Drop Their Honor

example 1

You have two masters, and one losing honor. You also have a shortage of spot cards. If you lead toward your losing honor, it doesn't help to find the ♣Q on sides. Losing a trick to the on-sides ♣Q establishes your ♣J as a master, but you will have only two clubs left in each hand, so your new master (♣J) will crash with your ♣AK.

Your only chance for a third club trick is to get lucky. Lead out your two masters. If the ♣Q was dealt singleton or doubleton, it will drop under your ♣AK, and your ♣J will be a third round master.

example 2

Suppose you have one more spot card. Now if you lead toward your losing honor it does gain a trick to find the ♠Q on sides. After they take their ♠Q, you have just enough spot cards to play your three masters on separate tricks.

Which play gives you a better chance for a third trick – playing for the ♠Q to drop, or leading toward your losing honor?

With 7 cards, the 50-50 odds of leading toward ♠J are better than the odds of trying to drop the ♠Q.

How can you figure out the odds of plays like these? It depends on how many cards they have in this suit. The fewer cards they have, the greater the chance that the critical honor will drop. Fortunately, you don't have to figure out the actual odds. Just learn this simple guideline:

If they have 4 cards, play for a 2-2 division, and for the queen to drop.

If they have more than 4 cards, lead toward your losing honor, or finesse.

example 3

How many hearts do your opponents hold?

fewer than 4 exactly 4 more than 4

Should you lead toward your losing honor (♥J)?

yes no

reviewing blocked suits...

You want to take six heart tricks, so you're pleased to see the doubleton ♥Q drop when you play your ♥AK. You also want to win the third round of hearts in the North hand (when you lead the ♥7) so you can continue with more heart leads from that hand. Which heart must you preserve in the South for the third round?

example 3 (repeated)

♥J ♥8 ♥5

Yes. Well done.

The lead can only remain in the North if the ♥7 wins the third trick. So you must save your only card lower than North's ♥7.

Plan ahead so you don't carelessly play the ♥5 on the ♥AK before you start thinking.

example 4

You lead the ♦A, and they both follow suit with spot cards. You continue with a lead toward your losing honor (♦J) in dummy. West plays another spot card.

How many diamonds did they start with?

show answer

Do you finesse or play for the drop?

finesse drop

Correct. They started with 5 diamonds, so it's just plain nuts to play for them to be 2-2. Five cards cannot be 2-2.

It's possible, though against the odds, for the ♦Q to be doubleton, and playing the ♦K would make it drop.

But it's 50-50 (the better odds) to take the finesse, playing for the ♦Q to be on-sides.

example 5

Does the addition of the lowly ♦2 change the way you should play? As usual, the answer comes from counting.

How many diamonds did they start with?

show answer

Do you finesse or play for the drop?

finesse drop

Indeed!

They started with 4 diamonds, so we play for them to be 2-2. It's slightly better odds to play for the ♦Q to drop rather than finessing.

example 6

Once again, you're missing 4 cards, but this hand is different because you're missing the king instead of the queen.

Is it better to play for the drop of the ♣K, or to lead the ♣Q for a squishing finesse?

The drop is unlikely because you have only one master to lead out. The squishing finesse is the better odds.

As when you are missing the queen, there is a simple guideline to remember about the king...

example 7

How many cards do they have?

show answer

Do you finesse or play for the drop?

finesse drop

Missing the king...

 if their cards could be 1-1, play to drop their king with your ace

 if they have more cards, play to finesse their king

Missing the queen...

 if their cards could be 2-2, play to drop their queen with your ace-king

 if they have more cards, play to finesse their queen

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Cash Skaters