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Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?

Posted By: Timothy Chow
Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2009, at 6:05 p.m.

In Response To: Why so much debate over Opening Rolls? (Phil Simborg)

Trying to hustle someone by making a bad play is just plain dishonest, if not stupid.

I won't debate the stupidity, but are you saying it's unethical? If so, do you also consider the following ploys unethical?

1. Offering a premature double because you think it may demoralize your opponent into thinking his or her position is worse than it really is.

2. Offering a premature double to an unknown opponent to test whether he or she has a tendency to drop takable positions.

3. Playing a move that you know isn't the best from a strict equity point of view because it is likely to produce a type of game that you know your opponent tends to play poorly.

My view is that a legal play should never be considered unethical per se, regardless of your private motivation for making it. Your behavior accompanying your play could be criticized for being unsportsmanlike, but the choice of moves is part of the game.

If you happen to believe that the ploy I described doesn't even work, then it's even more puzzling to me why you criticize it. You appear to think it's unethical to shoot yourself in the foot. That makes no sense.

Messages In This Thread

• Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
  Phil Simborg -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 4:28 p.m.
  • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
    Timothy Chow -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 5:14 p.m.
    • Thank you
      David Rockwell -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 6:21 p.m.
      • Thank you
        Gregg Cattanach -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 6:38 p.m.
      • Thank you
        Timothy Chow -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 11:48 p.m.
        • Thank you
          Rich Munitz -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 3:08 a.m.
          • Genuine choices
            Timothy Chow -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 5:17 p.m.
            • Genuine choices
              David Rockwell -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 7:15 p.m.
              • Genuine choices
                Bob Koca -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 9:48 p.m.
              • Genuine choices
                Neil Robins -- Thursday, 17 September 2009, at 7:15 a.m.
            • Genuine choices
              Michael Depreli -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 7:47 p.m.
    • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
      Matt Cohn-Geier -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 12:03 a.m.
      • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
        Chuck Bower -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 4:11 p.m.
        • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
          Phil Simborg -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 5:13 p.m.
          • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
            Timothy Chow -- Wednesday, 16 September 2009, at 6:05 p.m.
            • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
              Phil Simborg -- Thursday, 17 September 2009, at 4:22 a.m.
              • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
                Jason Lee -- Thursday, 17 September 2009, at 5:46 a.m.
                • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
                  Bob Koca -- Thursday, 17 September 2009, at 6:05 a.m.
  • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
    Stick -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 7:36 p.m.
    • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
      Michael Petch -- Monday, 14 September 2009, at 7:41 p.m.
    • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
      Carter Mattig -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 2:16 a.m.
      • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
        Matt Cohn-Geier -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 7:07 a.m.
        • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
          MaX -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 7:18 a.m.
        • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
          Rich Munitz -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 11:52 a.m.
  • Why so much debate over Opening Rolls?
    Michael Depreli -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009, at 9:43 a.m.