Bridge Trumps

One of the most common delusions one sees exhibited at the bridge table is that good trumps are important.

It is true, that at the slam level good trumps are vital. You sometimes cannot afford even one trump loser and certainly not two losers. As the suit is trumps losers in that suit cannot be discarded and trump losers are not avoidable.

For overcalls, where partner is likely to select that suit to lead initially or later, a poor suit tends to lead to defensive losses.

However, as declarer and at lower level suit contracts, certainly up to the four level, you are frequently more concerned with winners than you are with losers. After all you have chosen trumps to avoid too many losers in side suits. A poor trump suit will make winners with small cards. Aces and kings and queens will make for winners in side suits.

So given the choice of two otherwise equivalent suit fits, it usually pays to go for the suit of lower quality for the trump suit.

Poor Judgement

So why do beginners and some intermediate players frequently bid self-destructively and select the wrong suit. My favourite and most extreme example is from rubber bridge. I was playing with a very nice lady who raised my four card 1 opening bid to 3 on a doubleton. Duly making three hearts, (I actually had six hearts), I asked later why she raised me on a doubleton. "Well they were the Ace and King…", she said, "…so they were as good as four!"

There is always a hidden psychological basis for such apparent madness.

When beginners have poor trumps, they tend to leave trumps alone as perhaps they feel foolish losing all these trump tricks early on in the hand.

As a result, they play on their side suit winners, getting some of them trumped, sometimes by both opponents.

So in a real sense the beginners are right - the Aces and Kings in sides suits are not tricks, a bad trump suit is expensive, so in terms of their method of play they are right to avoid poor trump suits!

If they are not required for ruffs, now you know to draw trumps early, particularly when they are poor or else risk losing to the outstanding trumps separately.

Now you have the reasoned arguments to use with your partner, maybe you and your partner will lift your game to include playing in weak trump suits at part score or even up to the four level. Being in the right suit is often worth a trick or two more.

Enjoy your bridge.
R. Wells Simple Tips with Big Impact

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