Re: What's wrong with the Roth point count?

On May 1, 4:35 am, Stig Holmquist <stigfjor...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Forty years ago two oustanding bridge players, Alvin Roth and Jeff
> Rubens, wrote the book 'Modern Bridge Bidding Complete".
> It featured the Roth Point count Method.
>
> This method is similar to the British combination distributuin count.
> It is based on the standard Work  point count for HCP plus Goren's
> short suit count of 1,2 and 3 for ddoubletons, singletons and voids
> resp. but also adds points for suits longer than five cards.
> Specifically it counts 1 pt for each card over five for any major suit
> but counts such length points only for "good" minor suits having at
> least two  of the top three honor cards.
>
> Has any r.g.b. member ever used this method and if so, what are its
> shortcomngs? It specifically does not count quick tricks.Why is this
> method never mentioned any more?
>
> Stig Holmquist

The same things that are wrong with all the antiquated point count
methods you have brought up here:

1. The HCP values used are inaccurate

2. The system pretends that high cards have the same value in suits
and in no trumps

3. The distributional values used are inaccurate

4. The system pretends that length in any suit is of equal value, when
major suit length is worth more than minor suit length

All that being said, its a reasonable way to teach beginners, which is
all it was ever intended to be.


Andrew