What do I need to know about percentages to improve my game?

—  Innumerate, Seattle, Wash.

ANSWER: There are simple books on the subject (Kelsey and Glauert wrote one) and complex ones by Borel and Roudinesco. Ignore them! If you remember a few basic numbers, you will be fine. Learn the probability of normal splits missing three, four, five or six cards, and you really don’t need much else.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

My partner recently recommended a bid to me called BROMAD. Is this a patent medicine, a piece of soothing advice, or a convention I need to know?

—  Pharmacist, Durham, N.C.

ANSWER: BROMAD (Bergen Raise Of Major After Double) suggests that when partner opens a major and the next hand doubles, then a simple raise to two will never be stronger than 7 HCP. A jump raise is weaker still, but with 8-10 and three trumps you begin by bidding two clubs — a purely artificial call to show these values with trump support. More and more people play this style — or something similar.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

In a duplicate pairs game I was second to speak with ♠ Q-10-2, ♥ J, ♦ K-10-5-3, ♣ A-Q-8-3-2 and passed when I heard one spade on my right. This was raised to two spades, and now I balanced with two no-trump. My partner explained this as hearts and a minor! What should I do when he bids three hearts, and this gets doubled?

—  Sinking Ship, Portland, Ore.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

When a deal is passed out on the first round of a duplicate tournament, my club allows the hand to be redealt. Is this legal?

—  Mulligan, Atlantic City, N.J.

ANSWER: No, it is not legal. I can see the argument that implies the customer will have one less deal to play, but that is not the point. Say I had mistakenly passed a 13-count; should I not suffer for my incompetence or benefit from my opponent’s lapse? And since a few people open third in hand whatever they have, rest assured the deal will not always be passed out.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I picked up ♠ Q-2, ♥ K-J-7-6, ♦ Q-8-3, ♣ A-Q-4-2. I opened one club, and over my LHO’s overcall of one diamond, my partner doubled to show both majors. I bid one heart and eventually played in two hearts. My partner had 10 points, so game our way was nothing special, but it made when a finesse succeeded. My partner said I had enough to bid two hearts at my second turn. Is that right?

—  Monday Morning QB, Huntington, W.Va.

ANSWER: If the worst thing you do all day is miss a game on a finesse, you will never lose again! That said, this is a thorny area of the game. A jump to two hearts suggests extras in high cards or shape, so I too would bid just one heart with this hand, but it IS close. Give me a fifth club or make the shape 1-4-4-4 and you’d tip me toward the aggressive action.