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.

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

Monday, February 13, 2017

Killer Lead

WARNING! The following post talks about Jacoby Transfers. If you do not know what they are then do NOT bother reading this post.

Here is a hand from a few days ago where I was an Opponent. You are now my Partner who has to make a killing lead against a game contract.

The previous post discussed the bidding. Check out this post first:
Was the Bidding Correct?

So, to get the bidding from your perspective, here's what happened from your point of view.

Your RHO opens the bidding 1NT. ("15 to 17" their Partner announced.) You Pass. Your LHO bid 2. ("Transfer" your RHO announces.) Your Partner Passes. 2 your RHO bid. You Pass. 2NT bid LHO. Partner Passes. 3 RHO bid. You Pass. 4 LHO bid. This ended the auction.

Here's a recap:
RHO You! RHO Partner
1NT (15-17) Pass 2 (Transfer) Pass
2 Pass 2NT Pass
3 Pass 4 Pass
Pass Pass

The last post talked about what was wrong with the bidding. LHO has somehow misbid. You don't know WHAT the misbid was. Maybe they bid 2NT with more points than they should and are now making up for it. Maybe they are now overbidding their hand with the 4 bid. You don't know. But you do have to make a lead. What will you lead from this holding?

Your hand:
♠AJ9
765
Q73
♣K985

Show Answer

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Was the Bidding Correct?

WARNING! The following post talks about Jacoby Transfers. If you do not know what they are then do NOT bother reading this post.

Here is a hand from a few days ago where I was an Opponent.

Your LHO opens the bidding 1NT. ("15 to 17" their Partner announced.) Partner Passes. My RHO bid 2. ("Transfer" my LHO announced.) I Passed. 2 my LHO bid. Partner Passes. 2NT bid RHO. I Pass. 3 my LHO bid. Partner Passes. 4 my RHO bid. This ended the auction.

Here's a recap:
LHO Partner RHO Me!
1NT (15-17) Pass 2 (Transfer) Pass
2 Pass 2NT Pass
3 Pass 4 Pass
Pass Pass

The question is WHAT (if anything) is wrong with the bidding?

Show Answer

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

1NT: NON-Forcing, Invitational or Forcing?

Let's play a game. The name of the game is "Over 1NT: Non-Forcing, Invitational or Forcing?"

I will give you a bid and you have to tell me whether or not it is a Non-Forcing bid (Partner must Pass the bid), an Invitational bid (Partner should bid if they are maximum for their 1NT opener but Pass if they are minimum) or a Forcing bid (Partner MUST bid again)

This post is easy enough that brand new players should be able to answer all the questions. However, for my more advanced students, I talk about Jacoby Transfers and also Texas. If you do not know what those bids are just ignore the stuff in brackets. You do not need to know what they are.

Bid 1

Opener Responder
1NT 2NT

Is Responder’s bid of 2NT a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 2

Opener Responder
1NT 6NT

Is Responder’s bid of 6NT a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 3

Opener Responder
1NT 2

Is Responder’s bid of 2 a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 4

Opener Responder
1NT 5NT

Is Responder’s bid of 5NT a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 5

Opener Responder
1NT 4NT

Is Responder’s bid of 4NT a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 6

Opener Responder
1NT 2

Is Responder’s bid of 2 a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 7

Opener Responder
1NT 3

Is Responder’s bid of 3 a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 8

Opener Responder
1NT 4

Is Responder’s bid of 4 a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 9

Opener Responder
1NT 2♠

Is Responder’s bid of 2♠ a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Bid 10

Opener Responder
1NT 3NT

Is Responder’s bid of 3NT a Non-Forcing bid, an Invitational bid or a Forcing bid?



Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Pre-empt from Today

WARNING! The following post talks about Pre-emptive Bidding. Pre-empts are bids used by more experienced players. If you are a new player do NOT bother reading this post. When you have played a bit more and know a bit more you can learn how to use them. For now, do not bother.

Here is a hand from today.
The Opponents are vulnerable.
You and Partner are non-vulnerable.
Your Partner opens the bidding 2♠. RHO Passes. Your bid. What is your call?

♠Q863
T
QJT763
♣J8

So it is your bid. What will you do?

Show Answer

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Even MORE Non-Forcing, One Round Forcing or Game Forcing?

Let's play a game. The name of the game is "Non-Forcing, One Round Forcing or Game Forcing?"

I will give you a bid and you have to tell me whether or not it is a Non-Forcing bid (Partner is allowed to Pass the bid), a One Round Forcing bid (Partner must respond at least one more time) or a Game Forcing bid (neither Partner can Pass until a game is reached)

Bid 1

Opener Responder
1 1
2♠


Is Opener’s bid of 2♠ a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 2

Opener Responder
1 2♣
3♣


Is Opener’s bid of 3♣ a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 3

Opener Responder
1♣ 1
2 3♣


Is Responder’s bid of 3♣ a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 4

Opener Responder
1 1♠
3


Is Opener’s bid of 3 a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 5

Opener Responder
1 2♣
3


Is Opener’s bid of 3 a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 6

Opener Responder
1 2
2NT


Is Opener’s bid of 2NT a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 7

Opener Responder
1♠ 2
2 3♠


Is Responder’s bid of 3♠ a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 8

Opener Responder
1 1
2NT


Is Opener’s bid of 2NT a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 9

Opener Responder
1 1NT
2NT


Is Opener’s bid of 2NT a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Bid 10

Opener Responder
1 1
2 2♠


Is Responder’s bid of 2♠ a Non-Forcing bid, a One Round Forcing bid or a Game Forcing bid?



Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Pre-emptive Bids -- A Summary

WARNING! The following post talks about Pre-emptive Bidding. Pre-empts are bids used by more experienced players. If you are a new player do NOT bother reading this post. When you have played a bit more and know a bit more you can learn how to use them. For now, do not bother.

This post summarizes all the following posts:
Pre-emptive Bidding -- An Introduction
Responding to a Weak 2
Weak 2 Bids -- Responding to 2NT
Pre-emptive Bidding -- Does Vulnerabilitity Matter?
Pre-emptive Bidding -- Upping the Pre-empt

A pre-emptive bid occurs when one player JUMPS in the bidding to bid a suit and their partner has not yet made a bid.

You can pre-empt when you open the bidding.
You can also make a pre-emptive overcall.

The purpose of a pre-emptive bid is to disrupt the opponents bidding. It shows a weak hand with a good quality, long suit.

To make a pre-emptive bid you should have the following:
  • 5 to 10 HCP (or you can play 6 to 11 HCP or even 5 to 11)
  • At least 3 of the top 5 honors (A, K, Q, J, T) – non-vulnerable
  • At least 2 of the top 3 honors (A, K, Q) - vulnerable or non-vulnerable
  • No tolerance for any outside major suit (4+ cards) – your hand is too good
  • No outside 5 card minor – your hand is too good
  • At most 1 trick outside the suit

Some players are not as disciplined when they make a pre-emptive bid. Their suit is not as good. I recommend being very disciplined when you first start playing pre-emptive bids. After you are more experienced playing pre-empts you can "relax" the rules a bit as you see fit.

The level you pre-empt at shows the LENGTH in your suit.

Pre-empting at the 2 level shows a 6 card suit
Pre-empting at the 3 level shows a 7 card suit
Pre-empting at the 4 level shows a 8 card suit
and so on...

What does Partner do?

They can just bid game.
Pass if they don't expect to make a game and have few trump.
Bid game in 3NT with the right hand.
Bid 2NT to ASK if the pre-empter has an outside feature. That is an Ace OR a King outside the trump suit.
With trump support but a weakish hand they can UP the PRE-EMPT. Bid to the LAW level.

The responses to 2NT from Partner are:
Partner rebids their suit if they do not have an Ace or King outside the suit and their suit is not headed by the AKQ.
If Partner has an outside Ace or King they bid 3 of the suit where they have the outside feature.
If Partner has a suit headed by the AKQ they bid 3NT.

Let's practice what you will bid if Partner opens the bidding 2♠. Partner is VULNERABLE so that means they have a GOOD SUIT. At least two of the top three honours (AKQ) and good spot cards. So it is your bid. What will you do? Pass? Bid 3♠? Bid 3NT? Bid 4♠? Ask Partner if they have an outside Ace or King with 2NT? You decide.

Hand 1

♠8543
T9
K82
♣KT64



Hand 2

♠QT74
AT32
7
♣A654



Hand 3

♠QJ65
AQ4
AQ3
♣A87



Hand 4

♠T94
KT7
T2
♣A9742



Hand 5

♠JT9
AJ76
J872
♣42



Hand 6

♠K743
82
A3
♣KT876



Hand 7

♠A976
A82
AQJT97




Hand 8

♠953
AJ
AT9654
♣83



Hand 9

♠QT43
A6
3
♣KT8765



Hand 10

♠K87
A54
A54
♣A765



Hand 11


KQ65
KQ765
♣KQ54



Hand 12

♠J97
3
AJ983
♣KJ94



Hand 13

♠A32
T9
K72
♣Q9765



Hand 14

♠KT9
A7632
642
♣J7



Hand 15

♠J6
AJT
AT96
♣KJ76



Hand 16

♠J653
J875

♣AK753



Hand 17

♠KT72
A53
6
♣QJ852



Hand 18

♠742
KT98
98
♣K876



Hand 19

♠K543
AK7654
43
♣2



Hand 20

♠Q875
876
J9
♣JT76



Hand 21

♠AQ4
T873
8652
♣J4



Hand 22

♠AQ65
A732
T52
♣62



Hand 23

♠T43
KJ5
K87543
♣J



Hand 24

♠K876
7
AK6
♣KQ765



Hand 25

♠K86
J853
43
♣KQJ9



Hand 26

♠98
AQ4
AQ42
♣KT65



Hand 27

♠K765
J4
2
♣QJT832



Hand 28

♠QJ93
97
AK873
♣T2



Hand 29

♠Q94
5
KQT65
♣QJ74



Hand 30

♠Q
AK43
A754
♣AK32



Hand 31

♠A976
A

♣AQJT9765



Hand 32

♠Q73
JT94
32
♣AQ96



Hand 33

♠8653
8
64
♣KQJ874



Hand 34

♠T83
87
8753
♣AKT5



Hand 35

♠J432
6532
84
♣AJ8



Hand 36

♠Q4
KQ652
Q54
♣Q43