January 2025 - 66

Special Contributor
Vic's Views
Don't be a slave to the point count - part 3
Cards in partner's suit
Proper hand evaluation includes
listening to the bidding and weighing
honors in partner's suit(s) versus
those in the opponents' suit(s).
Let's say partner opens 1s. What
should you bid with each of the following
hands?
1 sK J 3 2 h3 2 d6 5 3 2 c4 3 2
2 s7 6 3 h4 3 2 d6 5 3 2 cK J 2
Hand 1: Bid 2s, happily (but don't
show your excitement, of course). The
sK and sJ are great cards to hold,
you have 4 trumps, and you have a
ruffing value in hearts. Your dummy
will likely produce two, even three
tricks - not bad for a 4-point hand.
Hand 2: Pass. You have only three
trumps, no ruffing value, and your
king and jack in an unbid suit are of
unknown value.
Let's see how this works. Let's give
partner a hand on which she might
raise a 2s response to 4s, and pair it
with Hand 1:
Partner
s A Q 10 5 4
h A K 8 5
d A 9 4
c 7
Hand 1
s K J 3 2
h 3 2
d 6 5 3 2
c 4 3 2
4s is a favorite to make. Of course,
we can't prove a concept with one
example, but can you see the point?
Another way to look at this hand is
that it will provide several playing
tricks (maybe three) for partner as a
dummy in a spade contract, so long
as partner has three or more hearts.
How many single raises provide this
many tricks?
Now let's pair partner's hand with
66 | Bridge Bulletin | January 2025
Hand 2:
Partner
s A Q 10 5 4
h A K 8 5
d A 9 4
c 7
Hand 2
s 7 6 3
h 4 3 2
d 6 5 3 2
c K J 2
Even if we don't get a diamond
lead, we're still a slight underdog in
4s. With a diamond lead, however,
our chances drop considerably. Yes,
it's an extreme example with a horrible
club misfit, but it demonstrates
the principle.
The other side of the coin
Partner opens 1s and RHO overcalls
2h. What should you bid with
each of the following hands?
3 sQ 8 7 h8 7 3 2 dQ J 3 2 c4 3
4 s7 3 2 hQ J 7 3 dQ 8 3 2 c4 3
With Hand 3, I would bid 2s. It's
not a great hand, but at least you
have the queen of partner's suit and
no wasted values in theirs.
With Hand 4, I would pass. I strain
to raise partner's suit in competition,
but this hand has no redeeming values.
Your cards in hearts are almost
certainly not worth 3 points.
The value of your hand often changes
during the auction. And high cards,
particularly secondary cards like kings
and below, have more value in partner's
suit than in the opponent's suit.
In-and-out valuation
Although this principle applies
to many auctions, here is a simple
example. Partner opens 1s and you
have one of the following hands:
5 sK 3 2 hA 3 2 d4 3 2 c5 4 3 2
BY VIC QUIROS
vic@thebridgeclassroom.com
thebridgeclassroom.com
6 sA 3 2 hK 3 2 d4 3 2 c5 4 3 2
Each hand is 3=3=3=4 with an ace
and a king. Is there a difference? Yes,
there is. Hand 5 is the better hand
because both of your high cards are
known values (working). An ace is
almost always a trick, but a king may
not be. A king in partner's suit must
be working. In Hand 6, the hK is a
questionable value.
Let's see how this works. We'll give
partner a hand on which she would
raise a 2s response to 4s and pair it
with Hand 5:
Partner
s Q J 10 5 4
h 7
d A K Q 5
c A K 7
Hand 5
s K 3 2
h A 3 2
d 4 3 2
c 5 4 3 2
4s is unbeatable, barring some
outlandish breaks.
Compare with with Hand 6:
Partner
s Q J 10 5 4
h 7
d A K Q 5
c A K 7
Hand 6
s A 3 2
h K 3 2
d 4 3 2
c 5 4 3 2
Although 4s is still a favorite, you
could easily lose a trick in each suit.
What does this teach us? Let's
assume that we have two honor
cards, one in partner's suit ( " in " ) and
the other in a side suit ( " out " ), and
that they are different ranks, like an
ace and a king. The higher card is the
primary, the lower card the secondary.
It's better to have the secondary
honor in partner's suit, where it is
known to be a working value, and the
primary outside. 2
http://www.thebridgeclassroom.com
January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2025
