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
This post picks up from the previous post so please read that one first:
How Can Getting an OVERTRICK be Bad?
Did you figure it out? How I can take 12 tricks?
Here are the hands again:
Contract:4♥ Opening lead:3♦
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q942
♦AKT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥AKJ5
♦QJ952
♣4
First let's count losers again. I will count the losers in Declarer's hand since Declarer has that nice ♦ suit.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
You heard what happened last post. Everyone took 12 tricks but me. I somehow have to figure out how to get rid of one of my losers. Hmmmmm.
Can't see any way of getting rid of that ♠ loser. I should always have to give the Opponents that trick.
That leaves the ♣ loser. Do I have to lose that one?
I do have a long ♦ suit. I have longer ♦ in my hand. That means that I can play off all the ♦ and on my fifth ♦ I no longer have any ♦ in Dummy. I can throw away a losing card from Dummy.
If I throw away a ♠ that doesn't help me one bit. I still have to lose a ♠.
BUT if I throw away a ♣ then I won't have any ♣ in Dummy. That means that I can trump the losing ♣ from my hand in Dummy. That would avoid a ♣ loser. Then I just have to lose that ♠.
Play this out at home if you are having troubles understanding. Deal out the cards and play along with me.
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q942
♦AKT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥AKJ5
♦QJ952
♣4
The lead was the 3♦. I won the lead in Dummy and took out three rounds of trump. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦KT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦QJ95
♣4
I play HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE in ♦ ending in my hand. So I start with the K♦, then play the T♦ and then the 8♦ winning the trick in my hand with the J♦. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦Q
♣4
I am now in my hand. I can play the Q♦ and play the ♣ from Dummy. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦
♣
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦
♣4
I don't need to trump the ♣ right away. Right now I want to play the K♠. HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE. The Opponents win their A♠ and try to play the A♣ but I trump the A♣ in Dummy and all the ♠ in Dummy are good. Making 12 tricks!
Note that if the Opponents had started with a ♣ I would have lost the trick. But they didn't start with a ♣ and when they didn't take that trick right away I was able to throw away my losing ♣ and take 12 tricks.
Showing posts with label Learn Simple Declarer Play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learn Simple Declarer Play. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
How Can Getting an OVERTRICK be Bad?
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 we count losers in a trump contract is to figure out whether or not we will make the contract! If we have 4 losers but are in a 4♠ contract we have one too many losers. We have to figure out how to avoid losing one of those losers.
There are several simple ways to get rid of losers. This post talks about throwing some of our losers away on winners.
Contract:4♥ Opening lead:3♦ Dummy: ♠QJT3 ♥Q942 ♦AKT8 ♣8 Declarer: ♠K52 ♥AKJ5 ♦QJ952 ♣4 First let's count losers. Normally one counts the losers in the hand with the longest trump. That would be either hand since they both have four trump. When this happens I take the hand that has the longest suit outside the trump suit. In this case I will count the losers in Declarer's hand since Declarer has that nice ♦ suit.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
There are TWO losers in Declarer's hand. Declarer should have no problem making this contract. How will Declarer do this? Since I was Declarer I won the ♦ lead. This ♦ lead looked suspiciously like a singleton so I took out all the Opponents trump. (They split 3-2 by the way. One Opponent had three of them and the other Opponent had two.) Then I played a ♠ to knock out the Opponents A♠. I even remember to play HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE. This set up all my ♠ tricks. When the Opponents were in they also won their A♣ but that was fine. I still make an OVERTRICK in my contract! So I was VERY happy.... UNTIL I looked at my score. My Partner and I got 0% for this result! How can bidding a game and making an overtrick be so bad?! Well I checked the results and EVERYONE else took 12 tricks. Hmmmmm. How do you suppose everyone took 12 tricks? Think about that and I will let you know in the next post.
Counting Losers The reason why we count losers in a trump contract is to figure out whether or not we will make the contract! If we have 4 losers but are in a 4♠ contract we have one too many losers. We have to figure out how to avoid losing one of those losers.
There are several simple ways to get rid of losers. This post talks about throwing some of our losers away on winners.
Contract:4♥ Opening lead:3♦ Dummy: ♠QJT3 ♥Q942 ♦AKT8 ♣8 Declarer: ♠K52 ♥AKJ5 ♦QJ952 ♣4 First let's count losers. Normally one counts the losers in the hand with the longest trump. That would be either hand since they both have four trump. When this happens I take the hand that has the longest suit outside the trump suit. In this case I will count the losers in Declarer's hand since Declarer has that nice ♦ suit.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
There are TWO losers in Declarer's hand. Declarer should have no problem making this contract. How will Declarer do this? Since I was Declarer I won the ♦ lead. This ♦ lead looked suspiciously like a singleton so I took out all the Opponents trump. (They split 3-2 by the way. One Opponent had three of them and the other Opponent had two.) Then I played a ♠ to knock out the Opponents A♠. I even remember to play HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE. This set up all my ♠ tricks. When the Opponents were in they also won their A♣ but that was fine. I still make an OVERTRICK in my contract! So I was VERY happy.... UNTIL I looked at my score. My Partner and I got 0% for this result! How can bidding a game and making an overtrick be so bad?! Well I checked the results and EVERYONE else took 12 tricks. Hmmmmm. How do you suppose everyone took 12 tricks? Think about that and I will let you know in the next post.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Throw Losers on Winners
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 we count losers in a trump contract is to figure out whether or not we will make the contract! If we have 4 losers but are in a 4♠ contract we have one too many losers. We have to figure out how to avoid losing one of those losers.
There are several simple ways to get rid of losers. This post talks about throwing some of our losers away on winners.
Contract:4♠ Opening lead:K♥ Dummy: ♠KJ73 ♥862 ♦KQJ8 ♣Q2 Declarer: ♠AQ942 ♥A75 ♦A74 ♣97 First let's count losers. Normally one counts the losers in the hand with the longest trump. That would be Declarer's hand.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
There are FOUR losers in Declarer's hand. The problem is that Declarer is only allowed to lose THREE tricks since the contract is 4♠. How will Declarer make this contract? They somehow have to get rid of ONE of their losers. How will Declarer do this? An easy way to get rid of losers in one hand is to throw them away on winners from the other hand. If you check out that ♦ suit you can see that there are four ♦ in Dummy but only three ♦ in Declarer's hand. PLUS the ♦ are all winners. So when Declarer is playing the ♦ from Dummy and runs out of ♦ to play in their hand they are allowed to play another suit. This is where Declarer can throw away one of their losers. So Declarer should start with the A♦ from their hand (high card from the short side) and then a low ♦ towards the K♦ in Dummy. Then Declarer can play the Q♦ from Dummy and their LAST ♦ from their hand. Declarer can now play the J♦ from Dummy and (since that will win the trick) throw away a losing card from their hand. Doesn't really matter what loser they throw away -- either a ♥ loser or a ♣ loser will do. But Declarer should now make their contract. Can they do this right away? Should they win the K♥ with their A♥ and then play the ♦? No! Declarer has not yet taken out the Opponents trump! The Opponents will be able to trump ♦ before Declarer gets rid of their loser! Declarer needs to take out the Opponents trump first! So the steps in order are: Step 1: Win the Opponents K♥ with the A♥ Step 2: Take out ALL the Opponents trump. Even if one of them holds ALL FOUR TRUMP. (They sometimes do!) Step 3: Play the ♦ suit HIGH CARD from the SHORT SIDE ending in Dummy Step 4: Throw away a loser from their hand Step 5: Rejoice in a contract well played
Counting Losers The reason why we count losers in a trump contract is to figure out whether or not we will make the contract! If we have 4 losers but are in a 4♠ contract we have one too many losers. We have to figure out how to avoid losing one of those losers.
There are several simple ways to get rid of losers. This post talks about throwing some of our losers away on winners.
Contract:4♠ Opening lead:K♥ Dummy: ♠KJ73 ♥862 ♦KQJ8 ♣Q2 Declarer: ♠AQ942 ♥A75 ♦A74 ♣97 First let's count losers. Normally one counts the losers in the hand with the longest trump. That would be Declarer's hand.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
There are FOUR losers in Declarer's hand. The problem is that Declarer is only allowed to lose THREE tricks since the contract is 4♠. How will Declarer make this contract? They somehow have to get rid of ONE of their losers. How will Declarer do this? An easy way to get rid of losers in one hand is to throw them away on winners from the other hand. If you check out that ♦ suit you can see that there are four ♦ in Dummy but only three ♦ in Declarer's hand. PLUS the ♦ are all winners. So when Declarer is playing the ♦ from Dummy and runs out of ♦ to play in their hand they are allowed to play another suit. This is where Declarer can throw away one of their losers. So Declarer should start with the A♦ from their hand (high card from the short side) and then a low ♦ towards the K♦ in Dummy. Then Declarer can play the Q♦ from Dummy and their LAST ♦ from their hand. Declarer can now play the J♦ from Dummy and (since that will win the trick) throw away a losing card from their hand. Doesn't really matter what loser they throw away -- either a ♥ loser or a ♣ loser will do. But Declarer should now make their contract. Can they do this right away? Should they win the K♥ with their A♥ and then play the ♦? No! Declarer has not yet taken out the Opponents trump! The Opponents will be able to trump ♦ before Declarer gets rid of their loser! Declarer needs to take out the Opponents trump first! So the steps in order are: Step 1: Win the Opponents K♥ with the A♥ Step 2: Take out ALL the Opponents trump. Even if one of them holds ALL FOUR TRUMP. (They sometimes do!) Step 3: Play the ♦ suit HIGH CARD from the SHORT SIDE ending in Dummy Step 4: Throw away a loser from their hand Step 5: Rejoice in a contract well played
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Declarer Play Exercise #12 - 6 Hearts
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 6♥. 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? This was a real hand played by real novices in a real game. Only one person took ALL the tricks like they should. Let's see how you do at home without the pressure of a real game.
Try playing out the contract at home. Deal out the cards and play as normal. Write down all the steps you did in order. Contract: 6♥ Opening lead: K♦.
Dummy: ♠Q3 ♥AQ83 ♦5 ♣AKJT62 Declarer: ♠AT982 ♥KT72 ♦A9 ♣Q5 Before reading any further write down how you would play this hand.
Now I will walk you through it. I can count losers in either hand so for this hand I will count the losers in my hand. I could choose Dummy because of that FABULOUS ♣ suit but it is easier to explain how to take ALL the tricks by looking at Declarer's hand! Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
So this is not looking so good. I have FIVE losers not including any potential trump losers. How do I get rid of them? What is your plan to get rid of the losers? As long as the trump suit breaks you should not have any losers. But what happens if the trump suit doesn't break? This was a real life hand and the trump suit didn't break very well in real life. One Opponent held four trump to the J9. But it was actually the Opponent that Declarer WANTS to hold four to the J9. So that was good. Which Opponent would that be? If one Opponent holds four trump to the J9 you will lose a trump trick. If the other Opponent holds four trump to the J9 you will NOT have to lose a trump trick. Which Opponent is which? As Declarer do you want your RIGHT HAND Opponent to hold four trump to the J9 or your LEFT HAND Opponent to hold four to the J9. I know, you don't want either of them to hold four trump. But that wasn't a choice. RHO or LHO. You choose. If it helps, take a deck of cards and ONLY give the Heart suit to everyone. You know what you have as Declarer. You know what Dummy has. Give one Opponent (either one) four Hearts to the J9. Can you pick up that suit for no losers? Now give the other Opponent four Hearts to the J9. Can you pick up that suit for no losers? You should be able to choose correctly if you do that. How will you play the hand now?
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 6♥. 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? This was a real hand played by real novices in a real game. Only one person took ALL the tricks like they should. Let's see how you do at home without the pressure of a real game.
Try playing out the contract at home. Deal out the cards and play as normal. Write down all the steps you did in order. Contract: 6♥ Opening lead: K♦.
Dummy: ♠Q3 ♥AQ83 ♦5 ♣AKJT62 Declarer: ♠AT982 ♥KT72 ♦A9 ♣Q5 Before reading any further write down how you would play this hand.
Now I will walk you through it. I can count losers in either hand so for this hand I will count the losers in my hand. I could choose Dummy because of that FABULOUS ♣ suit but it is easier to explain how to take ALL the tricks by looking at Declarer's hand! Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
So this is not looking so good. I have FIVE losers not including any potential trump losers. How do I get rid of them? What is your plan to get rid of the losers? As long as the trump suit breaks you should not have any losers. But what happens if the trump suit doesn't break? This was a real life hand and the trump suit didn't break very well in real life. One Opponent held four trump to the J9. But it was actually the Opponent that Declarer WANTS to hold four to the J9. So that was good. Which Opponent would that be? If one Opponent holds four trump to the J9 you will lose a trump trick. If the other Opponent holds four trump to the J9 you will NOT have to lose a trump trick. Which Opponent is which? As Declarer do you want your RIGHT HAND Opponent to hold four trump to the J9 or your LEFT HAND Opponent to hold four to the J9. I know, you don't want either of them to hold four trump. But that wasn't a choice. RHO or LHO. You choose. If it helps, take a deck of cards and ONLY give the Heart suit to everyone. You know what you have as Declarer. You know what Dummy has. Give one Opponent (either one) four Hearts to the J9. Can you pick up that suit for no losers? Now give the other Opponent four Hearts to the J9. Can you pick up that suit for no losers? You should be able to choose correctly if you do that. How will you play the hand now?
Friday, December 16, 2016
Declarer Play Exercise #11 - 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? Try playing out the contract at home. Deal out the cards and play as normal. Write down all the steps you did in order because the order you play the hand is VERY important in this contract. Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♦.
Dummy: ♠JT8752 ♥K2 ♦76 ♣K32 Declarer: ♠AK3 ♥AQ65 ♦A53 ♣864 I can count losers in either hand so for this hand I will count the losers in DUMMY. I have more trump in my Dummy so that is the hand that tends to have fewer losers. Count the losers in Dummy's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract? In the solution I presented the steps in a certain order. Does the order I did things in really matter all that much? Why or why not?
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? Try playing out the contract at home. Deal out the cards and play as normal. Write down all the steps you did in order because the order you play the hand is VERY important in this contract. Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♦.
Dummy: ♠JT8752 ♥K2 ♦76 ♣K32 Declarer: ♠AK3 ♥AQ65 ♦A53 ♣864 I can count losers in either hand so for this hand I will count the losers in DUMMY. I have more trump in my Dummy so that is the hand that tends to have fewer losers. Count the losers in Dummy's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract? In the solution I presented the steps in a certain order. Does the order I did things in really matter all that much? Why or why not?
Monday, December 5, 2016
Declarer Play Exercise #10 - 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 suits being blocked. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play -- Blocked!
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? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♥.
Dummy: ♠9753 ♥ ♦874 ♣KQJT92 Declarer: ♠AKQJ62 ♥J94 ♦Q93 ♣A 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 suits being blocked. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play -- Blocked!
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? Contract:4♠ Opening lead: K♥.
Dummy: ♠9753 ♥ ♦874 ♣KQJT92 Declarer: ♠AKQJ62 ♥J94 ♦Q93 ♣A Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Friday, December 2, 2016
Declarer Play Exercise #9 - 6 Hearts
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 suits being blocked. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play -- Blocked!
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 6♥. The lead is the 3♥. 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:6♥ Opening lead: 3♥.
Dummy: ♠Q3 ♥AK876 ♦2 ♣KQJ75 Declarer: ♠K6 ♥QJ954 ♦AKJ93 ♣A 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 suits being blocked. If you are not sure what this means check out this post: Declarer Play -- Blocked!
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 6♥. The lead is the 3♥. 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:6♥ Opening lead: 3♥.
Dummy: ♠Q3 ♥AK876 ♦2 ♣KQJ75 Declarer: ♠K6 ♥QJ954 ♦AKJ93 ♣A Count the losers in Declarer's Hand:
What is your plan to get rid of the losers? How will you play the contract?
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Declarer Play -- Blocked!
This post talks about playing the High cards from the Short side. To read more about that check out this post first:
Declarer Play - High Cards from the Short Side
The reason why bridge players play high cards from the short side is to avoid a suit getting blocked. Just what does it mean for a suit to be blocked?
Go grab a deck of cards.
Deal out only 1 suit (♠) and give yourself the ♠K and Dummy the ♠AQ4
Dummy
♠AQ4
Declarer
♠K
How many tricks do you have?
At first glance it looks like you have three tricks. After all you have the A♠, the K♠ and the Q♠. The top three tricks in the suit.
But this suit is BLOCKED.
If you play the K♠ and the 4♠ from Dummy you are in your hand. You have two ♠ winners in Dummy but HOW do you get there?
Hopefully you have another side suit that you can get to Dummy with. But if you just realize that the suit is blocked near the end of the hand you might not. You need to recognize what suits can get blocked EARLY in the playing out of the contract. That way you can unblock them and get all the tricks you deserve.
Are the following suits BLOCKED or can you play HIGH cards from the SHORT side to avoid blocking them?
Example 1:
Dummy
♠Q
Declarer
♠AK2
Answer:
This suit is blocked. Once I play the Q♠ and the 2♠ from my hand I have NO little ♠ to get to the good A♠ and K♠ in my hand!
Example 2:
Dummy
♠KQJ4
Declarer
♠A2
Answer:
This suit is NOT blocked. I can play the 4♠ from Dummy towards the A♠ in my hand. When I win that I can play the 2♠ towards all the good ♠ in Dummy.
Now you try!
Some of these are tricky! Play them out at home first before you answer.
Hand 1
Dummy
♠ QJ42
Declarer
♠ AK
Hand 2
Dummy
♠ AQ
Declarer
♠ KJ62
Hand 3
Dummy
♠ K8
Declarer
♠ AQ2
Hand 4
Dummy
♠ KQJ4
Declarer
♠ A
Hand 5
Dummy
♠ KQ
Declarer
♠ AJ42
Hand 6
Dummy
♠ AJT2
Declarer
♠ KQ
Hand 7
Dummy
♠ Q4
Declarer
♠ AKJT82
Hand 8
Dummy
♠ Q532
Declarer
♠ AKJ
Hand 9
Dummy
♠ K
Declarer
♠ AQJT98
Hand 10
Dummy
♠ AJ84
Declarer
♠ KQ32
Hand 11
Dummy
♠ AKQ32
Declarer
♠ 9765
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Declarer Play Problem #8 - 4 Hearts
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?
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?
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
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