Dee-fense!

p - p - p - 1H
p - 2D* - p - 4H

Partner leads the C9, dummy is

JT
AT87
A853
JT7
.............K9765
.............---
.............Q42
.............A8654

You win the CA. Now what?

casual game

You get dealt x AJ QJ QJ98xxxx

Lefty deals.

1C - 1D - 1S - ?
2S - 2N - 3S - ?

I passed at my first turn (considered a raise to 2D...) and then bid 5D on my second turn. Thoughts?


You reach 3N on 1D - 1H - 1N - 3N

LHO leads the CQ, you have

Ax AK9x KQ32 xxx
Qxxx QT A987 Kxx

You duck the CQ, another club is led to the A, third club led, you win the K. It looks like LHO started with QJTx. What's the plan?

some hands

Well this is a bad mistake I made.

I get to 6S (imps) with
xxxx Qxxx xx Kxx
AKQxx AJxx AK Ax

After the opening minor lead, I break spades 2-2, cross to dummy and finesse the HJ. I think this costs the slam about 3% of the time when the HK is stiff offside. As it was, I found Kx onside. No bad play goes punished!

Santa Clara Regional 9/6

1S - 2H - 2S - 3S - 3N - 4S

Lead is the club 6.

8xx AQJxx x AKTx
AK7xx Tx Axxx Jx

Sorry, I don't remember the club x's.

Santa Clara Regional 9/4

You get deal J AKxx KQxx KJTx.

In third seat, you open 1N (okay I was masterminding), LHO intrudes with 2S, partner bids 3S and you bid 4H.

SA is led, you get

xxx JTxx Axx Axx
J AKxx KQxx KJTx

Hearts are 4-1, RHO having Qxxx. RHO follows to three rounds of spades, the SQ on the third round.

Palo Alto 8/20

Just another random hand from that night.

In 4H:

Axxx QJ xx KTxxx
KQT AKT98xx Jxx ---

It's not terribly interesting, but I was pretty proud of myself for immediately identifying the ways to make 5H by...

1) ruffing a diamond in dummy
2) ruffing out the CA
3) breaking spades 3-3
4) running a squeeze against LHO when he has 4 spades and the CA

If they start a big diamond and shift to a heart, your diamond ruff is never going to come home. Still you need to rectify the count, so win trick 2 in dummy, ruff a club. Exit a diamond, now they play another heart. Ruff another club. If the CA hasn't fallen, run all trumps, throwing away the CK on the final trump, and then play on spades.

The defense started two rounds of diamonds, and I was allowed to ruff my diamond in dummy.

Afterward, I was looking over the hands with some friends, and they said "this hand always makes 5, move on." And I pointed out the kind of neat play, but they were like "whatever, spades are 3-3." Lame :/