This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
This post also talks about playing high cards from the short side. If you are not sure what this means check out this post:
Declarer Play - High Cards from the Short Side
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts:
Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades
Counting Losers in Action – 3 Spades
This post is designed to test your declarer play in a trump contract. Count your losers and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 4 losers and I will try the ♣ finesse to try to get rid of my ♣ loser!" Or you could say "I have 3 losers and no way to get rid of any of them!"
So let's practice. The final contract is 4♥. The lead is the K♣. Count the losers in the ♠ suit. Count the losers in the ♥ suit. Count the losers in the ♦ suit. Count the losers in the ♣ suit. Do you have too many losers? If yes, can you get rid of any so you can make your contract? If no, can you try to get rid of any so you make overtricks?
Contract:4♥ Opening lead: K♣.
Dummy:
♠Q3
♥AQJ762
♦J
♣9852
Declarer:
♠AK6
♥KT983
♦KT76
♣3
Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers?
How will you play the contract?
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #7 - 4 Spades
This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
This post also talks about playing high cards from the short side. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play - High Cards from the Short Side If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades Counting Losers in Action – 3 Spades
This post is designed to test your declarer play in a trump contract. Count your losers and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 4 losers and I will try the ♣ finesse to try to get rid of my ♣ loser!" Or you could say "I have 3 losers and no way to get rid of any of them!" So let's practice. The final contract is 4♠. The lead is the K♥. Count the losers in the ♠ suit. Count the losers in the ♥ suit. Count the losers in the ♦ suit. Count the losers in the ♣ suit. Do you have too many losers? If yes, can you get rid of any so you can make your contract? If no, can you try to get rid of any so you make overtricks? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♥.
Dummy: ♠A843 ♥T9862 ♦K2 ♣Q2 Declarer: ♠KQJ76 ♥Q7 ♦A76 ♣AK8 Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Counting Losers
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
This post also talks about playing high cards from the short side. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play - High Cards from the Short Side If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades Counting Losers in Action – 3 Spades
This post is designed to test your declarer play in a trump contract. Count your losers and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 4 losers and I will try the ♣ finesse to try to get rid of my ♣ loser!" Or you could say "I have 3 losers and no way to get rid of any of them!" So let's practice. The final contract is 4♠. The lead is the K♥. Count the losers in the ♠ suit. Count the losers in the ♥ suit. Count the losers in the ♦ suit. Count the losers in the ♣ suit. Do you have too many losers? If yes, can you get rid of any so you can make your contract? If no, can you try to get rid of any so you make overtricks? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♥.
Dummy: ♠A843 ♥T9862 ♦K2 ♣Q2 Declarer: ♠KQJ76 ♥Q7 ♦A76 ♣AK8 Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Friday, November 25, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #6 - 4 Spades
This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades Counting Losers in Action – 3 Spades
This post is designed to test your declarer play in a trump contract. Count your losers and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 4 losers and I will try the ♣ finesse to try to get rid of my ♣ loser!" Or you could say "I have 3 losers and no way to get rid of any of them!" So let's practice. The final contract is 4♠. The lead is the Q♦. Count the losers in the ♠ suit. Count the losers in the ♥ suit. Count the losers in the ♦ suit. Count the losers in the ♣ suit. Do you have too many losers? If yes, can you get rid of any so you can make your contract? If no, can you try to get rid of any so you make overtricks? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: Q♦.
Dummy: ♠KQ82 ♥83 ♦762 ♣AK82 Declarer: ♠JT965 ♥AQ6 ♦AK3 ♣93 Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Counting Losers
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades Counting Losers in Action – 3 Spades
This post is designed to test your declarer play in a trump contract. Count your losers and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 4 losers and I will try the ♣ finesse to try to get rid of my ♣ loser!" Or you could say "I have 3 losers and no way to get rid of any of them!" So let's practice. The final contract is 4♠. The lead is the Q♦. Count the losers in the ♠ suit. Count the losers in the ♥ suit. Count the losers in the ♦ suit. Count the losers in the ♣ suit. Do you have too many losers? If yes, can you get rid of any so you can make your contract? If no, can you try to get rid of any so you make overtricks? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: Q♦.
Dummy: ♠KQ82 ♥83 ♦762 ♣AK82 Declarer: ♠JT965 ♥AQ6 ♦AK3 ♣93 Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Counting Losers in Action -- 3 Spades
This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
So let's start. The final contract is 3♠. The opening lead is the J♥.
Dummy:
♠QJ72
♥Q32
♦43
♣AQ92
Declarer (me):
♠AKT63
♥764
♦KQJ
♣54
Count losers -- Remember I must either look at either Dummy or Declarer's hand to count losers:
Since I can use either hand to count losers, bridge players tend to count losers from the hand that has the longest trump. I will just count the losers in my hand.
Losers in Declarer's Hand: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks
♥ 3 losers -- I will probably lose the three tricks in this suit thanks to that lead!
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Not so good. I am in 3♠ and I have 5 losers. How can I try to avoid any losers?
Hmmmmm. I am probably always going to have to lose to the A♥, K♥ and J♥ and also the A♦. But I can try to avoid losing to the K♣. Can you see how?
I can always try the ♣ finesse. When I am playing the ♣ suit I will start from my hand (very important to start there!) with either ♣. If my LHO plays the K♣ I will win my A♣ and my Q♣ is good! I do not have any losers. If my LHO plays a small ♣ instead I will play the Q♣ from Dummy. If my LHO has the K♣ I will win my Q♣ and make my contract.
If my RHO has the Q♣ I will go down in my contract but at least I gave it a shot. That is the best way to avoid a ♣ loser.
So that's how I will try to avoid a ♣ loser.
FIRST thing I need to do is to TAKE OUT the opponents TRUMP.
So the first thing I will do when I win the first trick is to take out all the opponents trump. I will try to remember to end in my hand so I can try the ♣ finesse. So take out trump and try the ♣ finesse. It can't hurt and you might avoid a loser.
Counting Losers
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense.
So let's start. The final contract is 3♠. The opening lead is the J♥.
Dummy:
♠QJ72
♥Q32
♦43
♣AQ92
Declarer (me):
♠AKT63
♥764
♦KQJ
♣54
Count losers -- Remember I must either look at either Dummy or Declarer's hand to count losers:
Since I can use either hand to count losers, bridge players tend to count losers from the hand that has the longest trump. I will just count the losers in my hand.
Losers in Declarer's Hand: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks
♥ 3 losers -- I will probably lose the three tricks in this suit thanks to that lead!
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Not so good. I am in 3♠ and I have 5 losers. How can I try to avoid any losers?
Hmmmmm. I am probably always going to have to lose to the A♥, K♥ and J♥ and also the A♦. But I can try to avoid losing to the K♣. Can you see how?
I can always try the ♣ finesse. When I am playing the ♣ suit I will start from my hand (very important to start there!) with either ♣. If my LHO plays the K♣ I will win my A♣ and my Q♣ is good! I do not have any losers. If my LHO plays a small ♣ instead I will play the Q♣ from Dummy. If my LHO has the K♣ I will win my Q♣ and make my contract.
If my RHO has the Q♣ I will go down in my contract but at least I gave it a shot. That is the best way to avoid a ♣ loser.
So that's how I will try to avoid a ♣ loser.
FIRST thing I need to do is to TAKE OUT the opponents TRUMP.
So the first thing I will do when I win the first trick is to take out all the opponents trump. I will try to remember to end in my hand so I can try the ♣ finesse. So take out trump and try the ♣ finesse. It can't hurt and you might avoid a loser.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Counting Losers in Action -- 4 Spades
This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense. They always want more.
So let's start. The final contract is 4♠. The opening lead is the J♥.
Dummy:
♠KQ72
♥Q9
♦KQJ3
♣J92
Declarer (me):
♠AJT3
♥K2
♦T62
♣AQT4
Count losers -- Remember I must either look at either Dummy or Declarer's hand to count losers:
Since I can use either hand to count losers, bridge players tend to count losers from the hand that has the longest trump. This time both Declarer's hand and Dummy have 4 trump. I can use either. Let's do both for the practice.
Losers in Dummy: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks (assuming one opponent doesn't have all five of them!)
♥ 1 loser -- I will probably lose the A♥.
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Let's try counting losers in Declarer's hand:
Losers in Declarer's Hand: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks (assuming one opponent doesn't have all five of them!)
♥ 1 loser -- I will probably lose the A♥.
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Pretty good. I am in 4♠ and I only have 3 losers. I will make my contract. Should I try to avoid any losers?
Hmmmmm. I am probably always going to have to lose to the A♥ and also the A♦. But I can try to avoid losing to the K♣. Can you see how?
I can always try the ♣ finesse. When I am playing the ♣ suit I will start from Dummy (very important to start there!) and try playing the 9♣ to begin with. If my RHO plays the K♣ I will win my A♣ and all my ♣ are good! If my RHO plays a small ♣ instead I will play a small ♣ from my hand. Yes this could lose to the K♣. But that's okay. The rest of my ♣ will be winners. HOWEVER, if my RHO has the K♣ (they could) then my 9♣ will WIN the trick! Try it at home to see. Just deal out the ♣ and give RHO the K♣ and a couple of other ♣. Look what happens. If the 9♣ wins then I am still in Dummy to repeat the finesse again. This time I will play the J♣ and if RHO plays low, I will play low. The J♣ will now win the trick. Again I am still in Dummy. I can now play the 2♣ and if RHO plays low I can win my Q♣. My A♣ will be a winner.
So that's how I will try to avoid a ♣ loser.
FIRST thing I need to do is to TAKE OUT the opponents TRUMP.
So the first thing I will do when I win the first trick is to take out all the opponents trump. I will try to remember to end in Dummy so I can try the ♣ finesse. Once I play the ♣ I can play on ♦ and give the opponents the A♦. Then all my ♦ will be good. I can even lose to the A♦ first and then play the ♣. Not a big deal. The big deal is to take out trump! Otherwise when you play all your winners the oppponents will run out of the suit and be able to trump your winners! This is not good.
So take out trump and try the ♣ finesse. It can't hurt and you might avoid a loser.
Counting Losers
To avoid some losers you might have to try a finesse. If you are not sure what a finesse is try these posts:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
The reason why bridge players count losers in a trump contract is to determine whether or not Declarer has enough losers that they will not be able to make their contract. If Declarer has too many losers to make their contract they have to figure out a way to get rid of some of their losers! If Declarer has losers but will still make their contract they try to figure out if they can avoid some of their losers without jeopardizing their contract. Bridge players are a bit greedy in that sense. They always want more.
So let's start. The final contract is 4♠. The opening lead is the J♥.
Dummy:
♠KQ72
♥Q9
♦KQJ3
♣J92
Declarer (me):
♠AJT3
♥K2
♦T62
♣AQT4
Count losers -- Remember I must either look at either Dummy or Declarer's hand to count losers:
Since I can use either hand to count losers, bridge players tend to count losers from the hand that has the longest trump. This time both Declarer's hand and Dummy have 4 trump. I can use either. Let's do both for the practice.
Losers in Dummy: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks (assuming one opponent doesn't have all five of them!)
♥ 1 loser -- I will probably lose the A♥.
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Let's try counting losers in Declarer's hand:
Losers in Declarer's Hand: ♠ 0 losers -- I should not have to lose any trump tricks (assuming one opponent doesn't have all five of them!)
♥ 1 loser -- I will probably lose the A♥.
♦ 1 loser -- I will lose the A♦.
♣ 1 loser -- I might have to lose to the K♣.
Pretty good. I am in 4♠ and I only have 3 losers. I will make my contract. Should I try to avoid any losers?
Hmmmmm. I am probably always going to have to lose to the A♥ and also the A♦. But I can try to avoid losing to the K♣. Can you see how?
I can always try the ♣ finesse. When I am playing the ♣ suit I will start from Dummy (very important to start there!) and try playing the 9♣ to begin with. If my RHO plays the K♣ I will win my A♣ and all my ♣ are good! If my RHO plays a small ♣ instead I will play a small ♣ from my hand. Yes this could lose to the K♣. But that's okay. The rest of my ♣ will be winners. HOWEVER, if my RHO has the K♣ (they could) then my 9♣ will WIN the trick! Try it at home to see. Just deal out the ♣ and give RHO the K♣ and a couple of other ♣. Look what happens. If the 9♣ wins then I am still in Dummy to repeat the finesse again. This time I will play the J♣ and if RHO plays low, I will play low. The J♣ will now win the trick. Again I am still in Dummy. I can now play the 2♣ and if RHO plays low I can win my Q♣. My A♣ will be a winner.
So that's how I will try to avoid a ♣ loser.
FIRST thing I need to do is to TAKE OUT the opponents TRUMP.
So the first thing I will do when I win the first trick is to take out all the opponents trump. I will try to remember to end in Dummy so I can try the ♣ finesse. Once I play the ♣ I can play on ♦ and give the opponents the A♦. Then all my ♦ will be good. I can even lose to the A♦ first and then play the ♣. Not a big deal. The big deal is to take out trump! Otherwise when you play all your winners the oppponents will run out of the suit and be able to trump your winners! This is not good.
So take out trump and try the ♣ finesse. It can't hurt and you might avoid a loser.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Counting Losers
In bridge when Declarer is playing in any trump contract (♠, ♥, ♦, ♣) the first thing they should do is to count their LOSERS. These are tricks that Declarer might have to lose. Declarer then knows how many losers they have and can decide if and how they are getting rid of any losers.
Here are a few examples:
Dummy
♣K94
Declarer
♣AQ3
How many losers does Declarer have in the ♣ suit?
Declarer has ZERO losers in the ♣. They should not have to lose any tricks in that suit.
Dummy
♣K9
Declarer
♣QJ3
Declarer has ONE loser in the ♣. They will have to lose one trick in that suit -- the Ace.
Sounds pretty easy, right? It gets a little more complicated.
You only look at the losers in ONE hand. Not the other. But Losers can be counted in EITHER hand so you need to count either the number of losers in Dummy OR the number of losers in Declarer's hand. So with this holding:
Dummy
♣983
Declarer
♣76
There are no high cards in this suit. That means that if you are looking at the losers in DUMMY you have THREE losers. You will lose three ♣ tricks because there are three small ♣ in Dummy. However if you are looking at the losers in DECLARER'S hand you have only TWO losers. There are two small ♣ in Declarer's hand. The theory behind this is that if the Opponents play one more round of ♣ you can trump the ♣.
However it gets a little trickier. You only look at the losers in one hand BUT if you have high cards in the other hand you get to look at those. So:
Dummy
♣A83
Declarer
♣K6
If we look at the losers in Dummy we can count ONE loser. The A♣ won't lose a trick and we won't have to lose the 3♣ because we have the K♣ in our hand to take care of that loser. But we will still have to lose the 8♣.
If we look at the losers in Declarer's hand we don't have ANY losers. The K♣ will win a trick and the A♣ in Dummy can take care of our 6♣. We can trump any more ♣.
Let's practice. How many losers do you have in Dummy? How many losers do you have in Declarer's Hand?
Hand 1:
Dummy:
♣985
Declarer:
♣62
Hand 2:
Dummy:
♣AKT2
Declarer:
♣64
Hand 3:
Dummy:
♣52
Declarer:
♣AJ
Hand 4:
Dummy:
♣AQ8
Declarer:
♣953
Hand 5:
Dummy:
♣K532
Declarer:
♣AT7
Hand 6:
Dummy:
♣K543
Declarer:
♣A8
Hand 7:
Dummy:
♣A9
Declarer:
♣KQ
Hand 8:
Dummy:
♣AQJ4
Declarer:
♣T93
Hand 9:
Dummy:
♣QJT
Declarer:
♣K4
Hand 10:
Dummy:
♣T82
Declarer:
♣A54
Hand 11:
Dummy:
♣Q93
Declarer:
♣KJ8
Hand 12:
Dummy:
♣AQ86
Declarer:
♣K95
Hand 13:
Dummy:
♣9543
Declarer:
♣K2
Hand 14:
Dummy:
♣7
Declarer:
♣T93
Hand 15:
Dummy:
♣A987
Declarer:
♣Q4
Hand 16:
Dummy:
♣AK4
Declarer:
♣65
Hand 17:
Dummy:
♣A7
Declarer:
♣T54
Hand 18:
Dummy:
♣AQ62
Declarer:
♣85
Hand 19:
Dummy:
♣972
Declarer:
♣QJ3
Hand 20:
Dummy:
♣AQ52
Declarer:
♣K8
Hand 21:
Dummy:
♣93
Declarer:
♣AK2
Hand 22:
Dummy:
♣Q53
Declarer:
♣962
Hand 23:
Dummy:
♣K76
Declarer:
♣32
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #5 - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
Check out these posts to see how Declarer can take extra tricks with a finesse:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the J♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:J♥ Dummy: ♠42 ♥K2 ♦AQ874 ♣AJ95 Declarer: ♠AKJ9 ♥AQ8 ♦K93 ♣843
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
Check out these posts to see how Declarer can take extra tricks with a finesse:
The Finesse
More Finessing
Eight Ever, Nine Never
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the J♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:J♥ Dummy: ♠42 ♥K2 ♦AQ874 ♣AJ95 Declarer: ♠AKJ9 ♥AQ8 ♦K93 ♣843
Friday, November 18, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #4 - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the 2♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:2♥ Dummy: ♠A43 ♥543 ♦KQ6 ♣A632 Declarer: ♠KQ5 ♥K762 ♦AJ87 ♣K4
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the 2♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:2♥ Dummy: ♠A43 ♥543 ♦KQ6 ♣A632 Declarer: ♠KQ5 ♥K762 ♦AJ87 ♣K4
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #3 - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the K♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:K♥ Dummy: ♠83 ♥J2 ♦A84 ♣AQJT86 Declarer: ♠AQ4 ♥A765 ♦KJ7 ♣K97
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the K♥. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:K♥ Dummy: ♠83 ♥J2 ♦A84 ♣AQJT86 Declarer: ♠AQ4 ♥A765 ♦KJ7 ♣K97
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #2 - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the Q♣. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:Q♣ Dummy: ♠K6 ♥K75 ♦KQ862 ♣K53 Declarer: ♠AQ4 ♥Q42 ♦AJ75 ♣A72
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the Q♣. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:Q♣ Dummy: ♠K6 ♥K75 ♦KQ862 ♣K53 Declarer: ♠AQ4 ♥Q42 ♦AJ75 ♣A72
Monday, November 14, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #1 - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the 2♠. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:2♠ Dummy: ♠T6 ♥K5 ♦KQT98 ♣AK85 Declarer: ♠K54 ♥A43 ♦AJ7 ♣QJ42
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
If you want to see me walk through a few hands with you check out these posts: Counting Winners in Action - 6NT Counting Winners in Action - 3NT This post is designed to test your declarer play in NT. Count your winners and determine how you will play the contract. For example you could say "I have 9 tricks and I am taking my tricks and running!" Or you could say "I have 8 tricks and I will try the ♣ finesse for my 9th trick!" So let's practice. The final contract is 3NT. Declarer opened the bidding 1NT and Dummy bid 3NT. The lead is the 2♠. Count the winners in the ♠ suit. Count the winners in the ♥ suit. Count the winners in the ♦ suit. Count the winners in the ♣ suit. Do you have enough tricks to make your contract? If yes, can you try to take any more? Will you try to take any more? If no, what will you do in order to make your contract? Contract:3NT Opening lead:2♠ Dummy: ♠T6 ♥K5 ♦KQT98 ♣AK85 Declarer: ♠K54 ♥A43 ♦AJ7 ♣QJ42
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Counting Winners in Action - 3NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
So let's start. The final contract is 3NT. The opening lead is the K♠.
Dummy:
♠52
♥QJT9
♦J43
♣AQ6
Declarer (me):
♠A73
♥82
♦AKQT96
♣K7
Count winners -- Remember we can look at both sides to count our winners:
♠ 1 winner -- Right away I can win the A♠.
♥ 0 winners -- I can only count tricks that I will take right away. I don't have the A♥ so I do not have any winners right away.
♦ 6 winners -- Right away I can win 6 tricks in this suit. I have the A♦, K♦, Q♦, J♦, T♦ and even the 9♦.
♣ 3 winners -- I will win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣.
So right now I have 10 winners. The final contract is 3NT. That means I only have to take 9 tricks. This is good!!! But I am a little greedy. Since I can make my contract I'm wondering if there is a way to make even MORE tricks?
What about the ♥ suit? If I let the opponents win their A♥ and their K♥ that will set up my Q♥ and my J♥. That is TWO extra tricks for me.
Is there a problem with doing this? Let's think.
Hmmmm. The opponents started off with the K♠. They probably have length AND strength in that suit. If I let them in with either one of their ♥ tricks they will probably continue with the ♠ and I have no more winners in that suit. They might be able to take at least three tricks in the ♠ and then their A♥ and K♥ for five tricks. If the opponents take five tricks I will go down in my 3NT contract.
Good thing I thought about that! This time I will just take the 10 tricks I started with and let the opponents take the rest. I won't try to get more tricks because then I could go down in my contract and I don't want that.
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
So let's start. The final contract is 3NT. The opening lead is the K♠.
Dummy:
♠52
♥QJT9
♦J43
♣AQ6
Declarer (me):
♠A73
♥82
♦AKQT96
♣K7
Count winners -- Remember we can look at both sides to count our winners:
♠ 1 winner -- Right away I can win the A♠.
♥ 0 winners -- I can only count tricks that I will take right away. I don't have the A♥ so I do not have any winners right away.
♦ 6 winners -- Right away I can win 6 tricks in this suit. I have the A♦, K♦, Q♦, J♦, T♦ and even the 9♦.
♣ 3 winners -- I will win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣.
So right now I have 10 winners. The final contract is 3NT. That means I only have to take 9 tricks. This is good!!! But I am a little greedy. Since I can make my contract I'm wondering if there is a way to make even MORE tricks?
What about the ♥ suit? If I let the opponents win their A♥ and their K♥ that will set up my Q♥ and my J♥. That is TWO extra tricks for me.
Is there a problem with doing this? Let's think.
Hmmmm. The opponents started off with the K♠. They probably have length AND strength in that suit. If I let them in with either one of their ♥ tricks they will probably continue with the ♠ and I have no more winners in that suit. They might be able to take at least three tricks in the ♠ and then their A♥ and K♥ for five tricks. If the opponents take five tricks I will go down in my 3NT contract.
Good thing I thought about that! This time I will just take the 10 tricks I started with and let the opponents take the rest. I won't try to get more tricks because then I could go down in my contract and I don't want that.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Counting Winners in Action - 6NT
This post talks about counting winners in NT. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
So let's start. The final contract is 6NT. The opening lead is the 8♠.
Dummy:
♠AT2
♥A9
♦KQ843
♣A62
Declarer (me):
♠KQ3
♥KQ2
♦JT96
♣KQJ
Count winners -- Remember we can look at both sides to count our winners:
♠ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♠, the K♠ and the Q♠
♥ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♥, the K♥ and the Q♥
♦ 0 winners -- I can only count tricks that I will take right away. I don't have the A♦ so I do not have any winners right away.
♣ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣. Even though I also have the J♣ that isn't another winner because I will have to play the J♣ when I win the A♣ in Dummy.
So right now I have 9 winners. But the final contract is 6NT. That means I have to take 12 tricks. I need to somehow develop three extra tricks for myself. Do you see a way I can do that?
That's right -- the ♦ suit. Right now I have ZERO winners in the ♦. But once I give the opponents their A♦ the rest of my ♦ will be winners. That's an extra four tricks. I don't mind giving the opponents one trick if I get four in return. Plus I am only in 6NT. I am allowed to lose one trick.
So what shall I do next?
I might as well take all my winners. That is fun! So I play off my A♠, my K♠ and my Q♠. Then I play my A♥ and my K♥ and my Q♥. Then I play my A♣, my K♣ and my Q♣. I am down to this holding:
Dummy:
♠
♥
♦KQ84
♣
Declarer (me):
♠
♥
♦JT96
♣
So now I need to play a ♦ and all the rest are winners!
WHAT!?! My RHO won their A♦ but then they didn't return a ♦! They played a ♣ instead! Since I don't have any ♣ left I had to lose a trick. I'm down 1 in my slam. Sadness. What did I do wrong?
I didn't LOSE my LOSERS FIRST.
Let's go back to the beginning. I need to play the ♦ first. I need to develop my extra winners in the ♦ suit while I still have control of all the other suits. Since I need to lose a ♦ trick (to gain four more) I must do that first thing. That way when the opponents get in with their A♦ I can win any card they return and take all my winners then.
So I will win the opening lead and right away play a ♦. If the opponents don't take their A♦ I will continue to play ♦ until they do. Then and only then will I cash all my winners. Making 6. Well done!
Counting Winners
The reason why we count winners in NT is to determine whether or not we have enough tricks to make our contract. If we do not have enough tricks to make our contract we have to figure out a way to get more tricks! If we do have enough tricks to make our contract we try to figure out if we can make more.
So let's start. The final contract is 6NT. The opening lead is the 8♠.
Dummy:
♠AT2
♥A9
♦KQ843
♣A62
Declarer (me):
♠KQ3
♥KQ2
♦JT96
♣KQJ
Count winners -- Remember we can look at both sides to count our winners:
♠ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♠, the K♠ and the Q♠
♥ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♥, the K♥ and the Q♥
♦ 0 winners -- I can only count tricks that I will take right away. I don't have the A♦ so I do not have any winners right away.
♣ 3 winners -- Right away I can win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣. Even though I also have the J♣ that isn't another winner because I will have to play the J♣ when I win the A♣ in Dummy.
So right now I have 9 winners. But the final contract is 6NT. That means I have to take 12 tricks. I need to somehow develop three extra tricks for myself. Do you see a way I can do that?
That's right -- the ♦ suit. Right now I have ZERO winners in the ♦. But once I give the opponents their A♦ the rest of my ♦ will be winners. That's an extra four tricks. I don't mind giving the opponents one trick if I get four in return. Plus I am only in 6NT. I am allowed to lose one trick.
So what shall I do next?
I might as well take all my winners. That is fun! So I play off my A♠, my K♠ and my Q♠. Then I play my A♥ and my K♥ and my Q♥. Then I play my A♣, my K♣ and my Q♣. I am down to this holding:
Dummy:
♠
♥
♦KQ84
♣
Declarer (me):
♠
♥
♦JT96
♣
So now I need to play a ♦ and all the rest are winners!
WHAT!?! My RHO won their A♦ but then they didn't return a ♦! They played a ♣ instead! Since I don't have any ♣ left I had to lose a trick. I'm down 1 in my slam. Sadness. What did I do wrong?
I didn't LOSE my LOSERS FIRST.
Let's go back to the beginning. I need to play the ♦ first. I need to develop my extra winners in the ♦ suit while I still have control of all the other suits. Since I need to lose a ♦ trick (to gain four more) I must do that first thing. That way when the opponents get in with their A♦ I can win any card they return and take all my winners then.
So I will win the opening lead and right away play a ♦. If the opponents don't take their A♦ I will continue to play ♦ until they do. Then and only then will I cash all my winners. Making 6. Well done!
Friday, November 11, 2016
Counting Winners
In bridge when Declarer is playing in any NT contract (1NT, 2NT, 3NT, etc) the first thing they should do is to count their WINNERS. These are tricks that they can take RIGHT AWAY. Declarer then knows how many winners they have and whether or not they need to develop more tricks or just take their winners and give up.
Here are a few examples:
Dummy
♣K9
Declarer
♣AQ3
How many winners does Declarer have in the ♣ suit?
Declarer has THREE tricks in the ♣. They can win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣.
Winners can be counted in EITHER hand. So with this holding:
Dummy
♣AQ3
Declarer
♣K9
Declarer still has THREE tricks in the ♣. They can win the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣.
Another example:
Dummy
♣K9
Declarer
♣AQ
How many winners does Declarer have in the ♣ suit?
Declarer has TWO tricks in the ♣. Even though Declarer has the A♣, the K♣ and the Q♣ (the top three cards in the suit) they only have two tricks in the suit because they have to follow suit! When they play the A♣ from their hand they must play the 9♣ from Dummy. Then when they play the Q♣ from their hand they must play the K♣ in Dummy. Now they have no more ♣. If you don't quite understand try it at home to see. Deal out and play the cards yourself.
Another example:
Dummy
♣KJT9
Declarer
♣Q986
How many winners does Declarer have in the ♣ suit?
Declarer has ZERO winners in the ♣ suit. Winners are tricks you can take RIGHT AWAY. Declarer will have to lose to the A♣ first in order to get winners. Therefore these do not count as winners.
Let's practice. How many winners do you have? Winners can be counted in either hand.
Hand 1
Dummy
♠ AJT2
Declarer
♠ KQ84 ♠ KT
Declarer
♠ A8763 ♠ KQ43
Declarer
♠ J2 ♠ K742
Declarer
♠ 98 ♠ Q7
Declarer
♠ A985 ♠ AQ5
Declarer
♠ KJ9843 ♠ K6
Declarer
♠ AQJT8 ♠ QT8
Declarer
♠ J2 ♠ A74
Declarer
♠ KQT62 ♠ QJT8
Declarer
♠ AK9765 ♠ Q72
Declarer
♠ JT8 ♠ AQ5
Declarer
♠ KJ43 ♠ 54
Declarer
♠ Q98 ♠ AQJ
Declarer
♠ 8654 ♠ AK75
Declarer
♠ Q8 ♠ Q3
Declarer
♠ A2 ♠ KQ2
Declarer
♠ J75 ♠ A86
Declarer
♠ KJT9 ♠ AQJ5
Declarer
♠ KT96 ♠ AQ92
Declarer
♠ K8 ♠ J43
Declarer
♠ AKT7 ♠ KQ54
Declarer
♠ A2 ♠ 97
Declarer
♠ AJ53 ♠ AK7
Declarer
♠ JT954 ♠ K8
Declarer
♠ AQJ74 ♠ AKJ5
Declarer
♠ Q984 ♠ K4
Declarer
♠ 9852 ♠ KQ
Declarer
♠ JT9 ♠ K87
Declarer
♠ JT65 ♠ AKT8
Declarer
♠ QJ9763 ♠ AK86
Declarer
♠ T754 ♠ AKJ
Declarer
♠ 96 ♠ 75
Declarer
♠ AJ832 ♠ KQ6
Declarer
♠ AT5 ♠ QJT8
Declarer
♠ K53 ♠ AQJT
Declarer
♠ 73 ♠ KQ95
Declarer
♠ J62 ♠ KJ5
Declarer
♠ AQ43 ♠ K52
Declarer
♠ AQJ ♠ AKQ8
Declarer
♠ J65 ♠ AK92
Declarer
♠ QJ85 ♠ J97
Declarer
♠ KQT6 ♠ AK75
Declarer
♠ QJT4 ♠ KQJ8
Declarer
♠ AT ♠ A95
Declarer
♠ QT3 ♠ AJ8
Declarer
♠ K7 ♠ QT7
Declarer
♠ AJ854 ♠ AQ93
Declarer
♠ K5 ♠ AK87
Declarer
♠ 92 ♠ A6
Declarer
♠ KQ
Thursday, November 10, 2016
What you need to make a Two Suited Double
This post combines the knowledge learned in some previous posts. Please read these first to learn about how to respond to a take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Two Suited Doubles
So now that I have discussed what suits I have for the double I should probably say a few words about the hands I could have.
In that auction I have ♠ and ♦. But what is my shape? What are my values?
I need at least four cards in both the suits that I am showing. In a normal Take Out Double you are allowed to have a three card suit. That is because you are giving Partner the choice of THREE suits. This time you are giving Partner the choice of only TWO suits. You need BOTH of them.
Ideally you would have five cards in one suit and four cards in another suit. With this shape you only need 10 HCP. The rest you make up for in shape.
If you have four cards in both suits your shape isn't nearly as good. With this shape you probably need at least a good 12 HCP.
Ideally you would have four cards in any major and five cards in any minor you are showing. The reason for this is that you can always make an Overcall with a five card suit and you always want to tell Partner about any major you would have. But this isn't always the best thing to do.
The best thing to do is to use your judgement.
If your values are all in the suits the opponents are bidding maybe you just want to Pass. For instance:
♠8642
♥AK
♦J9632
♣A3
I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. Yes, you have the shape. Yes, you have the values. But ALL your values are in the OPPONENTS suits. That won't help you. Take another hand: ♠AKQ94
♥93
♦9632
♣A9
I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. ALL your values are in the ♠ suit. Make a 1♠ overcall. This helps Partner out with the lead also. Should you always make an Overcall with a five card major? Take another hand: ♠J9642
♥93
♦AKJT
♣A9
I would not recommend making a 1♠ overcall on this hand. Double to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. The ♠ suit is pretty ratty for an overcall. It's tough. You have to have some hand judgement. You can't just say with x amount of points and y in each of the suits do this. You could get into trouble. But sometimes you do have to risk bidding when you might not want to. Just a judgement call. I would recommend at least a good 9 or 10 HCP to be in your two suits to be safe. But safety is not guaranteed at all. Up for some examples? On all the following hands your LHO opens 1♣, Partner Passes and your RHO bids 1♥. What will you do? Hand 1♠ KQT8
♥ KT ♦ AJT75 ♣ 72 ♠ AKJ76
♥ T9 ♦ Q972 ♣ 92 ♠ KJ93
♥ 86 ♦ AK974 ♣ 86 ♠ A852
♥ QT5 ♦ A875 ♣ 84 ♠ AQ54
♥ K32 ♦ KQ642 ♣ 2 ♠ AKQ82
♥ 732 ♦ Q875 ♣ J ♠ AT75
♥ K63 ♦ AKQ8 ♣ 83 ♠ 8642
♥ AK ♦ KQJT75 ♣ 8 ♠ AQ73
♥ 83 ♦ QJT62 ♣ K2 ♠ A854
♥ 84 ♦ KJ65 ♣ QT4 ♠ K742
♥ 8 ♦ KQJ86 ♣ J85 ♠ AQJ64
♥ A4 ♦ J932 ♣ 83 ♠ KQ86
♥ 8 ♦ AK532 ♣ Q73 ♠ AJ62
♥ Q3 ♦ AKT94 ♣ 84 ♠ 9632
♥ AT5 ♦ Q986 ♣ AT
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ | ??? |
♥AK
♦J9632
♣A3
I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. Yes, you have the shape. Yes, you have the values. But ALL your values are in the OPPONENTS suits. That won't help you. Take another hand: ♠AKQ94
♥93
♦9632
♣A9
I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. ALL your values are in the ♠ suit. Make a 1♠ overcall. This helps Partner out with the lead also. Should you always make an Overcall with a five card major? Take another hand: ♠J9642
♥93
♦AKJT
♣A9
I would not recommend making a 1♠ overcall on this hand. Double to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. The ♠ suit is pretty ratty for an overcall. It's tough. You have to have some hand judgement. You can't just say with x amount of points and y in each of the suits do this. You could get into trouble. But sometimes you do have to risk bidding when you might not want to. Just a judgement call. I would recommend at least a good 9 or 10 HCP to be in your two suits to be safe. But safety is not guaranteed at all. Up for some examples? On all the following hands your LHO opens 1♣, Partner Passes and your RHO bids 1♥. What will you do? Hand 1
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Two Suited Doubles
So far I have only talked about what happens when one suit only has been bid. Take Out Doubles also occur when the opponents bid two suits. For instance:
My Hand
♠AQT8
♥32
♦AKJT3
♣95
What do I do? I have a nice hand and want to bid. I could overcall 2♦ but then what if Partner has this hand? Hand
♠K96432
♥T86
♦Q64
♣8
We are making game in 4♠ but Partner will no doubt Pass my 2♦ overcall. Even if Partner has this hand: ♠K964
♥T86
♦Q6
♣8642
I'd rather Partner play in 1♠ or 2♠ rather than me playing in 2♦. Again I can use the Double to say "Partner I have the remaining suits. Please pick one!" What suits do I have on this auction?
The other two suits. ♠ and ♣. The opponents are bidding the red suits -- I have the black suits.
What suits do I have on this auction?
The other two suits. ♣ and ♦. The opponents are bidding the majors -- I have the minors.
What suits do I have on this auction?
The other two suits. ♥ and ♠. The opponents are bidding the minors -- I have the majors.
What suits do I have on this auction?
The other two suits. ♦ and ♠. The opponents are bidding the round suits -- I have the pointy suits.
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ | ??? |
♠AQT8
♥32
♦AKJT3
♣95
What do I do? I have a nice hand and want to bid. I could overcall 2♦ but then what if Partner has this hand? Hand
♠K96432
♥T86
♦Q64
♣8
We are making game in 4♠ but Partner will no doubt Pass my 2♦ overcall. Even if Partner has this hand: ♠K964
♥T86
♦Q6
♣8642
I'd rather Partner play in 1♠ or 2♠ rather than me playing in 2♦. Again I can use the Double to say "Partner I have the remaining suits. Please pick one!" What suits do I have on this auction?
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♥ | ??? |
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ | ??? |
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♣ | Pass | 1♦ | ??? |
| My LHO | Partner | My RHO | ME! |
| 1♥ | Pass | 2♣ | ??? |
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Responding to a Take Out Double -- Suit Bids, NT Bids and Cuebids
This post combines the knowledge learned in all these posts. Please read these first to learn about how to respond to a take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Weak Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with an Intermediate Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with an Opening Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Balanced Hand and the Opponents Suit Stopped
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Six Card Major
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit!
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit! Part II
So with that in mind what do you respond with each of these hands when your LHO opens the bidding 1♣, Partner says "Double" and your RHO Passes?
Hand 1
♠ AK92
♥ QJ7 ♦ 98 ♣ AJT6 ♠ A9753
♥ KJ9 ♦ AJ4 ♣ 62 ♠ AJ83
♥ A74 ♦ 87 ♣ AJT5 ♠ QT85
♥ 52 ♦ 874 ♣ AT83 ♠ JT5
♥ AKT72 ♦ J3 ♣ 873 ♠ Q53
♥ AT32 ♦ K3 ♣ AQ43 ♠ Q9875
♥ 974 ♦ 865 ♣ AK ♠ 952
♥ J7 ♦ QJ87 ♣ AK82 ♠ QJ42
♥ Q4 ♦ Q97 ♣ AK94 ♠ KQ8532
♥ 4 ♦ 9862 ♣ K6 ♠ A763
♥ AQJ3 ♦ 54 ♣ A83 ♠ 4
♥ AQJT873 ♦ Q64 ♣ 75 ♠ AQ7
♥ QJT984 ♦ 8 ♣ J32 ♠ AJT5
♥ AJ83 ♦ 87 ♣ A74 ♠ Q976
♥ A72 ♦ J932 ♣ JT ♠ 32
♥ QT74 ♦ K543 ♣ T64 ♠ AT32
♥ J85 ♦ K3 ♣ AQ43 ♠ J8752
♥ A2 ♦ K64 ♣ AJ5 ♠ 654
♥ J97 ♦ AK72 ♣ 972 ♠ Q862
♥ AK93 ♦ 97 ♣ A63 ♠ KQ9
♥ 98 ♦ AJ8 ♣ AT876 ♠ J
♥ AQT743 ♦ 9543 ♣ K4 ♠ KT98
♥ KQJ6 ♦ 83 ♣ A86 ♠ KT9
♥ KJ ♦ Q652 ♣ AJ82 ♠ Q9852
♥ KQ ♦ Q95 ♣ Q72 ♠ 86
♥ 9652 ♦ Q53 ♣ KJ42 ♠ KT62
♥ AKQ9 ♦ 98 ♣ J72 ♠ 98
♥ AJT7 ♦ T97 ♣ T654 ♠ Q4
♥ QJ42 ♦ Q97 ♣ AK94 ♠ AQJ
♥ A5 ♦ T732 ♣ KJT3 ♠ AK94
♥ QT7 ♦ 43 ♣ AJT8 ♠ 6
♥ QT65 ♦ Q932 ♣ J865 ♠ KQ632
♥ 973 ♦ 864 ♣ 65 ♠ A74
♥ AJ83 ♦ 87 ♣ AJT5 ♠ AQ
♥ QJ9843 ♦ 8 ♣ 9743 ♠ J87
♥ Q7 ♦ JT32 ♣ KQ82 ♠ AQ43
♥ AT32 ♦ K3 ♣ 853 ♠ KJT653
♥ T5 ♦ A76 ♣ KT ♠ KT85
♥ K95 ♦ Q4 ♣ KQT2 ♠ 865
♥ Q6 ♦ J863 ♣ AKQT ♠ 73
♥ QT8 ♦ KT2 ♣ AKJ52 ♠ QJ7
♥ AK92 ♦ 98 ♣ AJT6 ♠ Q9
♥ QT8 ♦ KT52 ♣ AJT9 ♠ KQ85
♥ Q3 ♦ QT4 ♣ AQ97 ♠ KQ762
♥ JT5 ♦ 74 ♣ A87 ♠ 643
♥ J9 ♦ KJ32 ♣ KQ86 ♠ Q3
♥ KQ85 ♦ QT4 ♣ AQ97 ♠ K54
♥ 753 ♦ Q53 ♣ K643 ♠ A9
♥ AKJ95 ♦ 3 ♣ T9876 ♠ 52
♥ J94 ♦ AKJT8 ♣ JT8 ♠ KJ2
♥ J84 ♦ Q97 ♣ AT65 ♠ KQT2
♥ KT85 ♦ Q4 ♣ K95 ♠ 752
♥ K75 ♦ JT2 ♣ AKT8 ♠ AKQJ
♥ QJ42 ♦ Q97 ♣ T4 ♠ JT432
♥ K7 ♦ Q7 ♣ AT65 ♠ AQT753
♥ 8 ♦ T753 ♣ K9 ♠ KQ9
♥ KT85 ♦ Q4 ♣ KQT2 ♠ KQ6
♥ 52 ♦ JT54 ♣ Q982 ♠ QT7
♥ AK94 ♦ J3 ♣ KJT8 ♠ 954
♥ KQJ43 ♦ QT9 ♣ QJ ♠ J8
♥ 743 ♦ QJ432 ♣ J65 ♠ AK94
♥ J842 ♦ 9 ♣ AK85 ♠ AKT62
♥ A7 ♦ AT ♣ 6532 ♠ T82
♥ Q7 ♦ AKJT ♣ KJT4 ♠ KJT8
♥ AKQ4 ♦ 43 ♣ T73 ♠ A7654
♥ 42 ♦ Q987 ♣ 98 ♠ AKJT
♥ T942 ♦ AT4 ♣ J6 ♠ 85
♥ K76 ♦ KQ76 ♣ KQ86 ♠ AJ54
♥ JT75 ♦ A3 ♣ A72 ♠ QT
♥ K73 ♦ KQ874 ♣ AJ5 ♠ KQ9875
♥ A74 ♦ 865 ♣ 8
| HCP | Bid |
| 0-8 | LONGEST suit at the LOWEST level |
| 8-10 with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in | 1NT |
| 9-11 (bad 12) | LONGEST suit JUMPING a level |
| 11-12 with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in | 2NT |
| Good 12 or more | Bid GAME in LONGEST suit |
| Long (six card) major suit with some values | Bid GAME in LONGEST suit |
| 13 or more with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in | 3NT |
| Good 12 or more but unsure what game to play in | Cuebid the Opponent's suit |
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