Posted 2004-November-09, 09:54
Don't worry about the fact it was made at other tables. 4♥ really has no play, and should lose 2♥, 1♠, and 1♦ for for down one. The defense can go wacky, and start spade AK for instace, and it still doesn't help, as long as they shift to a club when they win either one of their hearts. They have to make at least two bad plays to give you a chance to make. Like set up the spade queen, and then lead away from the diamond JACK. Or, setup the diamond queen, and then win two hearts and exit a heart, and west get squeezed down (psuedo) to sitff diamond jack, you cross to dummy in clubs and lead the DIAMOND queen, pinning the jack.
I will comment on your line of play, however. There is little to no need to ruff clubs twice. You need one of your entries to dummy to play a heart from dummy, where you have to guess what heart honor EAST holds (here he holds none). If it is the queen, you will will hook (hope for Qx), if it is the ACE, you will bplay the king (hope for Ax). Only by leading a heart from dummy can you hope to make this hand. IF you get lucky in hearts and lose only 1H trick, you will win 7H, 2D, 1C for 10 tricks. Going to dummy withe club ACE, and ruffing a club, and crossing to the diamond Ten and ruffing a club, ASSURES that you will go down, no matter how this suit splits. Consider the possible heart splits....
AQTx---->void = you lose 3 heart tricks
AQT----->x = you lose 3 heart tricks
AQ------>Tx =you lose 2 heart tricks
AT------>Qx = play heart and hook queen, you lose 1 heart trick and make
Ax------>QT = play heart and hook queen, you lose 1 heart trick and make
QTx---->A = you lose 2 heart tricks
QT----->Ax = play heart and jump up with king, you lose 1 heart trick and make
Qx----->AT =play heart and jump up with king, you lose 1 heart trick and make
Tx----->AQ = play a heart from dummy, and you make, no guess work
x------>AQT = you will lose 2H tricks if you play heart from dummy, 3 if from hand
T------>AQx = you will likely lose only 2H tricks,
Q------>ATx = you may lose three heart tricks if you play low to jack
A------>QTx = you will lose 2 H tricks, 3 if you play heart King early
void---->AQTX = you will lsoe 3 H tricks
So as you can see, the only hope is heart from dummy and if necessary, lucky guess.
--Ben--