Modified Losing Trick Count

[sopociak]

I read topics on Losing Trick Count on BBO forums and was surprised most of players were using "old" kind of system based on count of 24. I have been using Modified on New LTC when you subtract total number of losers (both hands) from 25 (having a proper fit first off course). You also count missing Ace-1.5 loser King - 1 looser and Queen - 0.5 looser

Example for players playing 2/1.

 

[hv=pc=n&s=saq84h53dt765caq6&n=skj975h9dackjt873]133|200[/hv]

 

East South(12 HCP/7.5LTC) West North(11 HCP/5.5 LTC)

Pass 1♦ (1) Pass 1 ♠ (2)

Pass 2 ♠ (3) pass 4 NT (4)

 

(1) Have 12+ HCP without 5+ cards Major and 7.5 LTC or better

(2) Have 4+ ♠ and 6+ HCP and 9.5 LTC or better

(3) Have 4+ ♠ suits

(4) I have 4+ ♠ but 5.5LTC or better. Give you your Key Cards

 

South opened so with 12-13 so MLTC should be around 7.5. North takes 7.5+5.5 and subtracts from 25= 12 tricks.

You have a Grand Slam with 23 HCP together. Could you bid it playing regular American Standard ?

Now change this hand a little bit:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=saq853h53dt76caq6&n=skj97h9da5ckjt873]133|200[/hv]

 

East South(12 HCP/7.5LTC) West North(11 HCP/5.5 LTC)

Pass 1 ♠ (1) pass 4 NT (2)

 

(1) 5 ♠+ 12+ HCP/7.5 LTC

(2) I have 5.5 LTC with support in your ♠. 1430 asking for keycards. Spades are already agreed suite

 

And the last one:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=skq976h2d42caqj72&n=saj5hjt85dak93ckt]133|200[/hv]

 

East South(12 HCP/6.5 LTs) West North(16 HCP/6.5 LTs)

1 ♠ (1) pass 2 ♦ (2)

Pass 3 ♣ (3) pass 4!♠ (4)

Pass 4 NT (5)

 

(1) Have 5 ♠ + and 12+HCP/7.5 LTs

(2) Have 12+ HCP and forcing to the game. Possible 7.5 - 8.0 LTs. 2 ♦ doesn’t show necessarily suite of 5 – just strong hand with values in first control in♦ . We play 2 over 1

(3) 4+ in ♣ forcing for one round

(4) Have 6.5 LTs (not 7.5) and support of 3+ in ♠

(5) Asking for key cards

MLTC gives the real strength of the hand - including distribution. Like everything in the bridge is based however on probabilities assuming Normal Distribution. If you have an option to go for slam missing 2 Kings - would you go. MLTC can give you 12 tricks providing one of the finesse will work. You might take under consideration potential interference from your opponents when looking for missing Kings/Queens.

Any Input based on your Knowledge/Experience ?

Anybody looking to play like that on BBO (I'm new to computer games) could drop me a note

[nige1]

The Winning Trick Count is another rule of thumb, an LTC variant, producing similar results, but requiring only addition ...

• Strength: A = 1.5, K = 1, Q = 0.5 (Adjust for shortages, honor distribution, and intermediates).
• Shape: Void = 3, Singleton = 2, Doubleton = 1 (Adjust for duplication).
• Trump Control: =1 (sufficient trumps to ruff losers and draw defenders' trumps).

Sopociak's hands fit well with almost no duplication.

Playing 2/1, on a good day, we might contrive auctions like ...

[hv=pc=n&b=1&n=skj975h9dackjt873&s=saq84h53dt765caq6&d=S&a=1DP1SP2SP4N(KCB)P5S(2+Q)P6C(3rd round !C control?)P7SPPP]300|300|

With ♠ trumps ...

 

North has 7.5 winners

(♠K = 1, ♦A = 1.5, ♣K = 1, ♥ singleton = 2, ♦ singleton = 2).

 

South has 5 winners

(♠A = 1.5, ♠Q = 0.5, ♣A = 1.5, ♣Q = 0.5, ♥ doubleton = 1).

 

Total winners = 13.5

(including 1 winner for Trump control).[/hv][hv=pc=n&b=2&n=skj97h9da5ckjt873&s=saq853h53dt76caq6&d=S&a=1SP4H(SPL)P5C(CUE)P5D(CUE)P6SPPP ]300|300|

Wirh ♠ trumps,

 

North has 6.5 winners

(♠K = 1, ♦A = 1.5, ♣K = 1, ♥ singleton = 2, ♦ doubleton = 1).

 

South has 5 winners

(♠A = 1.5, ♠Q = 0.5, ♣A = 1.5, ♣Q = 0.5, ♥ doubleton = 1).

 

Total winners = 12.5

(including 1 winner for Trump control).[/hv][hv=pc=n&b=3&n=saj5hjt85dak93ckt&s=skq976h2d42caqj72&d=S&a=1SP2DP2SP3SP4C(Non-serious CUE)P4D(CUE)P4H(CUE)P4N(KCB)P5H(2+Q)P6SPPP]300|300|

With ♠ trumps, the winning trick count is over-optimistic (but not bad for a rule of thumb)...

 

North has 6 winners

(♠A = 1.5, ♦A = 1.5, ♦K = 1, ♣K = 1, ♣ doubleton = 1).

 

South has 6.5 winners

(♠K = 1, ♠Q = 0.5, ♣A = 1.5, ♣Q = 0.5, ♥ singleton = 2, ♦ doubleton = 1).

 

Total winners = 13.5

(if you include 1 winner for Trump control). [/hv]

[mikestar13]

I use Nigel's WTC (which usually ends up with the same results as MLTC) with one modification: I count 0.5 for a nine-card fit, 1.0 for a ten-card fit, but -0.5 for a seven-card fit rather than a flat 1.0 for trump control. So the example hands count to 13.0, 12.0 and 12.5 winners.

[Zelandakh]

MLTC in detail

How to build your own MLTC Point Count system