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Beginner's Korner -- Tip of the Month
Passing to the Left
At the beginning of every fourth hand (hand #1, hand #5, hand #9, etc.), you are faced with a passing situation to the left. Sometimes, you can use this situation to your advantage. Then again, there are hands in which your actual pass will not change regardless of the direction. For our purposes today, consider each of these left passing situations:
1.  K 5 4 2,  A 9,  J 10 7 4 2,  A 8
2.  Q J 10 8,  9 2,  A K J 9,  A J 9
3.  J 6 3,  K J 3,  A 10 9,  K 7 4 3
4.  K 10 8,  Q 7 3,  K 8 5 2,  Q 10 8
5.  4,  J 10 8,  A K Q 10 7,  A Q 10 7
Here are the recommendations from your resident Hearts guru! I have tossed in a few comments regarding the over play-plan, too (after the pass).
Hand #1
Pass the Ace and 8 of Clubs, as well as the 9 of Hearts. Do not pass the A-9 of Hearts together, as you may be feeding your LHO's (left-hand opponent's) Heart suit. Keep the King and his three small Spades. Your LHO opponent could take the Ace of Clubs on trick #1, and lead a Spade to your King. When you pass the Ace of Clubs to the left, it may induce a Spade lead on trick #2, after your LHO wins the first round of Clubs (assuming that he does not have a Spade problem). The only pass that really hurts you here are three middle Hearts or three middle Clubs. Another comment is that you might have the Spade Queen passed to you; however, that is no reason for keeping the King-fourth of Spades here. Holdings of Ace or King of Spades with three small or middle Spades are usually quite safe, barring bad distribution.
Hand #2
Pass the Club Jack and 9, and the 9 of Hearts. Do not pass the 2 of Hearts -- it is too valuable a card. Keep the Spade Queen here. You do have good "backers" (protecting Spades), although your length is short. (Lower supporting Spades could make for a more difficult decision.) If you pass the Spade Queen, you will be saddled with the weak Diamonds and at least one bad Club. I like keeping the Ace of Clubs, in this situation, as it gives you first-round control, and the chance to strip the minor (Club and Diamond) suits. Be sure to count Spades if they are led, and keep an eye out for the Ace or King of Spades. The principle to follow is "The Queen of Spades is safer in your hand than in the hand of an opponent."
Hand # 3
This is a decent deal. Get rid of the Ace and 10 of Dimes, and the Jack of Hearts (another alternative is to pass the 10 and 9 of Dimes, and the Heart Jack). Your Clubs are safe; you have a stopper in Hearts and three Spades for driving that suit. If the Spade Queen is passed to you, you will have to strip the Diamonds early or hope for a favorable Spade distribution. If you are not passed Her Royal Majesty, then you will be in a position to get out of this deal for four points or less. The hand will get ticklish if three crappy Hearts (sans the Ace) are sent your way.
Hand # 4
This is a close call. In the early part of a game, I would take a chance and pass the three Clubs! In this way, if I am passed no Clubs, I can dump the King of Spades on the Club suit. My Diamonds are decent here, and the Heart suit is stopped. I know I might be giving up a Moon without a Heart pass, and I’m willing to take that risk. However, in the later stages of a game, especially with a close score, it would be much safer to go conservative. Then I would pass the King of Spades, the 7 of Hearts, and a high Club. That still leaves two rotten Clubs and an unguarded Queen of Hearts. Hearts is a game of judgment, and decisions based on experience, and the score at the time of a particular pass.
Hand # 5
Dump the entire Heart suit. You can hear strains of "Who Let The Dogs Out," as you sort out this collection! Your minor suits are atrocious, and offer no chance for escape. If you try to cut the Club suit, you will be left with two bad red suits. Yes, you might be giving away a Moon here; however your LHO would then have a gigantic Heart suit and the long, solid Spades. Of course, if someone passes a middle Heart to you, after you cut Hearts, it is time to chalk up some crispy number such as "22" or "21" in your score column, and move on to the next hand. Why don't we have the Queen of Spades, and the Q 9 of Hearts, passed to us? I am sure there are lots of ways to go down the river here. Instead, let's be optimistic. The opponents have 12 Spades among themselves, and you receive the Queen of Hearts and two more high Clubs. Spades are led early; then you are forced in with a Club, as a Heart is tossed on this trick. Then you lead your singleton Heart, and it "walks," as you run out the hand for the Moon! (Of course, the Jack of Dimes came down in three rounds, too!)
Merry Christmas! | |
| Advanced Alley: Endgame Positions
Suppose you are playing in a competitive game, and the scores are close after eight or nine deals. During a particular hand, the points have been divided, and there is no chance for a Moon. You hold these four cards after trick #9.
 A Q,  A 2,  None,  None
Of course, you don't have the luxury of seeing all four hands. Here are the facts.
a. Your Ace and Queen are the last two Spades.
b. There are only two Hearts remaining, the 6 and the 3.
c. You do not know how these two remaining Hearts are distributed.
(Are they in the same hand, or are they divided between two opponents?)
d. As stated above, there is no way for anyone to shoot the Moon.
e. Finally, you are on lead.
What do you play, and why?
The analysis will be part of the June column.
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