[diana_eva]

Hi,

What's the best way to play this hand? Is is better to try and establish a trick in clubs, rather than in hearts, given the spots? GIB says it should make, but I wasn't able to find it at the table.

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[nigel_k]

It's better to play hearts because, if they are 3-3, you can set up a tenth trick after losing the lead twice. If you play on clubs and they are 3-3, you set up a club trick after losing two of them, but you still need to lose a heart as well in order to set up a trick there. They will probably have a spade to cash by then.

On the actual hand, hearts were 3-3, but you were unable to reach the long heart. You needed to keep ♦K as an entry.

[diana_eva]

Heh thanks, didn't realize i messed up with the DK. Oh well... momentary blindness.

Edit: Maybe i shd have posted in N/B

This post has been edited by diana_eva: 2012-April-03, 02:24

[Cyberyeti]

nigel_k, on 2012-April-03, 02:09, said:

It's better to play hearts because, if they are 3-3, you can set up a tenth trick after losing the lead twice. If you play on clubs and they are 3-3, you set up a club trick after losing two of them, but you still need to lose a heart as well in order to set up a trick there. They will probably have a spade to cash by then.

On the actual hand, hearts were 3-3, but you were unable to reach the long heart. You needed to keep ♦K as an entry.

Well you have the option of heart towards the K and if it holds, switch to clubs. Which is the winning line if W has K10, Q10, or KQ(xxx) of clubs and the hearts misbehave in a way that E can't cash 3 more if W has KQ and can fire one through.

[Fluffy]

Important things on this hand:

4-3 and 4-4 fits in NT are normally used as entries, you should not cash them early to force discards because they don't force enough discards normally, but they are very useful as comunication. You should play them if you are missing a honnor to stablish the rest of the suit obviously, but if you have AKQ or AKQJ playing it now is normally pointless and makes you more damage than good.


The heart suit should be played by low to the King, and not low to the queen, Qxx and Kxxx is simetrical, so doesn't matter, but the difference here is that you have ♥9 with the queen, and that is a possible tenace, and you want to keep the queen protecting the 9. If you play low to the King you can make an extra trick if you pin a honnor from ♥A10, ♥AJ, ♥J or ♥10

[nige1]

diana_eva asks "What's the best way to play this hand? Is is better to try and establish a trick in clubs, rather than in hearts, given the spots? GIB says it should make, but I wasn't able to find it at the table."


IMO: Win ♠Q. Finesse ♥9 (hoping ♥ are 3-3 or e.g. LHO fails to split holding both ♥J and ♥T).

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[Hanoi5]

Winning the first trick with the ♠Q and playing on hearts is the trick of the hand.