UDCA

[barryallen]

I've never heard of this. What is the small theoretical advantage? That you more often don't have to waste a high card to signal for any suit?

Yes. Or, looking at it another way, you can signal for any suit using a low card. In fact, this applies only if you have a choice of which suit to signal with, so only if you're discarding. I imagine that makes the advantage rather smaller than for UDCA, so maybe my surprise is unwarranted.

I would imagine the advantage would be more? You now have a high and a low card to signal the same thing. Sometimes avoiding a possibly valuable high card or baring an honour with a low card. Additionally two discards from a long suit can achieve the same guidance.

 

What really intrigues me is especially on first lead, do players give attitude or count. I have always followed attitude /switch on first lead dependent upon dummy. Interested in those that just use count because I have seen successful players use it in the past. Not talking about an attitude / count signal dependent upon the card led, but count irrespective of the card led.

[akhare]

One thing that I find curious: lots of people prefer UDCA to standard because of a small theoretical advantage, but hardly anyone prefers revolving signals* to standard suit preference, even though that too has a small theoretical advantage.

 

* Revolving = low card signals for the next lower suit in rotation; high card signals for the next higher suit in rotation.

Aren't revolving discards very similar to Lavinthal?

 

I have played them in the same manner as described, with the extension that the discard of the 5, 6, 7 was "neutral" and carried no message, except that playing 5 -7 up the line in the same suit was mildly encouraging..

[mike777]

Thank you all for taking the time to post.

 

Your replies are thoughtful.

 

With that said still not sure what UDCA...expert is.

 

 

I played often UDCA back in 87 and discussed udca back in 71 but I understand theory moves on......

 

I guess I was looking for basic answers to questions such as trick one...trick two....first discard...etc...

 

I have not played UDCA for years.