Finessing Against Dummy ♥
In this lesson we look at the defensive technique of finessing against the dummy. This means that you hold your threatening card back until dummy plays their honour which sometimes means playing a card that is not the highest in that suit when you are 3rd player to play.
The Importance of Shape ♦
This is taught to us through various methods. The losing trick count is a popular way to analyse the trick taking potential of a hand and with this it takes into account shape, for if you are void of a particular suit then you have no losers in that
Play Your Suit Carefully ♥
Sometimes you have a suit so good that you only need to play safely to make sure you make the tricks you can (these suits seem to appear a lot less than you’d hope!). This is a classic example: AQ1063 (Dummy) K974 Okay. Fairly straight-forward right? Cash your top
Opening Leads ♦
In this video we take a look at the most important card a defender plays - the opening lead. The opening lead shapes the direction in which the defence goes, so we have a few general rules and tips to help you get that right!
Finessing ♦
In this lesson we delve into the key card play technique of finessing. The idea is to maximise your trick taking by taking some risks in hoping a particular opponent holds a particular card.
Danger Hand ♥
Here we look at the principle of a danger hand - a particular opponent who you do not want to gain the lead. You can make avoidance plays to make sure they don't gain the lead and thus the danger is averted!
Queen ask after 4NT RKCB ♠
Here we take a look at the advanced technique of enquiring about the Queen of trumps after a 4NT RKCB response. This feature assumes you are playing Roman Key Card Blackwood so if you are yet to come across that then take a look at the lesson for that
Attitude Signals and Discards in Defence ♥
In this video we learn about signalling as defender. This is a method of communicating with your partner in the card play. The first signalling method you will learn is H.E.L.D. - High Encouraging Low Discouraging.
Trump Play – Loser Analysis ♦
In this lesson we take a look at declarer play, and in particular playing in a trump contract. We look at different types of losers and how to reduce those losers to ensure you make more tricks in your trump contracts!
The Rule of 20 ♦
This lesson we learn about the bidding technique called the 'Rule of 20'. This rule helps you evaluate your hand based on not only its points but its shape too, and this can mean that you open the bidding on less than 12 points.