And we thought trying a new, complicated convention was dangerous life-on-the-edge? How about this! Mushroom hunting is even more dangerous. The differences between deadly and delicious mushrooms can be subtle and hard to spot, and it's not a verdict that should be left up to guessing. Earlier this year, 14 people in Northern California became sick after eating foraged "death cap" mushrooms, and three had to have liver transplants.

There are computer apps designed to help the amateur separate yum from death, but getting a guidebook is most experts' recommended method for safely foraging for mushrooms. So please, if you want to become a mushroom hunter, ditch the apps, hire a guide, take a class, or, at the very least, buy a good book. We need every bridge player alive!

Another dangerous area is bidding over the opponent's pre-empts. First, when They pre-empt, you should hear the sound of a car alarm going off in your head. They are trying to rob you. How dare they.

Second, when one hand is very distributional, others are likely to be also.

Third, we are going to try hard to enter the fray. Eddie Kantar says to use ESP... Expect Seven Points ... from your Pard. That will help you decide what to do. We have three choices: Pass, Overcall or Double.

Fourth, forgive yourself for bad decisions. Pre-empts are designed to kick you in the knees, and they work. They, like poison mushrooms, are designed to take us down. We are going to stand up to them.