Whic is better %?

[Vilgan]

Not sure what the best way to play this holding is:

 

Playing 3NT, lefty leads a 4th best spade (like the 2) showing spades are 4 on left 3 on right.

 

I don't have any long suits to mess around with, lots of nonfits with aces and kings. So it comes down to how to play the heart suit.

 

Heart holding is:

 

AK9x on dummy QTx in my hand. I ended up playing A of hearts and a heart to the T to take the finesse. Is this better % wise or playing hearts from the top hoping for 3-3 OR J to be on the side w/ the short hearts? West only has 1 known card more than east. I guess I also sort of went with restricted choice as I'm missing similar holdings in both.. that if he had 4 hearts he might have led one, leading me to hook the heart.

 

I dunno. No real confidence on better % here. In retrospect hearts were 3-3, but not worried about results so much as finding the correct play.

 

Thx!

 

Eric

[pclayton]

More than likely, the knowledge that one opponents has 4 in a suit and the other 3 is non-essential information.

 

LHO had to lead something right?

 

Play for the drop.

[awm]

Certainly it is better to cash two rounds of hearts; say leading the ten towards the AK9x and winning the ace, then playing back to the queen. This leaves you K9 opposite x at which point you can guess to finesse or play for the drop.

 

This has the advantage that it never blows a trick to Jx in either hand.

 

Now when you play the x and LHO follows small, you have to guess whether to play for an initial 3-3 break or Jxxx onside. The a priori odds are extremely close, and potentially the decision can be swung by count on the side suits. However, there are a few reasons to play for the drop:

 

(1) If LHO had 4-4 in the majors he might have lead a heart. The fact that he lead a spade thus makes him less likely to hold four hearts (it's an application of restricted choice).

 

(2) Assuming we have no useful count on any other suit, LHO's four spades make him less likely to hold four hearts.

 

(3) LHO might've made the mistake of covering the ♥T with the jack on the first round holding Jxxx.