Story by Jim Selig (BBO: jimselig33)

“Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” is a great old Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman song from 1977, the year I first started playing bridge in Australia. And in bridge, two out of three isn’t bad either.

If you and your partner bid, defend, and play correctly two out of three times on the boards where a 50 50 decision is required, you will often have a very good session. Two out of three is 66.67%, which can be enough to finish 1st (Yes!!!) or 2nd (Boo hoo! Hey, there are other good players out there.)

Over my 50 years of playing bridge in Australia, the US, and Canada, I have been blessed with many good partners. One of the lines in a John Keats poem is, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” I think the same can be said of a good partner and a well played or well defended hand.

You and your pard make a good opening lead, send or receive the correct signals, read the cards well, and put the opponents into an almost cold contract, only to defeat it by one trick for a top. Or perhaps you get a “WPO” (well played, opps) from your online declarer, or a simple “well played” from declarer in a face to face game. Those are magic moments for you and your partner.

Now, back to “two out of three.”

Suppose you have drawn trumps and need two tricks from a side suit. You hold the Queen and two low cards in your hand, while dummy has the Ace and two low cards. You need to decide how to play the suit.

You lead a low card from your hand toward the Ace. RHO plays the King. Now your Queen is a winner.

That is one of those 50 50 decisions. Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you don’t. But if you and your partner get those decisions right two times out of three, you will have a lot of good sessions and perhaps a few first place finishes along the way.