Was this just bad luck?

[Phil352]

[hv=pc=n&s=sajt76hk9753d4caq&n=sq9843hat62dkq3c2&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1sp4cp4dp4hp4np5dp5sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

Q♥ lead. How do you plan to play? (see second spoiler for ultimate decision you'll all come down to).

 

 

RHO will play the 8 of hearts on first round

If you cash Ace of spades the K does not appear

If you hook the spade it loses

The ace of diamonds is onside

 

 

My line was as follows

 

Cash A♠, play ♦ losing to A on left. Eliminated clubs and diamonds and exited with final trump. Now LHO exits with the remaining small ♥ - do you play him for Qx or QJx?

 

[TWO4BRIDGE]

I still trying to figure out the ♥Q lead .

It seems horrible if either from a tripleton, or doubleton, or stiff .

[wyman]

I think I would have just cashed the HA rather than exiting a spade: if hearts are 2-2, claim. If someone ruffs the heart, claim. If someone shows out but fails to ruff, play the spade. Then at least I'm not left trying to figure out lefty's motives.

[kayin801]

What wyman said, but also especially that LHO is weird. Why on earth didn't he cash his spade K when in with the ♦A? Either he's dumb or he's not afraid of getting endplayed? I guess that favors playing for the drop in hearts, since LHO didn't know we have 5 hearts and could have thought before getting the count that his partner had Jxx.

[mikeh]

I'm not sure I understand the comments so far made, and definitely don't understand the line taken.

 

We have an unavoidable diamond loser, since no one would duck the diamond after we cued the suit.

 

It isn't clear that we don't have a heart loser. So why would we play to maximize our chances of losing a spade trick?

 

I win the heart in hand, play A and Q clubs, ruffing, in order to lead the spade 9 from dummy, intending to run it.

 

If it loses, I will later play LHO for QJx in hearts.

 

I think that Kx Qx Axxx Kxxxx or the equivalent may be a tough hand from which to lead, but the heart Q is not amongst my suggested leads. I'd lead a club...I'm not likely to be giving away anything important given the auction. Heck, I'd lead the diamond A before I led the heart Q. And if he lacks the club K, then the club suit seems unarguably the better lead. Of course, the lead could be a stiff, but I made my choice on that at trick one.

 

Btw, to kayin801 and wyman, how do you intend to make if you proceed as described, which I think was win the heart K, cash the spade A and then cash the heart A....and RHO ruffs it. You still have a diamond and a heart loser, don't you?

[wyman]

Mike, the heart out was instead of exiting a spade after he eliminated the minors. I didn't think hard about an alternate line from trick 2.

[kayin801]

See above Mike, presumably OP pitched two hearts from hand rather than ruffing his good diamonds. Agree that trying to cash the heart right away is stupid.

 

Btw the line I thought of was what you gave Mike but it doesn't give us a significant edge over OPs line on the layout, LHO should win the spade, cash his diamond A, and exit with whatever, letting us figure out hearts. Certainly from the get-go it's probably stronger. And I agree with playing LHO for QJx if that's the way the play goes.