To be a World-Class bridge player, you must possess, among other skills: an analytical mind, excellent memory, lots of expertise, etc, etc etc. Surprisingly a differential skill is the ability to play cards like a professional poker player, especially if you can recognize certain negative situations, before they develop and act accordingly to turn them positive.

In one of the Spingold's 2011 Semi-Finals in Toronto, the team Monaco (Spingold Trophy winner 2011) faced the team Fleisher (USA1 in the Bermuda Bowl, Veldhoven 2011). At one table Monaco's: Helness - Helgemo vs. Fleisher's Levin - Weinstein, at the other table; Monaco's  Zimmermann - Multon vs. Fleisher's Fleisher - Kamil.

Lets see what happened in Board 14;  Dealer East, Vulnerable: None

The 4 hands were :

A K 7 A Q 9 5 4 K J 9 8 4

Q J 9 2 10 8 6 3  7 2  Q 5 3

10 8 4 J 7 5 4 2 J 10 3 10 2

West	North	East	South
Multon	Fleisher	Zimmermann	Kamil
			1
Pass	2	Pass	31
Pass	42	Pass	43
Pass	54	Pass	5NT5
Pass	7NT	Fin

1: Palo solid; semi-solid

2: RKCB

3: 3 Keycards

4: Q ask

5: I have it

 Lead: 7

Declarer won with the A, played three trump rounds and claimed 13 tricks.

In the other table, Steve Weinstein was West. Steve is not only one of the best bridge players of the world , he is a very well known poker player. Steve plays on-line Poker with the Thorladen nick, and if you google him you are going to be able to read this kind of comments:  "We describe him as the wiliest of punters because, perhaps true to his Wall Street pedigree, this guy loves to bet – the bigger the better too."

 In his table the bidding was:

West	North	East	South
Weinstein	Helness	Levin	Helgemo
			1
Pass	2	Pass	2
Pass	2NT	Pass	3
Pass	41	Pass	42
Double	Pass	Pass	5NT
Pass	6	Fin

  1 Club RKCB

 2 2 Key cards no queen

When Kamil said 4, 2 keycards, Steve knew the end of the story...slam or grand slam...His Poker Alter-ego, urged him to do something...to bet...to bet at the 4th level? higher the better? And Steve DOUBLED...the bidding ended in 6. Declarer make 13 tricks, + 920.

Some of you will say that Steve's double was a “striped-tail ape double” (A double of a lay down contract made in hope of dissuading the opponents from successfully bidding to a higher, more rewarding contract. The doubler must be prepared to run (like the cowardly ape) to an escape suit if the opponents redouble.). If this is the case...where is the escape suit?.. In this case, Steve has Q J 9 2 so he would have passed to 4 redoubled, done with an overtrick= -1080...much better than the other table -1520.

ahhh..and the spade lead wasn't that bad....A poker double...all to win nothing to loose...

I sent via e-mail this article to Steve and he wrote me back his thoughts; when he was playing the hand...

Steve wrote: On the hand in question, here are some important points:

• There is virtually no risk of them playing in 4XX as the suit has never been bid naturally and 4 was Blackwood for them.

• I prefer a spade lead to a heart lead by a long ways

• If the 4 bidder has K x or K x x he might be afraid, he is losing 2 tricks there and retreat.

• Sometimes your opponents mess up when you double in this kind of auction. This actually happened and H and H had a Blackwood misunderstanding because of the double.

 TY Steve...Very useful....