Cheap Tricks - Tips for Club Play

For all the wonderful people you can meet at your local duplicate (I hope), there is a lot of lack of competent bridge. You plan on winning by taking advantage of the opponents' mistakes, declaring the hand better, perhaps enjoying the solidity of a regular partnership, and creating difficulties for the opponents. Here are some tips.

Be a good partner.

This is a hackneyed rule, but it is the number one rule to winning bridge. If partner goes against you, you are fighting an uphill battle. But if you are clicking, the results can be amazing. Whatever you can do to make partner's game a more pleasant experience, the better your game will be.

Play confidently and quietly.

Many club players are prone to becoming undone by confident players. Also, talking a lot not only distracts you and your partner, but gives away your emotions (and other things) to the opponents. Be pleasant, however - not bullying or antisocial.

Hold your cards up.

This should be a no-brainer, but it's the way of the world. If you are not sure of the importance, next time you play with a partner that does not hold his cards up well, watch the eyes of your opponents. Personally, I put my cards below the table most of the time, which cuts off any view of the cards and does not stress the arm muscles at all.

The 1-level is a democracy.

Anybody can say anything at the 1-level and get away with it usually. Open light in third seat with a good suit. Make as many overcalls as humanly possible. These tactics not only have the legitimate advantage of attracting a lead, but many players have severe difficulties with competitive auctions. When you don't overcall/open a KQJxx suit and out, and partner leads your singleton against 3NT, it's a disaster! Respond to a 1C or 1D opening with any hand with QJTx or better in a major. Get the idea?

Preempt a lot.

Don't put ungainly restrictions on your preempts, especially weak twos. If you pass with a 6-crd major simply because it has a side void, or 3-4 cards in the other major, or this, or that, it means you are losing out on getting the first blow in. In third seat, have the agreement with partner that the suit can even be 5 cards if not vulnerable and the hand has offensive character.

Tempt an opponent to cover an honor.

The classic example is KJT9 in hand opposite Axxx, or similar (lead the Jack, and if not covered, rise with the Ace and hook the other way) but there are others that shamefully work more than they should. JTxxxx on board with AK stiff in hand, when board has only one entry, is one example. Also they will not cover what doesn't look like an honor: lead the Ten toward AJx(x) if the normal play looks too low-percentage. People take the adage "cover and honor with an honor" to heart.

Double them at the 3-level.

If an opponent has been taught to rotely go to 3 over 2, try to double them reasonably often when your side has the majority of the HCP. The rationale is that you won't get a good board if they make it anyways, nor if they go down 1 undoubled when you have a partscore. You might have to develop your sense of when they "have their bid" or not, but go with your gut. A tell by the opponent may give it away.

Drop an unnecessarily high intermediate in their trump suit.

You are defending, dummy has AJxx of trumps, and you have 9x behind it. Declarer has shown 4 trumps, and cashes the King in her hand. Drop the Nine, and a thoughtful declarer will consider dropping your "Queen". This is not a totally stupid play since this declarer is not used to falsecarding opponents, and if the Nine is true, it makes some matchpoint sense to play for the drop, particularly if the contract is aggressive and a 4-1 break would mean a bad score for declarer anyways. But there are lots of opponents at the club who always fall for this play; no doubt it is more exciting to sense the doubleton Queen rather than make the normal play of the hook. This play can be made with the Ten, or even the Eight (just worked last weekend for me). This play will work in the same situation in non-trump suits, but use sparingly as partner is relying on your count signals (if partner doesn't watch your signals, falsecard with abandon!).

If you think that these tips will work to a useful degree against the very good players in addition to the normal club fare, you would be correct. Please don't use them against me!

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