Norman Beck is a gambler. He has worked for Bob Hamman at SCA Promotions for 33 years. Before that, he was a police officer, an insurance adjuster, a security guard, a bartender, a bouncer, a writer, a “psychic,” and a magician. Norman learned bridge in 1977 and was playing duplicate within 2 weeks. He used to hitchhike to tournaments and do a magic show to make money for food. He has played with some of the legends of the game, including Hamman, Meckstroth, Rodwell, Sontag, Goldman, Bramley.
I was introduced to Norman by Ribs LaMothe, who spoke highly of him as a teacher and mentor. After talking with him for a couple of minutes at the NABC in Memphis, I knew he would make for a great interview for the podcast.
I encourage you to watch Norman’s Ted Talk. It’s the best one I’ve seen.
I’ve included the video here, or you can watch it on YouTube. You can also listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Some of the highlights:
Lessons from Bob Hamman (5:15)
The 3L rule: when you make a mistake, you Laugh about it, you Learn from it, and you Let it go (8:50)
Learning from Bart Bramley (10:45)
How Norman operates as a bridge pro and teacher (15:30)
What sets the best players apart (19:50)
The acronym FOCUS (21:00)
Fight for the partscore
Overtricks matter
Count
Understand (not just know) your System
The best bridge book he’s ever read (23:00)
What makes Jeff Meckstroth such a tough opponent (24:30)
Dealing with a mistake (26:00)
The importance of having a mentor (38:00)
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