CHOICE OF SUITS

There is no rule so necessary to good play as that of retaining the control of the shorter suits and playing to establish the longest suit in the combined hands. Do not let the fact that your long suit contains but a few high cards discourage you—the lead can entail but small loss as the commanding cards would probably make in any case.

When, as frequently happens, your combined hands contain two suits of equal length, make a careful selection of the suit to be played for.

When the ace of one suit and the king or the queen of the other are against you, play for the suit of which the adversary holds the ace. The ace must win, while the fuller information that comes later in the hand may enable you to catch the king or queen by a finesse. Then you can better afford to discard from a suit headed by the ace than from a suit in which an honour must be protected. Moreover, you deprive the adversary of a sure re-entry card.

With two suits of equal length, be careful not to play for one in a hand that contains no re-entry card.

When you hold two suits of equal length, it is usually wise to play for the suit that is exposed on the table and conceal the strength in your own hand. In other words, don’t give the adversaries unnecessary information.

In choosing between two suits select the one that will gain you the greater number of tricks. For instance, when you hold two eight-card suits, one divided five and three and the other four and four, there are clearly more tricks to be made in the former.

Be cautious about playing for a suit of no more than seven cards, for you will often find the remaining cards most unequally divided. When you hold but six cards in the combined hands the balance of strength is with the adversaries, one of whom must hold at least four cards. Try to force your opponents to discard before you indicate strength in six- or seven-card suits.

With two entire suits against you, you cannot afford to lose the lead. Make what tricks you need to save the game and pin your hope on successful finesses.

With but one suit against you, do not fear to establish your long suit. It is not so dangerous to give up the lead when you hold a protection in the suit led originally. The adversary, not knowing your weakness, will probably return the original lead.

KEEPING THE COMMANDING CARD
OF THE ADVERSARIES’ SUIT

As a general rule, do not part with the command of the adversaries’ suit until one adversary is exhausted in the suit, and therefore unable to return his partner’s lead; unless the original leader has a sure card of entry you may be able to prevent this player from getting into the lead. Usually do not refuse to take a trick with a king or queen when the higher card or cards have not been played. The adversaries may lead through and capture a single guarded honour.

If you find that there is another entire suit against you, it pays to take the first lead and make what tricks you can in the two remaining suits. Even in some rare cases, the play of a well-guarded king in dummy is the one chance to make or save the game.

Sometimes the cards of your long suit will be so unfortunately placed that the continued lead would establish it for the adversaries. In this situation, keep the command of that suit, and make a bid for better luck in establishing another.

Unless there is no possibility of losing the game, do not hesitate to take the first lead whenever you are assured of a sufficient number of tricks to win the game.

Often by taking the first trick you promote the value of another card in your own hand or in dummy. In other words, you temporarily give up the control, with the knowledge that you will eventually hold the master card of the opponents’ suit.

In these cases, by taking an honour led or played, the dealer can eventually stop the adversaries’ suit.

At times, if you take the first trick, the suit will be protected, provided it is not led by your right-hand adversary.

In these two cases, if an honour is led, the first trick should be passed. If a low card is led and an honour played, the first trick should be taken. Otherwise the opponent may immediately lead through your hand.

Holding the king, queen, and a small card of the adversaries’ suit, you are assured of at least one trick, with the possibility of two, but remember, if you take the first trick, your hand may be led through; it is often safer to win the third round than the first.

Should you win the first trick in any one of these cases, endeavour to prevent your right-hand adversary from obtaining the lead.

When the adversaries can take two tricks in your long suit, it is better to win the first and third than the first and second tricks in their suit.

In this case a low card is led, and you can win the first trick with the queen. By doing this you are forced to take the first and second rounds. If you take the first trick with the ace, your queen will be sacrificed to the king, but your jack controls the third round.

Unless there is another suit against you, it is safer to win the second and third tricks of the adversaries’ suit than the first and third.

Should you wait to win the second trick with the ace, there is a chance that your right-hand adversary will be exhausted in the suit, and unless the original leader has two cards of re-entry his suit cannot be made.