKbridge
• Richard’s Favorite — a few more conventions — ACBL – OKbridge
• Popular Conventions — even more conventions — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Richard and Mabel — oh, what a wonderful girl! — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Mabel’s Favorite — girl goes nuts in bidding — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Mabel and Marcia — how I earned dinner one day — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Eastern Scientific — for serious players — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Revised Eastern Scientific — as played with some partners — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Pavlicek System — as played with my son Rich — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge
• Pavlicek System (short version) — as played with most partners — PDF – ACBL – OKbridge

Want to be an expert?
Rule #1: Never take a finesse to make your contract
when you can go down on a squeeze play!

For Experts Only

• Double Squeezes — one simple rule fits all!
• Pure Squeezes — a new approach to squeeze mastery
• Non-Pure Squeezes — a brief walk through the jungle
• Squeeze Defense — turn the tables on declarer!
• Bridge Paradoxes — restricted choice and stuff
  …PDF version
• How Percentages Change — what are the real odds?
  …PDF version

Overheard at the bridge club:
We had a 75-percent game last night!
Three out of four opponents thought we were idiots.

Bridge Utilities

• Bridge Writing Style Guide — read this before you write
  …PDF version
• Richard’s Bridge Notation — a bridge database format
  …PDF version
• Bridge Checker — automatically verify bridge text files
  …Test File with Errors – yes, I’ll have another glass of wine
  …Bridge Checker’s Report – RBN Output
  …Download 19k – bc20.zip
• Bridge File Converter — converts to and from 7 different formats
  …Formats supported: RBN PBN LIN EML REC DAT DUP
  …Download 34k – bfc24.zip
• RBN to HTML Converter — perfect diagrams, automatically
  …Sample Before Conversion – RBN (32 deals)
  …Sample After Conversion – HTML (32 deals)
  …Download 20k – r2h22.zip
• RP Dealer — a fast deal generator with many features
  …Download 15k – rpd24.zip
• RP Deal Finder — an amazing utility with a huge database
  …Download 9840k – rpdf25.zip
• Card Combination Analyzer — how do you play that suit?
  …Download 7k – cc12.zip
• Instant Matchpointer — create MP tables from result data
  …Download 7k – im20.zip

There are three kinds of bridge players:
1. Those who can count, and
2. Those who can’t.

Bridge Data Files

• About the Data Files — read this first!
• Vanderbilt Final – 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005
• Spingold Final – 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
• Cavendish Pairs – 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
• US Team Trials Final – 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
• Bermuda Bowl Final – 1955 1997 2000 2001 2003
• Olympiad Final – 2000 2004
• Rosenblum Final – 1998 2002

Trump Reduction and Elimination:
Ultimate result when Donald says, “You’re fired!”

Bridge Calculators

• Card Combination Analyzer — did you play it right? — Old version
• Bridge Hand Evaluator — points, playing tricks, etc.
• Bridge Hand Calculator — find the chance of any hand
• Suit Break Calculator — how will that suit break?
• Dual Suit Break Calculator — what about two suits?
• Dual Suit Break Analyzer — find the best play! — Old version
• Hand Pattern Analyzer — the real picture, all four suits!
• Wheeler Dealer — make your own bridge deals!
• Personal Deal Creator — your own personal bridge deal
• Bridge Score Calculator — select contract and see all scores
• Contract and Result Finder — reverse bridge scorer
• Complete Scoring Table — all possible duplicate scores
  …PDF version

Bridge is a game of inches…
Too bad I always have my foot in my mouth.

Odds and Theory

• High Card Expectancy — are you getting robbed?
• Against All Odds — odds against various hands
• Let’s Make a Deal — odds against various deals
• Patterns and Freakness — anatomy of a bridge hand
  …PDF version
• Dealprints and Matrices — a walk on the beach
  …Generic Dealprints — generic.zip (531K)
• Mapping Bridge Deals — give me a number, please!
  …PDF version
• Mapping Bridge Endings — Cartography 102
• Randomization Techniques — dealing with constraints
• A Combinatorial Problem — all spots created equal?
• Factorials and Combinations — look-up tables

Law of Total Tricks:
A new Nevada ordinance to reduce prostitution.
Quick Tricks:
Last-minute scurry by hookers to beat the ordinance.

Duplicate Forms

• About the Duplicate Forms — read this first!
• Table Markers — same for all movements
• Convention Cards — a variety of popular systems
• 8-Player Individual — 28 boards
• 9-Player Individual — 27 boards
• 13-Player Individual — 26 boards
• 16-Player Individual — 30 boards
• 4-Pair Howell — 24 boards
• 4-Pair Howell — 30 boards
• 6-Pair Howell — 20 boards
• 6-Pair Howell — 30 boards
• 8-Pair Howell — 21 boards
• 8-Pair Howell — 28 boards
• 2-Team Match — 32 boards
• 3-Team Round-Robin — 32 boards
• 4-Team Victory Points — 30 boards

To err is human.
To really screw up, you need a computer.

Non-Bridge Stuff

• Jotto Master — a challenging and addictive word game
  …Download 29k – jm20.zip
• Word Wizard — a fast word-finding program
  …Download 580k – ww22.zip
• Super Calculator — exact results up to 60,408 digits!
  …Download 9k – sc10.zip

If your browser is Java compatible,
please make me a cup of coffee.

Have a Nice Day!

• Bidding For ‘em All — bear with me on this
• PavCo Bridge Poll — cast your votes today!
• Felipe and the Moon Duck — for hearts players
• The Mother and the Orphans — bridge with Mabel
• Play Ball! — a personal tribute to baseball
• PavCo Toaster Notebook — a word from our sponsor
• PavCo Car Pool Mannequins — you ain’t seen nothing yet!
• PavCo Pocket Slice-O-Matic — it slices, it dices, it does it all
• PavCo Presents “Y2K and You!” — a nationwide best-seller
• Musical Favorites — good music makes a difference!
• Scrabble Anyone? — a few thousand words to the wise
• Richard’s Place — enter at your own risk

News Flash!
This web site has just been selected as “Site of the Year.”
To the site evaluator, what can I say but… Thanks Mom!

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The musical note at the top of most pages at this site indicates MIDI music is available.
Simply click on that note if you wish to hear it. No music will play automatically.

Copyright © 1980-2007 Richard Pavlicek