WHEN TO LEAD TRUMPS
One of the first points for the dealer’s consideration is the advisability of the trump lead. As he usually holds the balance of trump strength in the combined hands, generally speaking the dealer should lead trumps.
A common excuse for avoiding the trump lead is that the hands contain no long suit; if this is true, why not try to establish your trump suit? If you hold five trumps in one hand, the chances are that three rounds will leave you with two long trumps and the adversaries powerless to “ruff” any high card you may hold; by refusing to lead trumps you may enable the opponents to “overruff” your strong hand and make their trumps separately. It may be to your advantage to have the other suits led by the adversaries and your trump lead will often force them to do this.
At times you will have the choice of two ways of playing the hand. One, to trump losing cards in your weak hand; the other to exhaust trumps and discard your losing cards on the commanding cards of a long suit. If your trumps are strong and your long suit established, the trump lead is preferable. With an established suit and high trumps against you, postpone the trump lead until you have allowed your weak hand to “ruff” the losing cards.
However, with five trumps in the strong and four in the weak hand, as you will probably exhaust trumps in two rounds, it is safer to lead the trumps first. You can then “ruff” in your weak hand without danger of being “overruffed.”
If you hold seven or more trumps in the combined hands, do not make the fact that your strong hand has been forced an excuse for not leading trumps. If you are protected in the adversaries’ suit and can lead the trumps advantageously from the weak to the strong hand, always lead them.
To lead trumps with this number is the rule, not the exception, but occasionally when they cannot be led from the weak hand it is better to make as many trumps as possible by “ruffing.”
WHEN NOT TO LEAD TRUMPS
Perhaps the simplest rule that can be given is, do not lead trumps when there is a short side suit in the weak trump hand. You will obviously gain by trumping losing cards in the weak hand.
As it often requires two rounds to exhaust the short suit in the weak hand, try not to show your intention too clearly, or the adversaries will circumvent your scheme of “ruffing” by a trump lead. Remember, also, that you cannot obtain the “ruff” unless you hold, or can make, an entry card in your strong hand.