The Hold-Up Play
By Ralph Welton
This is one of a series of Declarer Play articles. These articles build upon each other, so I recommend that you study them in order.
The hold-up play refers to ducking rather than playing a stopper, usually in a dangerous suit.
An example of a hold-up play, and how it can help.
example 1
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 You ♥ A 6 2 |
They lead hearts against your no trump contract. If you play spot cards from both hands, ducking your ♥A, that's a hold-up play.
If they continue hearts, and you duck again, that's a second hold-up.
On the third round you won't have any spot cards left, so you must play your ace.
Me: Here's how holding up can help.
example 2
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 |
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West ♥ K J 9 5 3 |
East ♥ Q T 8 |
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You ♥ A 6 2 |
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West's opening lead is the ♥5. The defenders will lead hearts until you take your ♥A.
If you play your ♥A on the first or second round, both defenders become dangerous... because they both have hearts left. If you then lose the lead, either one can lead hearts, and West will cash his entire heart suit. 4 heart winners for the bad guys.
If instead, you hold up your ♥A until the third round – when East plays his last heart – the East hand becomes safe. He will no longer be able to lead a heart for his partner to cash heart skaters.
Then you can try to establish your tricks while only losing the lead to the safe East hand. If you succeed, West will never get to cash his heart skaters.
Little Bear says, "Sweet! There IS honey in the hold-up play."
The number of cards in the long hand (five cards for a 5-3 split, for example) helps us figure out how many skaters are possible for them to develop.
The number of cards in the short hand (three cards for a 5-3 split) tells us how long to hold up so the short hand becomes safe.
Both can be important.
example 3
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 You ♥ A 6 2 |
How long to hold up
If the split is 5-3, East can be made safe if you win your ♥A on the trick when he plays his last heart – the third round.
If the split is 6-2, East can be made safe if you win your ♥A on the second round.
If you are not sure whether the split is 5-3 or 6-2, you can hold up until the third round so you will be certain that East is safe.
If the split is 4-4, neither opponent can be made safe because neither one runs out of the suit before his partner. So there is no reason to hold up.
A hold-up play isn't foolproof
example 4
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ K Q J 9 5 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ A 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
Your contract is 3N. The opening lead is the ♥5.
Hmmm, these hearts look familiar...
Take inventory:
The split assumption for their 8 hearts is 5-3.
You have 5 winners – ♠AK, ♥A, ♦AK. You need 4 more from the club suit to make your contract.
You have one heart stopper and they have one club stopper.
Assess the threat:
With equal numbers of stoppers, they win a simple race to cash their hearts before you can cash your clubs.
Let's see how running that race would work out (with no hold up).
You play your ♥A on the first trick, and lead clubs. They win the club lead and...
How many tricks can they cash?
Make a plan:
When you know you can't win a race and your contract would fail, you should look for ways to avoid racing. So...
Instead of racing to take your tricks, let's suppose you go more slowly and hold up your ♥A until the third round to make East safe.
It's very common for the best declarer plan to be based on something that might be true but which is actually uncertain.
We do this often – such as when we take a finesse, make a split assumption, cash top cards hoping for skaters, or when we hold up to make one opponent safe.
Learning these techniques does not mean you will make all of your contracts – just more of them.
A hold-up play before taking a finesse
example 5
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A Q J 9 5 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ A 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
This hand is almost the same as example 4. I've given you the ♣A, and the defenders have the ♣K.
Take inventory:
Your contract is 3N, and the opening lead is the ♥5. The split assumption for their 8 hearts is 5-3.
You have 6 winners – ♠AK, ♥A, ♦AK, ♣A. You need 3 more from the club suit to make your contract.
Assess the threat:
If they might win a finesse in a suit we need to establish, we count their possible winner as a stopper when we're figuring out if we should hold up.
You need to establish club tricks to make 3N, so you will finesse for their ♣K. Your finesse could lose, so count the ♣K as a stopper.
Who wins the race between their hearts and your clubs?
Let's see if we can avoid that bad result.
Make a plan:
You can make your contract (even though you are behind in the race) if you make East safe before you take the club finesse.
If the ♣K turns out to be held by West instead of East, your club finesse will win instead of losing. In that case the hold up play wasn't necessary. Making East safe only helps if East later wins the lead. We hold up on hands like this, even though we don't know where the ♣K is hiding, to make East safe to protect our contract in case the finesse loses.
Suppose you hold up until the third round and the 5-3 split assumption turns out to be wrong – the actual heart split is 4-4. Then East will still have a heart when he wins the club finesse.
Suppose you hold up until the third round and the actual heart spit turns out to be 6-2.
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A Q J 9 5 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ A 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
Don't be tempted...
This is the same hand we just looked at...
Now let's go back to the opening lead, the ♥5.
If East plays a big honor on the opening lead – perhaps the ♥K – don't be tempted to take the trick, even though you can crush his king.
You have no lesser honors to promote, so you are only going to win one trick in hearts. Take your one trick on the third round, when East becomes safe.
If you make the mistake of squishing their king on the first trick instead of holding up, East won't be safe. And if he wins your club finesse they will be able to win 4 heart tricks and defeat your contract. So squishing their ♥K doesn't help you, but holding up might save the day.
When NOT to hold up
example 6
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A K Q J 9 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ A 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
Take inventory:
Your contract is 3N. You need 9 tricks; they need 5.
West's opening lead is the ♥5. The split assumption for their 8 hearts is 5-3.
How many cashable tricks does each side have?
How many stoppers does each side have?
Assess the threat:
You have more stoppers than they do, so you are ahead in the race.
You already have enough tricks to make your contract, so you can cash all your tricks before they can cash any of their soon-to-be-established hearts.
Make a plan:
Do you need to hold up your ♥A?
A hold up play interferes with their ability to cash their skaters by making one opponent safe. Then losing the lead to that safe opponent will gain time to establish and cash your own tricks first.
But on this hand you don't need to make an opponent safe because you aren't going to lose the lead.
Your plan is simple:
Win the opening lead with your ♥A and cash all 10 of your tricks. You'll even make an overtrick.
example 7
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 You ♥ A K 2 |
When you have 2 stoppers, you may well be ahead in the race. Then you won't need to hold up.
But if you must dislodge 2+ defensive stoppers, you are behind in the race, so you should hold up. You only have one small card, so you can only hold up once.
Play your spot card on the first round, even if your opponents play a big honor. Don't be tempted to squish their honor. You have no lesser honor(s) to promote, so there is no advantage to squishing their honor.
If you need to hold up with AKx, hold up on the first round.
So far we've been talking about making one opponent safe by holding up until he runs out of his partner's long suit.
To be clear... only one of your opponents can be made safe by holding up. And that only works if you can win a trick when he is safely out of the danger suit. In other words, you need a stopper that you can hold up.
However, there's a time when both opponents are safe without holding up – when you have an additional stopper. If you have a second stopper, you can take the lead away from them a second time, preventing them from cashing their long suit. The second stopper works no matter who leads.
It's better still if you have a second stopper, AND you can hold up until one opponent runs out of the danger suit.
Let's look at ♥AK2 in a full hand and see how that works.
example 8
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Dummy ♠ A 8 5 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 9 3 ♣ Q J T 7 You ♠ K 7 6 ♥ A K 2 ♦ Q J T ♣ K 9 4 2 |
Take inventory:
Your contract is 3N. You need 9 tricks; they need 5.
The opening lead is ♥5. The split assumption is 5-3.
You have 5 cashable tricks (♠AK, ♥AK, ♦A).
To get the 4 additional winners you need, you must play both minor suits. You will have to drive out their ♣A (establishing 3 more club winners), and take a finesse for their ♦K (even if the finesse loses, you will establish 1 additional diamond winner).
How many stoppers does each side have?
Assess the threat:
If they get to cash their two stoppers and their heart skaters, would your contract be safe?
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Dummy ♠ A 8 5 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 9 3 ♣ Q J T 7 You ♠ K 7 6 ♥ A K 2 ♦ Q J T ♣ K 9 4 2 |
Make a plan:
You are behind in the race, so... Which heart will you plan to play from your hand on the opening lead?
A successful plan will include losing the lead to East when he is safely out of hearts. When will he be out?
You need to develop additional tricks in both clubs and diamonds. Which suit can you play so only East can win?
You must only take this diamond finesse when East is out of hearts, so you must avoid playing diamonds until after hearts have been played three times.
So our plan is:
- Hold up on the first round of hearts. They will lead a second round of hearts, which you will win with your first stopper, ♥K.
- Drive out their ♣A. It doesn't matter which opponent holds the ♣A. Both are safe because you still have your second heart stopper.
- Win the heart return with your second heart stopper, ♥A. West will be dangerous because he has ready-to-cash heart skaters, but East will be safely out of hearts because hearts have been played three times and the split assumption is 5-3.
- Take the diamond finesse into East's safe hand. If he wins the finesse, he cannot lead hearts.
- Win whatever suit East returns, and cash all 9 of your tricks.
The hold up play is used to make one of the opponents safe. We must wait for him to play his last card in his partner's suit before he becomes safe.
An extra stopper makes both opponents safe. But this safety goes away when we play our extra stopper.
So we must be careful which suit to play while we still have a second stopper, and which suit must be saved until a trick or two later, when a hold up play has made a specific opponent safe.
example 9
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Dummy ♠ A 8 5 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ Q J T ♣ Q J T 7 You ♠ K 7 6 ♥ A K 2 ♦ A 9 3 ♣ K 9 4 2 |
This hand is the same as the previous hand, except I have switched the diamonds between your hand and Dummy's.
Everything else is the same.
As before, a successful plan will include losing the lead to East when he is safe – after the third round of hearts.
Will you lead clubs or diamonds when East is safe?
Let's see how that changes our plan.
- Hold up on the first round of hearts. They will lead a second round of hearts, which you will win with your first stopper, ♥K.
- Take the diamond finesse. It doesn't matter that the hand with the long hearts can win. West is safe because you still have your second heart stopper.
- Suppose West wins the finesse. He will return a third round of hearts, which you win with your second heart stopper, ♥A. East will now be safe because hearts have been played three times and the split assumption is 5-3.
- Lead clubs, and hope East is the one who holds the ♣A. If East does win, he cannot lead hearts because he doesn't have any hearts left.
- Win whatever suit East returns, and cash all 9 of your tricks.
Little Bear speaks up, "You said to hope East has the ♣A, but if West has it he could cash all his miserable hearts. Won't my partner be upset with me?"
Me: I think your partner will be proud of you, Little Bear. She'll notice that you held up in hearts, and you also played diamonds before clubs. Both plays are necessary to make your 3N contract as often as possible.
It turns out that nobody can make this contract when West holds all the important cards. So I don't think she'll be upset.
example 10
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 You ♥ A Q 2 |
You have 2 stoppers with ♥AQ2, because your ♥Q is promoted by playing last.
There are 3 possibilities for how to play this combination:
- As with all of our examples, if you are ahead in the race, you don't need to even think about holding up. Just win the opening lead as cheaply as you can, establish additional tricks if you need them, then recapture the lead with your second stopper, and cash your tricks.
- If you are behind in the race, you will need to hold up. But be careful. It may not be safe for you to hold up on the first round. You might be wondering how it could be unsafe to hold up.
Well... if you don't win the first trick, your ♥Q may never play last to another heart trick, so you may lose the chance to enjoy a second stopper. If you can win the first trick with your ♥Q, that's the play to make. Then hold up on the second round, saving your ♥A for the third round when East becomes safe.
- However, if you're behind in the race and East plays the ♥K on the opening lead, your queen is permanently promoted without needing to play last, so you can hold up on the first round. It may feel odd to NOT squish East's ♥K, but once your ♥Q is permanently promoted, you can play this holding as if you started with ♥AKx. Hold up on the first round.
We count stoppers to see if we are ahead or behind in the race. Then we hold up if we are behind. But what counts as a stopper?
Little Bear speaks up, "Aces are stoppers. So are kings if you also have the ace. An A-K combination is 2 stoppers. Right?"
Me: Not necessarily. Let's think about the idea of a stopper.
What is it stopping?
It's stopping the other side from cashing newly established tricks in that suit. So if you have these spades...
example 11
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Dummy ♠ 6 4 3 You ♠ Q J T 9 |
...and if your plan for the hand includes establishing 2 spade tricks by driving out their ♠AK, then they do indeed have two spade stoppers. Those two big spades stop you from cashing your two future spade winners.
Actually, the ♠AK only delays you from cashing your two future spade winners. But nobody calls them "delayers."
We use the word "stopper" because it's simple and graphic. Bridge players don't seem to mind that the word "stopper" is only literally correct if you win the race. If you lose the race, any master card "stoppers" you have are only delaying the inevitable.
Now we come to a key concept.
Suppose your plan to make your contract does not include establishing and cashing any spade tricks. You plan to make all the tricks you need in the other three suits.
Then your opponents' ♠AK don't stop you from doing anything at all. Count their ♠AK as cashable defensive tricks, but do not count them as stoppers.
How many stoppers?
example 12
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Dummy ♦ 6 4 3 You ♦ A K 7 5 2 |
The split assumption for their 5 diamonds is 3-2. If you plan to take only 2 diamond tricks, they have no stoppers.
But if you plan to establish diamond skaters, you cannot prevent them from winning a diamond trick before you can enjoy any skaters. So count their ♦Q as a stopper.
In fact, there may be a 4-1 split, in which case they would have two stoppers blocking you from cashing one fifth-round skater.
Be sure to pay attention to the first two rounds of diamonds so you will know if the split is 3-2 (one defensive stopper – two skaters) or 4-1 (two defensive stoppers – one skater).
How many stoppers?.... and the Bridge Bear in the corner
example 13
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Dummy ♠ J 8 3 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ K Q J 9 You ♠ A K 8 ♥ A K 2 ♦ Q J 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 2♥ | P | P | 2N |
| P | 3N | P |
Your contract is 3N, and the opening lead is the ♥Q.
Take inventory:
The split assumption is 6-2, based on the bidding.
You have 4 winners – ♠AK and ♥AK. You need 5 more, so you will need to develop tricks in both clubs and diamonds.
Next, we count stoppers to see who is winning the race.
When we count stoppers, why will we count their aces in two suits (♣A, ♦A), but we will only count your ♥AK and not your ♠AK?
Assess the threat:
Who wins a simple race between their hearts and your minors?
When you can't win a race, it's wise not to start running. By that I mean not to rush ahead with developing and cashing tricks as if you are ahead, when you are in fact behind.
Especially when... well, do you see that Bear over in the corner of the room – the one holding his phone up in your direction? He's getting ready to stream a live video. By this time next week, every Bear in the club will have seen you running a hopeless race. Tea and toast-with-honey may not be enough to make you feel better.
It's far better to count winners and stoppers so you will know to avoid running losing races. Then the Bear in the corner will have a video of your successful hold-up play instead of a failed race. A Bear or two in the club might even add you to their list of potential future partners.
Make a plan:
With two stoppers each, you are behind in the race, so you will need to hold up.
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Dummy ♠ J 8 3 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ K Q J 9 You ♠ A K 8 ♥ A K 2 ♦ Q J 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
Remember, the opening lead is ♥Q.
If you hold up on the first round, West will lead his long suit again, and you will then play the first of your 2 heart stoppers.
How many hearts will East have left?
Now you must start developing your tricks. You have to lose the lead twice, once in clubs and once in diamonds. Start with clubs because it promotes more certain tricks (3) than diamonds (only 2 because they may have a fourth round winner with their ♦T).
We don't know who has the ♣A...
- If East has the ♣A, that's good for you. Your hold-up play has made him safe, so he won't be able to lead hearts and force out your second heart stopper. Whatever he does lead, you will win and drive out their ♦A while you still have your second heart stopper. Then you will use that second heart stopper to recapture the lead and cash all your tricks.
- If instead West has the ♣A, there's a potential problem to consider. When you lead clubs, West can win and force out your last heart stopper. That gives you the lead back. The problem is, their hearts are ready to cash but you haven't established your diamonds yet. And one of the defenders still has the ♦A.
Which opponent would you hope holds the ♦A?
So... if you hold up on the opening lead, you will make your contract whenever East holds at least one of the minor suit aces.
Looking Deeper...
Let's figure out if West can hold both minor suit aces.
What do we know about West's hand?
If West has both missing aces, how many hcp would he have?
With a 6-card heart suit and 11 hcp, including two side suit aces, most Bears open 1♥, not 2♥. So West is very unlikely to have both missing aces, and your hold-up play will indeed allow you to make 3N.
example 14
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Dummy ♣ 6 4 You ♣ K 8 2 |
The opening lead is ♣7. The split assumption is 5-3.
Your ♣K is a stopper because it plays last.
Suppose East plays the ♣J on the opening lead.
Should you hold up with your ♣K?
And besides, if you do hold up, you may have an unexpected problem later...
After the game is over, the Bridge Bears will shuffle around, looking over each other's shoulders, comparing scorecards. You may get asked (by several Bears...) how you managed to lose so many club tricks on this hand. You'll have to admit that you missed the chance to win a trick when your ♣K played last to the opening lead. Then you'll wonder if the chuckling you hear behind your back is about you and your squished king.
Little Bear speaks up, "That happened to me once. It felt un-bear-able."
example 15
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A Q J 9 5 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ K 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
On this hand you don't have the master heart, so...
Take inventory:
The contract is 3N. The opening lead is ♥5. The split assumption is 5-3. East plays the ♥Q.
What do you play on the opening lead?
OK, now let's do the counting we were supposed to do before we played from the dummy on the opening lead.
After you win the opening lead with your ♥K, how many winners does each side have?
Where can you get the additional tricks you need?
Assess the threat:
What will happen if East has the ♣K and your finesse loses?
Was there any way to make East safe before taking the club finesse?
Make a plan:
Win the opening lead with your ♥K. Then take the club finesse, and hope for luck.
example 16
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Dummy ♠ T 8 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A Q J 9 5 You ♠ A K 5 ♥ K 6 2 ♦ A 9 6 5 ♣ T 8 2 |
This is the same hand we just looked at.
Only this time I've borrowed a magic wand and I'm going to grant you one wish.
Your contract is the same (3N). The split assumption (5-3) and the opening lead (♥5) are the same.
You would like to be able to hold up until the third round to make East safe. But you can't because your ♥K isn't a master card. If you try holding up you might never win a trick with your poor disappointed king.
You play low from Dummy on the first trick, and I wave my magic wand (a twist and flick should do the trick...). What card would you wish for East to play on this first trick?
Hint: There's only one card East could play that would make it OK for you to hold up your ♥K until the third round...
And now I'm going to return the magic wand to the wise old Bridge Bear at the sign-in table... the one wearing the pointy wizard hat with stars on it. Too bad. I would have liked to keep that wand. But at least you're going to make your contract because East will be safe when you take the club finesse.
example 17
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Dummy ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ 7 4 ♦ 9 6 4 3 ♣ A 6 5 You ♠ K 6 ♥ A 3 2 ♦ K Q J T 2 ♣ 8 4 2 |
When you are ahead in the race to make your contract you don't need to hold up. In fact, it can be risky to hold up.
Take inventory:
Your contract is 3N. The opening lead is the ♥5.
How many winners does each side have?
What is the split assumption for hearts, and do you believe it?
Assess the threat:
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Dummy ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ 7 4 ♦ 9 6 4 3 ♣ A 6 5 You ♠ K 6 ♥ A 3 2 ♦ K Q J T 2 ♣ 8 4 2 |
You have one heart stopper, and they have one diamond stopper.
Who wins the race to cash skaters first?
When they cash their hearts, will they have enough tricks to set your contract?
When you cash your diamonds, will you have enough tricks to make your contract?
So... they win the race to cash their hearts before you can cash diamonds, but they don't have enough winners to defeat your contract.
Little Bear is fully alert, "Wait a minute... you said that if I was behind in the race, I need to hold up. But now you're saying something different. What's a Bear to do?"
Me: Yes, there are some hands that don't follow that general guideline. If your contract is safe, because they cannot establish enough tricks to defeat it, then you don't need to hold up.
Make a plan:
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Dummy ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ 7 4 ♦ 9 6 4 3 ♣ A 6 5 You ♠ K 6 ♥ A 3 2 ♦ K Q J T 2 ♣ 8 4 2 |
Your contract is not in danger after a heart lead, so...
When they cash their heart tricks, you will need to make two discards from Dummy. What could you discard?
When they cash their heart tricks, you will need to make one discard from your hand. What could you discard?
Little Bear asks a very good question, "I see that I don't need to hold up. But you said that it could be risky to hold up when you don't need to. I don't see any risk. They only have 4 tricks and I can even let them cash their 4 tricks first. So, what's the risk in holding up?"
Me: What an interesting question... You impress me, Little Bear!
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Dummy ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ 7 4 ♦ 9 6 4 3 ♣ A 6 5 You ♠ K 6 ♥ A 3 2 ♦ K Q J T 2 ♣ 8 4 2 |
So, here's the problem. Each time you hold up, they win a trick. And they keep the lead, so they can switch to a different suit.
Suppose they win a heart trick (because you hold up) and switch to clubs. The split assumption for their 7 clubs is 4-3, and (just like in hearts) you only have one club stopper, so they can persist in clubs and...
How many tricks (total) could they establish?
It's risky to hold up when you can make your contract without holding up.
On some hands a skilled declarer can figure out a way to make an overtrick by holding up when she doesn't need to. But she has to be prepared for whatever the defenders might do before she makes such a play. Beginners should be extra careful before risking a secure contract in hopes of making an overtrick.
Little Bear agrees, There's an old bear saying that comes to mind, "When the honey is yours, just eat it."
example 18
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Dummy ♥ 7 4 You ♥ K Q 2 |
Little Bear looks at his KQx, and tries to count stoppers:
"The ace is always a stopper, and I don't have it, so maybe I don't have a stopper. But I've got big honors, so maybe I do have a stopper. In fact, since I've got 2 big honors, maybe I have 2 stoppers."
Little Bear needs help.
Me: You have the advantage of playing last to the first trick, so...
If the ♥A is played on the opening lead, of course you will follow with your ♥2. Then you will have 2 stoppers, no matter which opponent later leads hearts. Who would be safe?
But if the ♥A does not appear on the first trick, counting your heart stoppers is not straightforward.
Suppose you hold up (playing the ♥2 on the opening lead). You will have only one future stopper. Your 2 big honors will be played on the second and third rounds of hearts. They have the ace to crush one of your honors, and your other honor will be a stopper. You will have your one stopper no matter which opponent leads to the second and third rounds of hearts.
If you play this way, will West be safe?
And if you play this way, what has to happen for East to become safe? (Take your time... I told you this was a challenge problem.)
Now we go back to the beginning. What about winning the opening lead with your ♥Q? That's one stopper. Do you have a second one? You have to consider how the future play will go before you can answer.
Let's see:
- If West later leads for the second round of hearts, your remaining ♥K2 will play last and be promoted into a second stopper. This is an excellent result for you. You get two winners and two stoppers from your ♥KQ2.
So... If you decide to win the opening lead with your ♥Q, which opponent becomes safe?
- But if you win the opening lead with your ♥Q, and East later leads for the second round of hearts, he will be leading through your remaining ♥K2.
So... how do you decide whether to win the opening lead, or hold up?
- As always... if you have enough cashable tricks to make your contract, win the opening lead and cash your tricks.
- If you don't have enough cashable tricks, check to see which opponent might win the trick when you establish new winners.
Little Bear: "But I will only find out if East or West has the missing honors after I play the suit. I can't tell who has them and who's going to win a future trick when I'm making my plans. So it's all a 50-50 guess, right?"
Me: Usually, no, my sticky-fingered friend... When you take a finesse, you know, without guessing, which one of your opponents will have a chance to win the trick.
And when you're driving out a master card that either opponent might have, an opponent who has promised more points in the bidding (and the play) is more likely to have the missing honor than an opponent who has promised less strength. So 50-50 guesses are unusual.
Let's look at a couple of example hands where there is no guessing required.
The club finesse tells you to hold up, or not
example 19
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Dummy ♠ A K 4 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 6 4 ♣ T 6 4 2 You ♠ T 6 4 ♥ K Q 2 ♦ K Q 2 ♣ A Q J 9 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 2♥ | P | P | 2N |
| P | 3N | P |
West opens the bidding with a weak two in hearts. You overcall 2N, and Partner raises to the 3N game.
Take inventory:
You need 9 tricks; they need 5.
The opening lead is a 4th-best ♥8. East plays the ♥J.
The split assumption for their 8 hearts is 5-3, but the bidding tells us to reject 5-3 in favor of 6-2.
Your count of winners is 2 spades, 3 diamonds, 1 club, and at least one heart – not enough. So you will need to develop tricks from clubs.
They have only one master card, their ♥A. but since we're going to take the club finesse and we're supposed to assume it loses, we should also count their ♣K as a winner (and a stopper).
Assess the threat:
They have one stopper, the ♣K.
Which opponent can win the lead when you take the club finesse?
If their hearts are ready to cash when you lose to West's ♣K, they will set your 3N contract. A lot.
Make a plan:
You cannot stop West from winning the club finesse, but you can make him safe before you take the finesse.
Do you make West safe by winning the opening lead with your ♥Q, or by holding up?
So our plan is:
- Win the opening lead.
- Cross the lead to the dummy and lead the ♣T for a finesse.
- If the finesse wins, the lead will be in the dummy to repeat the finesse.
- If the finesse loses, West will go back to hearts. But your ♥K2 plays last and provides a second heart stopper. West has only one cashable trick (♥A). Win whatever else West returns.
- Cash your tricks.
Now let's see how our plan must change if the club finesse goes in the other direction:
The club finesse goes in the other direction
example 19
|
Dummy ♠ K T 4 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 6 4 ♣ A T 4 2 You ♠ A 6 4 ♥ K Q 2 ♦ K Q 2 ♣ Q J 9 6 |
I've kept the same honors from the last example, but the club and spade aces have traded places.
Take inventory:
The only inventory change from the last hand is the club finesse now goes into the East hand.
Keep the 6-2 heart split in mind.
Assess the threat:
We assume the club finesse will lose. So we want East to be safely out of hearts when the finesse loses.
Make a plan:
Do you make East safe by winning the opening lead with your ♥Q, or by holding up?
So our plan is:
- Hold up on the opening lead. No matter what East plays, play your ♥2.
- They will continue hearts. One of your heart honors will win, either the second or the third round of hearts.
- Lead the ♣Q for a finesse.
- If the ♣Q wins, the lead will be in your hand to repeat the finesse.
- If the finesse loses, East will be safely out of hearts. Win whatever he returns.
- Cash your 9 tricks. And quietly return your partner's smile.
That soft sound you hear is furry Bridge Bear paws clapping behind your back. You didn't know you were being watched, did you?
As a matter of good technique, it's actually better to win the opening lead with your ♥K, not your ♥Q.
Little Bear looks puzzled, "But I always like to win tricks as cheaply as I can. And my ♥K and ♥Q are equals, so how can it matter?"
Well, Little Bear, it's about not giving away information to your opponents.
When you win the trick with your ♥Q, West knows you have the ♥K. His partner cannot have it because he would have played the king on the opening lead (playing third hand high) if he held ♥K-J.
But if you win the first trick with your ♥K, West can't tell who has the ♥Q. East would play the same ♥J (playing lowest of equals) if he also held the ♥Q.
When a defender can't tell who has the honors he can't see, he just might make the wrong choice about how to defend the hand.
Summary for Holding Up
- Count winners and stoppers carefully. If you are ahead in the race, you don't need to hold up.
- The goal of holding up is to make one opponent safe, so you can succeed even when behind in the race.
- If possible, manage your play so you only lose the lead to the safe opponent.
- Consider the advantage of playing last (now and later in the play) when deciding whether or not to hold up, and how to plan so only a safe opponent can win the lead.
- Each time you hold up, you lose a trick. And they keep the lead, so they can switch to another suit. Consider how possible switches would affect your counting of the race when deciding whether or not to hold up.
- Don't expect to master hold up plays by reading this page only once. Come back tomorrow! It's important.
This is the last no trump article in the Declarer Play folder.
Go on to my first trump-specific article: Trumping Losers.
Bridge Bears is run by a retired teacher and ACBL life master who has 35 years teaching experience and who's been playing bridge for over 50 years. I don't claim to be one of the top players, but I do understand how slowly beginners need to go when they are trying to learn how to play bridge.