| 1. "An Interesting Hand" -- Analysis
Last month's column featured a hand played by Hearts Tourney expert Orin Johnson. The glory days of The New England Hearts Players' Association produced some outstanding players. Here is the hand (repeated for convenience):
(The Pass is from the Left, and it is first deal of the game)
 None,  Q 10 9,  A K Q 10 9 7,  A K J 6
(After the Pass:)
 A Q,  J,  A K Q 10 9 7,  A K J 6
This hand illustrates a familiar motif that occurs rather frequently. Although this hand appears to be hopeless, the Singleton Heart offers a reasonable chance for escape. A second Heart in this hand would be fatal. The idea is to rectify the count (a term from the game of Bridge), and surrender an early trick -- in this case the low Club. Here is what actually happened:
Orin ducked the first Club to the Queen, and everyone followed. He later commented that if his Spade Queen was Singleton, there would be no time to surrender the first Club trick. The minor suits (Clubs and Diamonds) would then follow, from the top down, and if the Club Queen did not drop, the jig was up! In the actual layout, Orin had the luxury of increasing his chances to strip the minor suits -- thanks to the Ace of Spades. On trick #2, a predictable Spade shift (by the winner of the Club Queen) went to the Ace. Now the Diamonds and Clubs were reeled off -- and lots of them, too! The Jack of Diamonds fell early, and Orin absorbed several Hearts. He was down to these last two cards:
 Q,  J
Sure enough, the person who had passed the Jack of Hearts reduced his hand to the Ace and Deuce of Hearts. And some unfortunate chap (holding the 3 of Hearts) got pasted with her Royal Majesty on trick #13! Orin was lucky-- to be sure, any expert defender would have kept the Ace of Hearts and a low Spade; however, it was the first hand of the game, and dividing the points was probably best in this situation.
2. "Hold" (Keeper) Hand Survey
I received 108 responses, and with all precincts reporting, and the final votes tallied, the results are:
Pro - 61
Con - 47 Keep the "hold" hands!
I am amazed! Here are some of the arguments for "hold" hands (these are exact quotes):
a. "They challenge you the most, as there is a greater skill factor."
b. "You don't have to get someone else's junk (from the pass)."
c. "The distribution tends to be more even, and thus, you can strip suits easily."
d. "A 'hold' hand can be an equalizer and give the lesser-skilled player a chance to win a game."
e. "There are fewer Moons when the 'hold' hand is in effect." Here's my favorite! f. "A 'hold' hand reminds one of real life -- you have to handle what you are dealt!" And from the "Con" side comes this array of posts: a. "I hate 'hold' hands, because you have no way of improving a bad hand."
b. "Passing is part of Hearts: a 'hold' hand is not consistent."
c. "It is almost impossible to hit the low man with a 'hold' hand."
d. "Instead of a 'hold' hand, why not have a 'scatter' pass on every fourth deal?"
e. "If you like 'hold' hands that much, why not get rid of the pass, and play a game with all 'hold' hands?" Here's my favorite from the "I hate hold hands" group: f. "You are in the finals of a tournament, and have been playing for eight hours. You are winning a close game, with all of the scores in the low to mid 80s.
"On a 'hold' hand, you pick up this wonderful collection:
 Q,  K Q J 10,  5 4 3 2,  6 5 4 3
"Don't you just love the Diamond and Club suits? As your Spade Queen is blasted out on trick # 2, and you thrash around hoping for subsequent Spade leads, you realize you are cooked. Twenty or so points later, you drop into last place, and the winner types in 'Good game everyone.'
"My personal preference is to eliminate 'hold' hands. In the live Grand Prix National Tournament, there are no 'hold' hands. The Pass rotation is: Left-Right-Across, and then repeat. I am intrigued with the 'scatter' pass (one card to each opponent) as a substitute for the 'hold' hand. In many ways, the game of Hearts is much like the game of Spades. It is evolving, and someday, there will be a standard set of rules." I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the survey.
3. Partnership Hearts -- Is it here to stay?
Hearts was designed to be an individuals' ("cutthroat") game. Several years ago, a partnership variation was created. Instead of playing for yourself, you had a partner, who sat opposite you. In this way, the game resembled Spades or Euchre. Partnership Hearts flourished in the Zone during the late 1990s.
Next month, I will look at how this variation has become more popular and is now part of the live tournament scene.
4. "Live" Tournament Update
Check the Grand Prix Site for more information. Hearts is one of the games featured in the National Series.
www.grandprixtournaments.com
Alert! Don't forget St. Valentine's Day -- "you gotta have Hearts"!
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