awm Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Suppose you decide to lead from xxx vs. a suit contract. This suit has never been bid, and suppose your spots are small enough that you don't really need to worry about costing a trick (i.e. the top card is not the ten or anything like that). What I'm interested in here is your systemic lead (obviously you might false-card on some hands especially if you hold almost all your side's expected values, but that is really not the issue here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLOGIC Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Small but I had always played 3/5th vs suits so that probably doesn't help. In my new partnership we play 4th and lead middle or top from 3 small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulg Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I lead top in my regular partnership, but I don't care what I play as long as I do not lead the middle one in partner's suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aguahombre Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Top for us. Low=from doubleton or an honor if not in pard's suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siegmund Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Small (except with people who lead low from doubletons) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel_k Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I prefer low but play 3rd/5th almost always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionL Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Middle, unless the middle card looks like low from Hxx lead, then top. Called Sometimes MUD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnasher Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I prefer middle because it's what I'm used to, but I think top is better. Leading low from three small makes my head hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_h Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Small, but I play 3/5th as well. If I were playing 2/4 leads then I would prefer the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerardo Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 MUD unless supported the suit, then top. playing 2/4 MDU of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecalm Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I think small is the best, it gives the most important information first (count). No surprise it's so popular at elite level.I play 2/4 all my life: low from xx, middle from xxx (and then small). This is decent, you don't waste the highest card and got delayed count information (and sometimes instant, expecially in xx case). I don't like MUD. If you have T8x/98x you sometimes don't want to play the highest 2nd round and I predict a lot of confusion as to 2 or 3 dilemma. in my new partnership we play 4th and lead middle or top from 3 small Beware those 98x vs 9x problems :) I always thought it's very bad agreement. You con't distinguish xx from xxx even by 2nd trick. Looks like source of disasters to me. I think I remember a spectacular disaster of Hamman-Zia on vugraph caused by this. What am I missing here ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLOGIC Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I have never played anything but 3/5th vs suits, so I don't know. Hope it works out :P I assume there will be some compensating gains knowing partner has an honor on the 2 lead or something but I am used to strict count leads vs suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Not trying to threadjack, but I'm considering 2nd from NT with holdings like Hxx. It is a sound method to lead as follows: HxxxxxxxxxxHxx? It seems 2nd is getting a lot of attention here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jogs Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I prefer low but play 3rd/5th almost always. If you have already shown 3 card support during the auction, leading low should promise a queen or higher. Lead high with 3 small. Partner already knows the count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 If you have already shown 3 card support during the auction, leading low should promise a queen or higher. Lead high with 3 small. Partner already knows the count. nigel_k was responding to the OP which explicitly said that the suit hadn't been bid. I'm the same as JLOGIC, I always play 3rd/low (except with gnasher!) and find this normal.It helps to have good agreements about when you are going to come out with a lead of xxx in the first place, it's not exactly my first choice of lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecalm Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 It is a sound method to lead as follows: This is standard Polish style. Almost everybody in Poland play it.My understanding is that this is different from "British 2/4" in a way that we lead small from xx (up to 92).You also need an agreement about what card you play from xxxx in 2nd round of the suit if you can't afford the highest one (so appearance of lowest/highest not seen tells partner exact count at this point). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulg Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 This is standard Polish style. Almost everybody in Poland play it.My understanding is that this is different from "British 2/4" in a way that we lead small from xx (up to 92).You also need an agreement about what card you play from xxxx in 2nd round of the suit if you can't afford the highest one (so appearance of lowest/highest not seen tells partner exact count at this point).British 2/4 includes a few 3s and 1s for those who don't understand it. A better description would be "we never lead 5th" than 2/4 :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akhare Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Top -- low would be from a doubleton or Hxx.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSGibson Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 personally, I prefer 3/low leads whether I have an honor or not, in conjunction with a smith echo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLOGIC Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 This is standard Polish style. Almost everybody in Poland play it.My understanding is that this is different from "British 2/4" in a way that we lead small from xx (up to 92).You also need an agreement about what card you play from xxxx in 2nd round of the suit if you can't afford the highest one (so appearance of lowest/highest not seen tells partner exact count at this point). Yes, when people said 2/4th I used to get confused then I realized I should just listen to their accent to figure out what they meant. It helps to have good agreements about when you are going to come out with a lead of xxx in the first place, it's not exactly my first choice of lead. Interesting I am generally a very passive leader and often will lead from 3 small. Obv depends if its MP or imps I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnka447 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Play frequently with 2 partners. One prefers small from 3 small, one prefers middle. However, I think small is best. At least pard is not likely to confuse it for a doubleton. Most of the time leading from 3 small is not a preferred choice. But if the opponents have had a tortured auction and a passive lead seems right, it may be necessary with tenaces in the other suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yes, when people said 2/4th I used to get confused then I realized I should just listen to their accent to figure out what they meant. Interesting I am generally a very passive leader and often will lead from 3 small. Obv depends if its MP or imps I guess. My passive leading has gone up a bit recently but I have always thought that strict 3rd/low i.e. including low from xxx didn't fit well with a passive leading strategy. Putting a strong emphasis on count works best when partner has a good idea what your honour holding is up front. Maybe it also works fine if you are a very passive leader; it only goes wrong when partner has no idea if you like to lead from Hxx or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnasher Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yes, when people said 2/4th I used to get confused then I realized I should just listen to their accent to figure out what they meant.That works when they're English or Polish. What does it mean if they're Swedish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWO4BRIDGE Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Suppose you decide to lead from xxx vs. a suit contract. This suit has never been bid, .... I would lead LOW ( from odd ) . ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Now you didn't ask about the following, but let's say partner HAS bid, and you have NOT supported: - - then Lead LOW from odd in his suit ... However, if you HAVE supported: - - then Lead HIGH w/NO honor ( x x x ) - - or LOW w/an Honor( H x x ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgoetze Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 However, I think small is best. At least pard is not likely to confuse it for a doubleton.A good demonstration of why the question posed in this thread is in fact slightly silly. A better question may have been "given that it is axiomatic to lead high from a doubleton, what do you lead from three small?" I like to lead the middle card from three small because it fits well with the rest of my preferred leads, which include low from a small doubleton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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