This revised and expanded edition examines bridge auctions where the opponents bid something and you have the opportunity to either let them have it or to balance. The cost of not balancing can be huge, but you must weigh the cost of passing against the cost of bidding and getting a bad result. Lawrence's discussion of hand evaluation and planning a balancing auction goes beyond generic rules. Hundreds of examples help you develop judgment

Mike Lawrence of Nashville, TN is one of the world's outstanding players, as well as a leading author and teacher. He began playing bridge while a chemistry student at the University of California. When a hand injury caused him to postpone final exams, he discovered the card room. It was not long before bridge became his major interest. He was a member of Ira Corn's original Dallas Aces team. He holds more than 23,000 master points in ACBL play. He has won more than twenty national championships and three world championships. Under Corn's mentorship, he started teaching bridge and subsequently writing books. His first bridge book, How to Read Your Opponents' Cards, was named book-of-the-year in 1973. Since then he has produced a steady stream of best sellers.