Since it is so often right not to overtrump under these circumstances, it follows that when the case arises the player who holds second and third best should, as a rule, attempt to defeat the coup by playing a false card—i.e., he should trump with the higher card in hopes of deceiving his left hand opponent as to the position of the third best trump.
THROWING HIGH CARDS TO PLACE THE LEAD.
This coup presents itself in a variety of forms; the following are selected as likely to be of use.
Whenever you are left at the end of a hand with the tenace in trumps (either best and third best, or second best guarded) over the player to your right, and two other cards, both being cards of the suit led by him, you, second hand, should always throw the highest card of his lead to that trick. You can never lose by so doing, and may win. For example: you have nine and five of the suit led. Throw the nine. For, in the second round of the suit, it may so happen that you get the lead with the nine. If the cards lie thus, for instance:—
- Y 9♣, 5♣, A♥, 10♥
- B Knv♣, Qn♦, 8♦, 6♦
- Z Kg♣, Qn♣, 8♣, 3♣
- A A♣, 6♣, Kg♥, 7♥
Y has the tenace in hearts (trumps) over A. A leads ace of clubs. If Y does not throw the nine, and Z plays carelessly and fails to win Y's nine in the next round, YZ lose a trick. Of course, Z ought to win the second round, but it is Y's duty to render it impossible for Z not to do so (see Remarks on making it easy to Partner, p. [139]).
The typical example of this coup is the case where the leader plays the ace, and the second player has king guarded, as in the following example:—
