Defensive Signals 12.4.23

[@guyredares]

thank you for all these great videos! is it better to play high cards as discouraging? why?

[@thebridgeteachers]

You're welcome! This is a great question. I would say start with what you are more comfortable with. I still teach beginning students standard (high card encourages) because I think it's a little easier to remember. Being comfortable and easy with your agreements is far more important than having the best agreement. That being said, most expert level bridge players agree that upside down (high cards as discouraging) is superior to standard. This is because throwing a high card from a suit where you don't have anything is less likely to cost than throwing a high card from a suit where you have values (much more likely to cost). If you are comfortable with either, I recommend upside down. If you aren't, I believe playing what you are comfortable with is much more effective than playing something slightly superior but far more difficult. There's a ton of things to think about in bridge, we don't need to make it more challenging.