Coded 9 and 10s vs standard leads

[Vilgan]

I used to play coded 9s/10s. I found it to be only be decent against declarers who don't bother to check if its coded. As a declarer I also found myself LOVING IT when other people played coded 9s/10s.

 

I'd say its a decent policy at lower levels when people don't look, but detrimental against better declarers who will always ask/check if its coded.

[ArtK78]

actually it had everything to do with the thread, and I already admitted "stumbled into"...as did our wc opps at the other table. Of course the bidding at both tables sucked....and of course you are wrong about popping the queen at trick one.

Maybe instead of putting a line at the bottom of the thread that you are changing the declarer's club holding from Kx to KJ you might consider changing the hand diagram?

[jmc]

I know some experts that play coded 10s and 9s only during the middle of a hand not on opening lead. This seems like a decent idea to me.

 

jmc

[aguahombre]

actually it had everything to do with the thread, and I already admitted "stumbled into"...as did our wc opps at the other table.  Of course the bidding at both tables sucked....and of course you are wrong about popping the queen at trick one.

Maybe instead of putting a line at the bottom of the thread that you are changing the declarer's club holding from Kx to KJ you might consider changing the hand diagram?

if you could be so kind as to email me how......I looked for a way to do it, but am either blind or stupid or both.

[blackshoe]

There should be an "edit" button on the upper right of your post, between "report" and "quote"

[Finch]

This thread seems to imply that there are only two options: coded 9s/10s or "standard". There are quite a lot of other options, some of which the Eastern Europeans like to play.

 

What to me is clear is that your opening leads against suit contracts should be completely different to those against NT; and possibly the level of the contract matters as well.

 

You should also have different agreements if partner has bid the suit, depending on how partner has bid the suit, and if you have raised or not raised during the auction. For example, against a suit contract I usually lead the 'standard' 10 from K109 or Q109 to length, but if I have shown length in the suit and partner has raised, I lead strict 3rd & 5th (9 from K109xxx, the lowest from K109xx) because count can be vital.

 

Defensive carding in general seems to be something that is very regionalised round the world.

 

I thought that the use of odd/even first discards was nearly universal among experts. At least, that is my experience.

 

In England, odd/even is virtually unknown amongst the good players and reasonably common among bad players. In Italy, absolutely everyone plays it (to the extent that if you ask an Italian what discards they play that's what the answer "standard" or "normal" means).

[kfay]

I know some experts that play coded 10s and 9s only during the middle of a hand not on opening lead. This seems like a decent idea to me.

 

jmc

Yeah one of my partners and I do this... but I always forget :unsure:

[aguahombre]

Interesting. We switch to sort of standard after opening lead for two reasons: we know more about the hand and it is easier to work out. And it is more consistent with smother play carding.