The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Nabil Edgtton, one of the best bridge players in the world, and AJ Antonios, a professional poker player who learned bridge from scratch and won the 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams three months later. Nabil talked AJ into moving in together, then announced on day one that they were learning bridge. What followed was three hours of study every morning, five days a week. AJ describes a teacher with enormous knowledge and no patience. Nabil describes a student he expected to remember everything first time. Within a fortnight, opponents at his club refused to believe AJ had been playing for weeks.
We also get into how they met at a poker table, where Nabil stacked AJ three times, then told him he was too good for his stakes. AJ explains why he rates bridge among the most skill based games he has played, and why its community beats every other he has been part of. Then there is the golf bet, which began with a claim that Nabil could clear the fence at a driving range and ended with a $220,000 wager, an acupuncture session and a punctured lung. AJ closes on Australian Survivor, where he finished third, and on the one minute that undid seven weeks.
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Key Highlights

🃏 Three Months to a National Title: AJ learned bridge from zero, won the 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams, then stopped playing.
🔑 Teaching From the Student's Side: Nabil is blunt about his own coaching. You have to explain a game from the learner's side, not your own.
🧠 A Flexible Mind Beats One Foundation: AJ credits Magic, poker, Yu Gi Oh and a Lebanese game called tanib for giving each new idea somewhere to sit.
🎰 Stacked Three Times, Then Recruited: Nabil took AJ's money three times at a poker table, then told him he belonged in bigger games.
⛳ The Bet That Went Over the Fence: A claim about clearing a 350 metre fence became a $220,000 bet that Nabil could reach a three handicap.
🏝 Survivor Tests You at Your Worst: AJ finished third after 47 days in Samoa, lost 15 kilos, and stopped eating to kill a rumour.
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Resources & Next Steps

🃏 Nabil Edgtton's ABF player profile
🏆 The 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams honour board
🎙 Episode 26, our earlier Nabil interview
🏝 AJ on Australian Survivor
🃏 Grand Archive, AJ's next worlds
📚 Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
📸 The Setting Trick on Instagram
🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Tim Verbeek, professional bridge player and Chairman of the Dutch Athletes Committee, for a wide-ranging conversation about competitive bridge in the Netherlands and beyond. We open by reminiscing about a dinner in Lyon at the 2017 Transnational World Championships, where he helped pull me out of my post-elimination funk. From there we get into the remarkable depth of Dutch bridge talent, and the origin story of Tim's partnership with Danny Molenaar, which started when they were 12 and 13 years old and has now spanned 28 years.

We also dig into one of the most uncomfortable topics in competitive bridge: cheating. Tim walks through real cases, from the Lotan Fisher scandal to an online incident during COVID to a player at the Dutch Bridge Federation who duplicated a key to access hand records. He explains how he developed an eye for suspicious patterns, and why the standard of evidence required to convict in bridge is so much higher than for doping in other sports. We close on the emotional toll of losing, raising a four-year-old daughter while traveling the circuit, and the surprising lack of a definitive beginner's guide to the game.

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Key Highlights

🇳🇱 The Golden Era of Dutch Bridge: Why the Netherlands keeps producing world-class pairs every five to ten years, and Tim's bet that the Dutch will be world champions again within the decade.
🏆 From Fill-ins to Full-Time Teammates: How Tim and Danny Molenaar went from last-minute fill-ins at a US National to permanent members of Patty Cayne's team, thanks to an Israeli pair's bad manners.
🔍 Catching Cheaters in the Bridge World: From Fisher and Schwartz to an online player who sent strategy messages to the wrong group chat, how Tim developed his instinct for spotting cheating.
⚖️ Bridge vs. Doping: Athletes get banned for trace substances, while bridge players suspected of cheating often walk free because federations demand an impossibly high standard of proof.
💔 The Emotional Weight of Losing: My tearful near-miss at the Lyon Transnationals, Tim's moment of self-doubt in Belgium, and how even top professionals lose far more often than they win.
👶 Life as a Bridge Pro and a Father: Two-week tournaments away from his four-year-old daughter Rosa, and coming home to find that "everything in our life is done by Mommy."
📚 The Missing Beginner's Guide to Bridge: Berry Westra's untranslated book, apps like Tricky Bridge, and why the game still lacks a simple learning path for new players.
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Resources & Next Steps

🎴 Learn more about the Dutch Bridge Federation (Nederlandse Bridge Bond)
📱 Try Tricky Bridge, the bridge learning app by Scott Hoffer
📖 The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge, recommended for beginners
🏅 Follow the Dutch Athletes Committee and their Olympic qualification work
🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts

In this episode, I sit down with Luc Bellicaud - a three-time Junior World Champion from France and the developer of Lia, the AI bridge robot at IntoBridge.

Why is Luc the first French bridge player I’ve interviewed? Because last month, IntoBridge, launched a powerful new AI coaching tool, named after him. Coach Luc is designed to help beginner and intermediate players spot their bidding mistakes(!) in real time. And I wanted the scoop!

Luc started building Lia as an intern, describing himself as "quite clueless." Through time he has created an excellent partner and opponent. We discuss how he built her from the ground up and how he fixes her mistakes.

Having the coach named after you comes with pressure! Luc shares the controversy over Lia's full-deal access and why LLMs are still no match for hand-coded bridge logic.

Luc dates a bridge player who represents France internationally - and amusingly, she works for rival company Funbridge! Together they run a free weekly beginners club in Lille, fuelled by…FREE PIZZA!

Away from the table, Luc runs France's biggest YouTube bridge channel. He also refuses to fly unless he must in order to represent his country.

10:20 PM
Key Highlights:
🤖 Building Lia from Scratch: Starting with zero experience, Luc built Lia into a top bridge robot opponent and partner.
🎓 Coach Luc Goes Live: A brand-new AI feature giving real-time bidding feedback, now in beta.
🃏 Full Deal Access: Lia sees the full deal during card play - not to cheat, but for speed and better user experience.
🎥 YouTube & Bidding Systems: Luc runs France's biggest bridge YouTube channel and invented his own bidding system as a joke.

Resources and Next Steps:
🤖 Try Coach Luc on IntoBridge - Play a game and see if Coach Luc has any notes on your bidding.
▶️ Watch Luc's French Bridge YouTube Channel for weekly bridge content and lessons.
🎬 Watch the documentary Double Dummy featuring the USA junior team - with some familiar faces from Luc's opponents.
🎧 More Stories Like This - Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.
📱 Follow @thesettingtrick - Stay connected on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.

YouTube Chapter Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction – Luc Bellicaud
1:53 Coach Luc: The AI Bidding Coach on IntoBridge
7:06 Learning Bridge: Beginners, Teachers & The Lille Club
14:07 Bridge Companies, FunBridge Fallout & AI Controversy
23:21 Building Lia: Coding, Bidding Logic & Design Choices
36:06 The Story Behind Lia’s Name
39:22 Bridge Life: Travel, Tournaments & Playing with His Girlfriend
49:47 Bridge Systems, Partners & Competitive Play
58:39 The Bermuda Bowl Final in Lyon
1:04:04 Double Dummy Documentary & Youth Championships
1:13:00 Luc’s YouTube Channel & Closing

In this episode, I sit down with Adam Parrish, a two-time winner of the American Bridge Teachers Book of the Year Award, host of the Leveling Up podcast, and author of six bridge books. Adam spent all of 2025 on a self-improvement project, dedicating an entire year to getting better at bridge while documenting every step publicly. We dive into what that year actually looked like, from tracking hours of study instead of chasing results, to working with top coaches like Joyjit Sensarma and learning key lessons from players like Steve Weinstein, Bobby Levin, and Gavin Wolpert. Did he actually level up?
We also dig into some boards from the team trials, the art of listening as a podcaster, and why Adam believes you cannot improve in isolation. He shares stories about his longtime partner Greg Humphreys, how their NABC Fast Pairs win unfolded in Reno, and his experience playing the USA Team Trials on LoveBridge. Plus, we explore his journey from learning bridge from his maternal grandmother to writing a bridge novel, and what it takes to truly level up at this humbling, wonderful game.
 
Key Highlights:
📋 The Leveling Up Project: Adam spent all of 2025 publicly documenting his year-long mission to improve at bridge, tracking hours of study and process rather than just chasing results.

🏆 NABC Fast Pairs Victory: The story behind winning the national Fast Pairs with partner Greg Humphreys in Reno, including the celebration dinner, the trophy photo scandal, and the near-repeat the following year derailed by COVID.

🎯 Learning from the Best: How working with coaches like Joyjit Sensarma, and picking the brains of Gavin Wolpert, Bobby Levin, and Steve Weinstein, transformed Adam's approach to system and decision-making at the table.

🖥️ LoveBridge Team Trials Deep Dive: Why Adam loves the USA Team Trials format on LoveBridge, how he uses VuGraph sessions for study, and who is more fun to share a room with Marty Fleisher or Kevin Bathurst at the event.

📚 Six Books and Counting: From a bridge novel to "When to Draw Trumps" and beyond, Adam explains what inspires each book, how student feedback shapes his writing, and why a simple request can turn into 350 pages.

🎭 The Art of the Interview: A candid conversation between two podcast hosts about preparation, listening, letting conversations breathe, and why going in without a rigid agenda produces the best results.

 
Resources & Next Steps:
🎧 Listen to Adam's podcast: Leveling Up with Adam Parrish.

📰 Explore Adam's monthly newsletter.

📖 Browse Adam's bridge books including When to Draw Trumps and his other titles.

💻 Check out the Love Bridge  and experience the online bridge platform Adam recommends for serious study.

🎴 Watch hands and study expert play using Bridge Winners, the website built by Greg.

🎧 More Stories Like This – Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.

📱 Follow @thesettingtrick – Stay connected on Instagram and for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.

 
Chapter Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:05 Meet Adam Parrish and the Leveling Up podcast
4:06 What is the Leveling Up project and why he started it
6:57 Tracking process over results and working with a sports psychology coach
9:12 A tough year at the nationals with Greg Humphries
11:10 Why you cannot improve alone and the value of mentorship
13:26 Has Greg actually leveled up? Talking about his long-time partner
18:16 Live hand analysis from the USA Team Trials
25:00 What separates different levels of players on the same decision
27:13 The most consistent takeaway from a year of learning from the best
35:58 Learning bridge from his maternal grandmother
38:01 Finding duplicate bridge in high school and college
42:44 The NABC Fast Pairs win in Reno with Greg Humphries
46:41 Third place in the Platinum Pairs and the revoke karma story
50:47 Stories about Greg Humphries and what makes him special
58:30 Trying to wrangle Greg for the GNT and team commitments
1:00:00 Why the LoveBridge Team Trials format is exceptional
1:02:43 How Adam uses view graph sessions for serious bridge study
1:05:06 Editing Kit Woolsey's Matchpoints and the book's legacy
1:06:55 Writing six bridge books and what inspires each one
1:15:00 Tournament routines, preparation, and the importance of rest
1:18:53 Podcast preparation and the art of the interview
1:22:47 Plans for the World Championships in Poland and upcoming events
1:25:42 Final reflections and wrap-up

In this episode, I sit down with Avery Silverstein, a 17-year-old bridge prodigy who has fallen hard for the game. Despite her young age, Avery has already earned two medals at the Junior World Championships and reached the round of 16 in the Vanderbilt as my partner. We discuss her journey from family bridge club kid to international competitor, including having her father, professional player Aaron Silverstein, as her primary mentor. Avery talks candidly about balancing her senior year of high school with competitive bridge, her training regimen, and how she manages the pressure of representing her country on the world stage.
From our dramatic 62-IMP comeback victory against the seventh seed to her heartbreaking silver medal finish at the U16 World Championships, Avery shares the emotional highs and lows of being deeply invested in the game. We explore her multifaceted life, which includes being close to a black belt in mixed martial arts and playing on her school's rugby team. Avery also discusses the college admissions process, her 26 college applications, and the possibility of taking a gap year to focus on professional bridge. With warmth and maturity beyond her years, she reflects on mentorship, the importance of being a great teammate, and her mission to help grow the next generation of junior players.
 
Key Highlights:
🏆 Silver Medal Journey: Avery recounts her team's incredible comeback from being the bottom three or four teams after two days to reaching the final and earning silver at the U16 World Championships.
🎯 Epic Vanderbilt Comeback: The story of our partnership defeating the seventh seed in the Vanderbilt after being down 62 IMPs at halftime, including the dramatic final quarter where our opponents took a 10-minute break and we closed with three consecutive double-digit wins.
👨‍👧 Father-Daughter Mentorship: Avery discusses the unique dynamics of having Aaron Silverstein as both her dad and primary bridge mentor, including managing nepotism concerns, disagreeing with his advice 15-20% of the time, and how their system evolves differently from his professional partnerships.
📚 System Evolution: How Avery and her partner Jack Boge have built an 80-90 page system document by borrowing from top professionals, playing transfer club, constructive two-bids, and constantly refining their approach through weekly practice sessions.
 
Resources & Next Steps:
🎧 More Stories Like This – Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.
📱 Follow @thesettingtrick – Stay connected on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.
 
Chapter Timestamps:
 
0:00 Start
0:00 Introduction to Avery Silverstein
1:30 Growing up with professional bridge player parents
2:10 Becoming better than mom at bridge
3:10 Life at the family bridge club
4:20 What friends think about bridge
6:30 Previous podcast appearances and media coverage
7:20 Managing school absences for tournaments
8:10 The beautiful Madeira tournament experience
15:00 Partnership dynamics and playing with different people
24:00 Competing at World Junior Championships
35:00 The intense preparation and practice routine
45:00 Memorable hands and tournament moments
55:00 International bridge community and friendships
1:03:00 Norwegian competitor Nikolai Berg Evans
1:05:00 The pressure of must-win matches
1:06:00 Silver medal heartbreak and "chasing gold"
1:07:30 Weekend plans and upcoming tournaments
1:08:10 MMA training and competition record
1:09:00 Four gold medals and three silver medals in MMA
1:10:00 Looking ahead to St. Louis and future competitions