I’m at the point where I can look back and say that card games have been part of my life for a very long time.

It’s been more than a few years since I wrote my first card article. If you’re reading this column right now, thank you for your support.

When I was still new to the nuances of bridge, I felt confused as heck. How was I going to learn all the bridge conventions? Was my score going to look better after 100 more games than they did at the time? Why did theory seem so, well, nightmarish?

I’m glad to say that learning theory wasn’t the nightmare that I imagined. My score improved. I don’t know all the conventions, but I’ve learned some, and I’m still learning more.

I can also say that there are things I wish I could have known earlier.

If you’re new to bridge, save yourself some time by reading these.

Here are 4 important bridge lessons (I wish I’d learned sooner).

1. Maxims are often true, but not always.

It’s great to play bridge by the maxim. Maxims are useful, and they will make for very useful “rules of play” in situations. But when you become too reliant on maxims rather than learning strategy, you’re working against yourself.

Good playing is a mixture: Part-maxim, and part-strategy. Experience will tell you which of the two are best.

2. Learn some conventions, not every convention.

Conventions are to bridge what scales are to music. Bridge players know they’re important, but learning them can be tedious – and even terrifying – if you’ve just discovered the game.

At the start of playing bridge, I thought that I was going to try and learn every convention there was.

I took a look at one list of conventions to realize this was impossible. There are hundreds. It would be like memorizing stars.

Instead, learn some conventions, and let experience and time teach you the rest.

3. It takes practice to win more tricks than you’ll lose.

My first bridge scores against bots were an embarrassing mess.

I can admit it today, but back then I considered it a disaster. After several games, my scores were dipping into the minuses. Minuses, for Pete’s sake. What the heck?

I had read tons of theory, but was still working on putting all of this theory to practical use.

How did I get my scores to make sense?

I played more. I played at four in the morning. I played at midnight. I played in taxi’s, in grocery store lines, in almost every random place I found myself with spare minutes to play.

My scores got better.

Play bridge, and consider it just as important as learning your theory.

4. Don’t just play it, view and discuss it.

Bridge is important to play.

But what I didn’t think of as a new bridge player is that bridge is also important to talk about.

Discuss your games. Discuss things that you might wonder about as a new player. Every time the game is talked about, you could learn something (or meet someone) just by engaging in the discussion.

What about viewing?

Seeing your previous games as a replay is a great teaching tool. Save your early games, and look back when you are a more experienced player.

What are the things you wish you knew as a newer bridge player?