Boasting?

I have to come back to the topic of slam bidding and indulge in a little self-congratulatory behavior.  I realize that at first glance this may not appear proper, but let me explain.  Not that long ago I was completely confused not only about how to get to slam, but especially about how to stop the train once it had left the station.  If Julie or I was so bold as to initiate Gerber or Blackwood (now we use 1430), signing off was almost impossible.  We inevitably stopped only when we reached 6 hearts or spades or NT, and probably would have gone on to bid grand slams except that was simply too scary.  We often didn't understand what the other was bidding; who am I kidding, we didn't even understand our own bids.  Afterwards, kind opponents would explain what we should have done and it always made sense . . . until the next time we had big hands.  It was all very intimidating and I could feel my heart start to race if it even looked like we were heading in that direction.

On Monday evening we played a hand where I ended up bidding 4 clubs, Gerber, to see if slam was a possibility.  I saw by Julie's response that it wasn't and I was able to make a bid that Julie actually passed.  We were both quite pleased, especially since we made the contract (one trick less than slam).

This afternoon was even more exciting.  Julie opened and I held 17 HCPs.  After the bidding showed that we were missing one key card, I had to decide what to do.  Julie's suit was diamonds, but I had only 2 little ones and otherwise a balanced hand.  I bid 6 NT.  My pulse was normal and I looked forward to trying to make this contract -- which I did.  Not only that, we were the only ones in the game to bid and make slam on that board!        

There seem to be so many opportunities to feel badly about how we bid and play.  Someone else almost always gets to a better contract, makes one extra trick, or defends more successfully.  At some point there is almost always a memory or counting slip, or simply a lapse of judgment.  Add to that the occasional rude comment -- like the one I experienced a couple of weeks ago -- and it would be easy to be negative and discouraged.  Boasting at the table is of course frowned upon, but I think it is important that you celebrate with your bridge partner when you two are the ones who reach the best contract, make that extra trick, and defend most successfully.