[blml] Is this a psych?

[Eric Landau]

At 10:45 AM 4/15/07, Laszlo wrote:

>Herman De Wael wrote:
>
> >Again, if you explain it as "asking for aces", there is no
> >misrepresentation. But if you explain it as "asking for aces,
> >guarantees 2 of them himself", there is misinformation. Granted,
> >no-one would explain BW like that, so in this case there is never MI,
> >but in the original, many people believe that 2NT guarantees
> >something. It depends on the environment to know if they are being
> >misinformed or not.
> >
> >But in both cases, since the object of the bid is the same (asking
> >something from partner without guaranteeing anything), the bid can
> >never be called a psyche, since it does not depart from it's systemic
> >meaning (it does not really have any). It is a tactical bid, and
> >players who are fooled by it should tell themselves they have learnt a
> >lesson and maybe they won't be tricked next time.
>
>Ok i see, it's only definition problem. You wrote: it's not a psyche,
>it's a tactical bid ...
>Something like: It's not an elephant, it's a huge animal with trunk.
>I think psyche is the tactical bid.
>
>Another example: You play no limit poker, you have very poor hand, but
>you bet five times as big amount of money as the pot. You really psyche,
>unless there is no 'bidding system', your bid has promised nothig at
>all. But there is a really big misstatement about the hand you have. Is
>it a psyche or not? Tactical bid only?

I think this shows a total misunderstanding of poker.  The analogy may 
well be valid, but in support of the opposite conclusion from what is 
implied above.  It is the fundamental basis of poker that there is 
absolutely no inherent presumption on anyone's part that the size of a 
player's bet in any way represents the quality of that player's 
hand.  Which is precisely Herman's point with regard to Blackwood: 
there cannot be a "misstatement" where there has been no "statement".


Eric Landau                     ehaa at starpower.net
1107 Dale Drive                 (301) 608-0347
Silver Spring MD 20910-1607