The Advantage of Playing Last

One of the most important techniques for both declarer and defenders is to utilize the advantage of playing last to a trick when holding a marginal card.

example 1

Dummy ♠ K 6 3   You ♠ A J 5

If you were to play this suit yourself, you would lead low from dummy toward the ♠J, finessing if the ♠Q does not appear on your right. (You can take a trick with the ♠K first, and finesse on the second round.)

If the ♠Q is off sides, you will lose the trick, leaving only the ♠A and ♠K as winners.

Finessing is playing third, not last. It would be better for South if he could play last with the hand that holds the ♠J.

example 1 (expanded)

	Dummy ♠ K 6 3
West ♠ 4		East ♠ ?
	You ♠ A J 5

Declarer plays last when a small card is led from the left.

Declarer should play low from the dummy. If the ♠Q does not appear on the trick, win with the ♠J. If the ♠Q is played, win with the ♠A, while the ♠J is promoted to a future winner.

The ♠J was a marginal card, uncertain of being a winner. It's often an advantage to play last with a marginal card. This is better than risking the marginal card by finessing. Playing last retains your options to choose between playing one of your masters (♠A) or your marginal card (♠J), until after the opponents first commit to playing the ♠Q or not.

example 2

Dummy ♥ A 5 3   You ♥ Q 7

Here is a similar position. The ♥Q is a marginal card, not yet a winner.

Starting this suit himself, declarer leads low toward the ♥Q. If the ♥K is on sides, the ♥Q becomes a winner. But if the ♥K is on the left, the ♥Q loses and only the ♥A is a trick.

example 2 (expanded)

	Dummy ♥ A 5 3
West ♥ 4		East ♥ ?
	You ♥ Q 7

When a small card is led from the West, declarer can play last with the hand holding the marginal card, turning it into a certain winner.

Start by playing low from dummy. If the ♥K appears, play low again, saving the ♥Q for the next trick. If the ♥K does not appear, win the trick with the ♥Q.

Playing last means the ♥Q will not be played on the same trick as the ♥K. The ♥Q is a marginal card (a losing honor), but it is promoted to a winner through the advantage of playing last.

example 3

Dummy ♦ Q 5 3   You ♦ J 7 2

In this position you cannot be certain of making a trick if you have to begin the suit yourself.

Your opponents may play their ♦A on one of your honors, and their ♦K on the other. The ♦T controls the third round, and they own the ♦T.

example 3 (expanded)

	Dummy ♦ Q 5 3
West ♦ 4		East ♦ ?
	You ♦ J 7 2

But if they lead the suit first, you can play low from the dummy, not risking the ♦Q, and wait to see if third hand plays an honor BEFORE you decide to play your ♦J.

The advantage of playing last is that you can choose between two different plays (high card or low card in this example) depending on what they do before you make your choice. They have to commit first while you keep your options open.

If third seat does not play an honor, win the trick with the ♦J. If one of their master honors is played, play low, saving BOTH your ♦J and your ♦Q while they have only one master remaining. You are now assured of a winner in this suit.

example 3 (expanded)

	Dummy ♦ Q 5 3
West ♦ ?		East ♦ 4
	You ♦ J 7 2

It doesn't matter which opponent breaks the suit.

When the lead comes from East, you still play low in the second hand, keeping your options open for the hand that plays last. You have marginal cards in both hands, so the lead can come up to either one.

Spot cards matter.

These two holdings work the same. You must have at least two spot cards with one honor and one spot card with the other honor. You will win a trick if either East or West leads the suit – as long as you play low from the second hand.

example 6

	Dummy ♣ Q J 2
West ♣ 4		East ♣ ?
	You ♣ 7 6 3

This holding is very different from the previous one because both honors are in the same hand. If you play low from dummy, you do not keep options open. You have no options with the South hand that plays last. South has only low cards, no marginal card, so is going to play low regardless of what third seat plays. Third seat can therefore win the trick with a big spot card, saving both their ♣A and ♣K to cover your ♣Q and ♣J.

Since there is no advantage to playing last, it's best to play one of your honors in the dummy and hope for a favorable lie of the cards. If East captures the trick with the ♣A or the ♣K, he will not be able to continue the same suit without leading up to dummy's remaining honor, promoting it through the advantage of playing last.

example 7

Dummy ♥ 5 3 South ♥ K 7 6

If South starts this suit, he will lead from dummy toward his losing honor.

When the ♥A is in the East, the ♥K will win a trick. But if the ♥A is in the West, there will be no trick.

The ♥K is a trick only half of the time.

example 7 (expanded)

	Dummy ♥ 5 3
West ♥ 4		East ♥ ?
	South ♥ K 7 6

South would be delighted to have West lead up to his ♥K. Playing last means South will not put his ♥K on the same trick as the opponents' ♥A, whichever one of them holds it.

When West leads, the ♥K is always a trick. If the ♥A is played, South withholds the ♥K. If the ♥A is not played, the ♥K wins the trick.

example 7 (West's perspective)

	Dummy ♥ 5 3
West ♥ A Q 8 4		East ♥ ?
	South ♥ ?

Now let's consider the same position from West's point of view.

Leading this suit is risky. He can see his own honor cards, and it's not difficult to imagine declarer holding the ♥K. Therefore leading this suit might present declarer with a trick he cannot get on his own.

If declarer does hold the ♥K, he may eventually lead from dummy toward his losing honor, hoping East holds the ♥A. Declarer's plan will fail when West plays last with his ♥AQ. So, when South might hold the ♥K, West should strongly consider leading some other suit.

example 7 (East's perspective)

	Dummy ♥ 5 3
West ♥ ?		East ♥ J T 9 2
	South ♥ ?

We should also consider this example from East's point of view.

Unlike his partner, East is happy to lead this suit. With only small cards in dummy, the hand that plays last, there will be no advantage to declarer. In fact, East can see that his partner will have the last hand able to play an honor.

While West won't actually be playing last, he will make the last play of consequence, which is just as advantageous.

Which card should East lead? Lead the ♥J, top of a sequence. That way, if South withholds his ♥K, East will win the trick, keeping the lead. If he keeps the lead, he can lead the same suit repeatedly, preserving the position of declarer playing second, NOT last, on tricks in this suit.

If East leads a small card, his partner may win the first trick while declarer withholds his ♥K. Partner cannot continue the suit without giving declare the privilege of playing last, promoting his ♥K to a winner.

example 8

Dummy ♠ K 2 You ♠ J 6 5

If South has to lead this suit, he will lead a small card up to his ♠K in the dummy. If the ♠A is on sides, the ♠K becomes a winner.

If the ♠A is off sides and captures the ♠K, South can still hope for a trick with the ♠J. With the ♠A and the ♠K gone, he can recapture the lead and later lead low toward the remaining losing honor. If the ♠Q is on sides, the ♠J will become a winner.

example 8 (expanded)

	Dummy ♠ K 2
West ♠ Q...		East ♠ A...
	You ♠ J 6 5

This is the distribution of the opponents' honors that results in no tricks for declarer. The ♠A plays after the ♠K, and the ♠Q plays after the ♠J.

No tricks if declarer leads the suit himself, allowing the opponents to play last.

example 9

	Dummy ♠ K 2
West ♠ 3		East ♠ ?
	You ♠ J 6 5

But if the defenders start the suit, the advantage of playing last means that declarer can keep his options open until after the opponents decide which of their honors to play.

Declarer plays low from dummy. East can win the trick, but South plays low again, preserving both of his honors for the second and third rounds of spades. The opponents only have one big honor left, so South's two honors will win one of the next two rounds of the suit.

example 10

	Dummy ♠ K 5 2
West ♠ ?		East ♠ ?
	You ♠ J 6

I've rearranged the spot cards so the ♠J is doubleton instead of the ♠K.

If the defenders break this suit, you can play low in second seat to guarantee a winner.

But if you start the suit yourself, you must start by leading low toward the ♠J, the honor in the doubleton. Even if this first attempt fails, you will still have a second chance to lead low toward your remaining honor. That remaining honor must have a spot card still with it so you can play low if their big honor appears.

example 11

	Dummy ♠ K 2
West ♠ ?		East ♠ ?
	You ♠ J 6

When both the ♠K and the ♠J are doubleton, you do not have a choice of which doubleton honor to lead toward.

The only hope is to lead toward the ♠K. You will make a trick if the ♠A is on sides.

If you make the mistake of leading low toward the ♠J, the opponents will win with the ♠Q, leaving you with only one card in each hand. With no spot cards to combine with a marginal card, you have no options. You will have to follow suit with your remaining honors when the opponents cash their ace. You have no winners regardless of which one of them holds the ♠Q and regardless of which one holds the ♠A.

It would be better to lead low toward the ♠K and win one trick when the ace is on sides.

example 12

Dummy ♦ 7 4   South ♦ A Q

Declarer can lead low toward the ♦AQ, finessing if the ♦K does not appear. This will yield two tricks whenever East holds the ♦K.

But if West leads the suit, South will play last and make tricks with both of his honors regardless of who holds the ♦K.

example 13

Dummy ♥ J 7 4  South ♥ A Q 5

South is guaranteed two tricks in this suit regardless of who leads. He can play the ♥A, the ♥Q, and the ♥J on three different tricks, losing only one of them to the ♥K.

South could try to do better by leading low toward the ♥Q, finessing when East plays low. If this wins, he leads the ♥A for his second trick. If East was dealt a doubleton ♥K, the ♥K will have to follow suit under the ♥A, and dummy's ♥J will be promoted for the third trick in this suit. A doubleton king on sides is a lot to hope for, though possible.

example 13 (expanded)

	Dummy ♥ J 7 4
West ♥ ?		East ♥ 3
	South ♥ A Q 5

But if East leads the suit, South makes three tricks when the ♥K is on sides, even if it isn't doubleton. He plays low from second hand and, if East holds the ♥K, wins the first trick with dummy's ♥J. South can then finesse the ♥Q on the second round.

With the ♥K on sides, the advantage of playing last is worth an extra trick for Declarer.

example 14

Dummy ♣ K J 6   South ♣ A T 3

If South leads this suit himself, he can finesse either opponent for the missing ♣Q. He will lose the finesse about half of the time. But if either opponent leads the suit, declarer plays low in second seat and will win three tricks without needing to finesse for the ♣Q.

If the ♣Q does not appear on the first trick, declarer will win in fourth hand with the ♣J or ♣T. If the ♣Q does appear, the ♣A or ♣K wins, while the lower honors are promoted.

The advantage of playing last makes the risk of a finesse unnecessary.

example 15

Dummy ♠ K J 8 ♥ A T 7 4   ♦ 6 3 ♣ Q 9 2

East is on lead, looking at this dummy, which will play last to the next trick. Without even knowing what East holds in his hand, a diamond looks like the suit to lead. Every other suit gives declarer an advantage when he plays last from the dummy. Leading up to the diamond weakness gives no extra advantage to declarer.

example 16

	Dummy ♠ Q T 8 4 ♥ 6 5 4 ♦ Q T 9 2 ♣ 8 4
West ♠ 6 ♥ ? ♦ ? ♣ ?		East ♠ A 3 2 ♥ Q T 9 3 ♦ A 4 3 ♣ T 6 5
	South ♠ 5 ♥ ? ♦ ? ♣ ?

South is declarer in a NT contract.

West's opening lead is the ♠6.

East wins with the ♠A, and has to decide which suit to lead at trick two. The opening lead says that West has at least four spades. Should East return his partner's spade suit?

To answer this question, East looks at dummy's spade holding. East doesn't want dummy's marginal spades to play last, setting up some spade tricks for declarer, so he looks for another suit to lead.

Dummy also has marginal diamonds which might be promoted if permitted to play last. So he selects a heart or a club.

example 17

	Dummy ♠ T 8 7 5 ♥ 2 ♦ A T 8 3 ♣ A J 9 2
West ♠ J 6 3 2 ♥ A Q 9 ♦ Q 7 6 5 2 ♣ 3		East ♠ K 4 ♥ T 8 7 4 3 ♦ K 4 ♣ K Q 8 4
	South ♠ A Q 9 ♥ K J 6 5 ♦ J 9 ♣ T 7 6 5

Against South's 1N contract, West leads his ♦5, hoping to set up some skaters to cash later.

East wins the ♦K, and looks at dummy to help him decide which suit to return at trick two. He knows diamonds are his partner's long suit, so returning a diamond is a possibility. But the dummy will play last and has good diamonds. Not an attractive choice.

Clubs is East's strongest suit, but he wants to play his clubs after dummy. He certainly doesn't want dummy playing last in the club suit. Dummy's clubs tell him to avoid a club lead.

With length in hearts and dummy holding a singleton, he selects a heart. This is his best choice.

Which heart does he lead? The ♥4, his fourth best, helping his partner count the suit.

Now it's South's turn to apply the skill we are studying. The opponents have started hearts, a suit that may produce skaters for them. South is playing second, and his dummy has only weakness in the heart suit. This is not a favorable position. Can he somehow turn the tables so he gets to play last with his marginal cards?

Yes! He plays his ♥6, not expecting to win the trick. But when West wins, South is now playing last to whatever West leads. If West persists in hearts, South plays last with his remaining ♥KJ5. This is a favorable position for him.

example 18

	Dummy ♦ Q 5 2
West ♦ T 8 6 4		East ♦ K J 3
	South ♦ A 9 7

We've seen that there is indeed an advantage to playing last. Sometimes that advantage translates into a full trick, as in this example.

If East leads this suit, the ♦Q, playing last, will be worth a trick. But if South has to start the suit, he will lead low toward the losing honor (the ♦Q), hoping the ♦K is on sides. No luck...

example 19

	Dummy ♦ Q 5 2
West ♦ K J 3		East ♦ T 8 6 4
	South ♦ A 9 7

The East and West hands have been switched. Now it doesn't make any difference if East leads the suit.

What? Doesn't make any difference? Why not?

If East leads diamonds, allowing the ♦Q to play last, the ♦Q will be worth a trick. That's true. But it's a trick South was going to get anyway. If South starts the suit himself, he will lead toward the losing honor (the ♦Q) hoping the ♦K is on sides. And it IS. So the ♦Q is a trick even when East avoids starting the suit.

That is the important difference between example 18 when East should avoid leading the suit, and example 19 when it doesn't give up a trick for East to lead it? When East has a card he'd like to play on top of one of dummy's cards, he should not lead the suit. In example 18, he would like to play his ♦K on top of the ♦Q, so he should not lead up to the ♦Q playing last.

example 20

	Dummy ♦ Q T 2
West ♦ K 8 4		East ♦ J 9 6 3
	South ♦ A 7 5

East would like to play his ♦J on top of dummy's ♦T, so he should avoid leading this suit. East would like South to break the suit by leading low toward dummy's honors. East is hoping declarer will finesse dummy's ♦T so the ♦J can take a trick.

example 21

	Dummy ♦ Q 6 2
West ♦ K 8 4		East ♦ J T 9 3
	South ♦ A 7 5

Now the ♦T isn't in the dummy, and East doesn't have an honor to play on top of dummy's ♦Q, so it's OK for East to lead the suit. The ♦Q was always going to be a trick because partner has the ♦K, not East.

  Play low in second seat to preserve the advantage of playing last in fourth seat.

  Before leading, consider the honor holdings in the hand that will play last.

  Be reluctant to lead up to a marginal card playing last.

  It's OK to lead up to a marginal card when you have no higher card in the suit.

Go to the next topic:

Are Your Honors Well-Placed?

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