It’s nice to understand the mechanics of matchpoint scoring, but what’s important is for you to understand how matchpoint scoring affects your chances to score well on each deal. In a matchpointed event, although on each deal you are playing against the other pair at your table, you are scored against the pairs who are sitting in your direction at the other tables. That is, you hope to get better results from the same cards, compared to the other pairs sitting in your direction at other tables. You get one matchpoint for each such pair you beat, and you get one-half matchpoint for each such pair that you tie. This simple fact leads to a few very important lessons.
In the Real World Bridge publications, we report matchpoint scores as percentages. A 100% score means that you beat all of the other pairs sitting in your direction; a 0% score means that all of the other pairs beat you. A 50% score is average, a 75% score is very good (but not as good as 90%), and a 25% score is very bad (but not as bad as 10%).
Lesson One: Big Wins Score the Same as Small Wins. Suppose that you and your partner sit East-West at table one and achieve a raw score of plus 110. The East-West pair at table two achieve a raw score of plus 100. You beat them, so you earn one matchpoint. The East-West pair at table three achieve a raw score of minus 1100; you beat them too, so you earn one more matchpoint. You get the same for plus 110 versus plus 100, as for plus 110 versus minus 1100. The East-West pair at table four achieve a raw score of plus 1100; they beat you, so they earn one matchpoint and you earn zero. They beat you by a lot but they still earn one matchpoint.
Lesson Two: Winning Often is What Matters. Winning Big or Small Does Not Matter. For example, a frequent decision in bridge is whether to bid a game or stop in a part-score, when your side has most of the high cards. In a matchpointed event, you want to bid that game when – and only when – it should make more often than not.
Lesson Three: Often, It’s Smart Bridge to Receive a Negative Score. For example, your opponents bid two hearts. If you allow them to declare in two hearts, they are likely to make an overtrick, for a raw score of plus 140. Suppose that, rather than passing, you bid three clubs, even though you expect that – if they allow you to declare in three clubs – you will be down one, for minus 50 (not vulnerable). In this situation, bidding three clubs is smart bridge, because minus 50 is better than the minus 140 you would receive if you passed two hearts.
Winning at Matchpoints: In Summary. Many bridge players act as if their goal is to achieve the largest possible positive raw score. However, bridge players who want to win matchpointed events need a different goal: to make decisions that will improve their raw score more often than not. That is, at matchpoints, you should take risk when doing so stands to improve your raw score more often than not. In baseball terms, try for singles and stolen bases rather than home runs and triple plays.