Beginners guide to suit combinations

[jillybean]

Thanks everyone for your input into this. I have summarised the combinations here to make it easier for future BIL viewers and changed all hands to make North/South declarer.

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY Best play is lead Queen and play low if not covered. 50% chance of success. Leading the Queen and playing the ACE works only 2.8% of the time (when east has singleton King)

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY Lead Queen and let it ride if east fails to cover, 50% chance. Playing the ACE when WEST plays low. Playing the Ace hoping to drop the king singleton offside only has 13% chance to win. This line has 50% chance to win.

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY The odds favor leading the queen, and if WEST plays low, go up with the ACE.. you can also just lead the ACE... Odds of a singleton King is 52%. Odds of Kx or K on side is only 50%, but odds of South having specifically Kx is only 24%

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY Chance to win 4 tricks requires 3-2 split, with the club queen with West. Win ACE, then lead towards KJx.. if West plays low, play the jack. Chance of success is 33.9%

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY Same line.. ACE and then to the Jack.. This wins three tricks, unless East has QTxx or QTxxx. Chance of winning 3 tricks? 86.7%

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

BEST PLAY Same thing as other hand with QJxx. Start with the ACE, and then lead low towards QT.. cover what card south plays (Ten or if jack, then play Queen). Odds of success for 3 tricks reduced to 63.5%. BTW, same play to win 2 tricks, has 89.6% chance to win 2 tricks

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Lead low to the King. Protects against East having singleton ACE. Hook jack on way back.

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Equal chance.. Low to the queen. If low to queen and the queen wins, chances of three tricks equal on playing low to towards the king and ducking or playing the king

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Low towards the J9x, play then nine IF east plays low. Then low to the king...

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

You need one trick in this suit,, ,low to the nine, then low the JACK... then low to the king...

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Play small to the K, and next play small to the J. Doesn't matter if the suit splits 5-0 or 4-1, these are the first 2 tricks in the suit, and you'll know if you have to finesse the T or not...

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

If you need three tricks, correct play is win the ace and lead towards the queen, playing the queen if north plays low

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

If you need only two tricks, there is a safety play. Lead low and insert the nine (or Queen if east plays T of Jack. Next lead towards the A8x, if next hand shows out, win ace and lead upto the queen. If next hand plays low, insert the 8.

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

To win four tricks, the same, start ACE and lead towards the queen

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

You need THREE tricks only. To win three tricks, now start low towards the queen, and if the next hand plays low, insert the queen.

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

You have to find WEST with the singleton King (lead ACE) then hook

EAST for the Jack

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

This is back to the play on same 9.. lead low and insert the TEN, or you can lead towards the A8xxx and insert the eight.

 

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

A low to the ten... If suit is 3-3 you lose 2. If it is 4-2, you got to hope WEST has doubleton Kx, Qx, or Jx, or EAST has KQ, KJ or QJ doubleleton.. But the pickup is when WEST has Hx doubleton

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

How many tricks do you need? If you need six, you have to play Queen and hope to catch RHO with Kx doubleton. IF you need only five, it is better to play the ACE and lead up to the QJ... (sort of similar to QJxx opposite Axxx)

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Play small from dummy first, then ACE-QUEEN-JACK in future

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Play low the first time. If neither KQof J is played, play low the second time. IF someone wins K, Q, or J on first round, lead out the ACE on the second round.

 

[hv=n=sqj109&w=s&e=s&s=saxxx]399|300|#1 Win 4 tricks[/hv]

Leading the QUEEN and let it ride if not covered and lead the TEN and let it ride then in both cases repeat the finesse both have 87% (76%... the 87% was a frame shift typo) chance of wining two tricks... but, leading the QUEEN first is best.. because if WEST has singleton JACK you can win three tricks. There is no way to win three tricks if WEST has the singlton King.... so that "EXTRA" chance makes QUEEN the matchpoint play.

 

A hidden remark for intermediate+ players: There is a 3rd way to play it, that has technically almost the same chances for 2 tricks, but allows defenders go wrong: Lead low from hand to the 10, finessing against the J. If that loses, lead the queen, playing low if not covered, thus finessing against the king. This only loses if RHO has the J, and LHO has the king. But when LHO has Kx(xx), he may well go wrong and play the king on the first round.

[xx1943]

HI think you shld add 2 more:

 

[hv=n=sxx&w=s&e=s&s=saxxxxx]399|300|South has only 1 side entry, which cannot attacked at once.[/hv]

This one is clear: Play small from both hands in the first round.

 

Both follwing hands I inserted in my Training for beginners and intermediates and many declarers didn't found the rite line. :)

 

Do all Billies know, that this is just the same:[hv=n=sxx&w=s&e=s&s=saxxxxx]399|300|South has only 1 side entry, which cannot attacked at once.[/hv]

I guess they do not all.

 

board 1

 

An how about this:

[hv=n=sxx&w=s&e=s&s=saxxxxx]399|300|South has only 1 side entry, which cannot attacked at once.[/hv]

board 3

 

 

Al

[inquiry]

Al just so you know, these links will be broken in a couple of weeks when those hands disappear from the myhands site, yet your post will live on for a long, long time. This is why it is usually best to show the hand rather than to provide a link.

 

Ben

[xx1943]

Al just so you know, these links will be broken in a couple of weeks when those hands disappear from the myhands site, yet your post will live on for a long, long time. This is why it is usually best to show the hand rather than to provide a link.

 

Ben

Hi Ben

Many thks for the hint. The links are made to the travellers not the hands, as proof, how many folks went wrong.

 

Really important imo, that Billies know, how to handle this basic-combinations.

 

Regards

Al

[jillybean]

BUMP - here's a fabulous thread by Inquiry & others that someone asked me to find for them.

[xx1943]

I see in all diagrams the same distribution: North ♠QJ109 and South ♠Axxx

 

Is this my PC(Win7) my Browser(firefox) my flashplayer or my policy using skripts?

To look other movies in no problem for me.

 

Or is this thread corrupted?

[Antrax]

Thread corrupted.

[jillybean]

Ooops, I will look for the original thread

[gwnn]

It's an old handviewer vs new handviewer thing. If there's more than one hand in an old post, it will be taken over by the first one. It turns out the 'only one hand per thread!!' camp (I am often one of them) had it right all along :)