Losing Trick Count - part 1

By JennIfer Jones

UilUI. """"" more losers iJUln /here enough for game. Partner will pass
are cards. with a seven-loser hand and bid game
2. With three or more cards in a suit, with a better than minimum (six-
loser) hand
count the ace, king and queen as
winners; anything lower is a loser. What would ),011 bid with these
hands after paI1ner opens 1. 1
3. With a doubleton, count the HOe
and/or king winners, Other C3Id<; .AJ764 . KQJ6 +J8 .97
are losers. WIth a singleton, only .A8764 . KQ96 +85 .97
Are di1fIcuIt bidding decisions the ace Is a winner; anything else Is
causing you str'e!ls? Would you like a a loser. WhIle the first hand has 12 RCP
"magic formula" to give you the right and the second only 9, they both illM!
Examples! .A K Q6 4 has no los- seven losem. That makes them both
8IllIW<>r most 01 the time? Then the ers; .K54has two losers; .AK643
method of hand evaluation known as game-forcing hands, so make a game-
has one loser; .K 5 has one loser; forcing bid such as Jacoby 2NT.
Losing TrIck Count (LTC) is for you!
.7 6 6 4 3 has three loser8; .J 6 4 has Both hands can be expected 10 pro-
LTC is more about the proper evalu- three losers; • K Q 5 has one loser;
ation of fitting hands and distnllUtion duce 10 tricks opposite this minimum
• Q5 has two losers. Are you getting seven-loser opener:
than about high-eard points, It's the the picture?
reason wt\Y some 19-point games . 92 . AI0743 + AKI04 .QJ.
make and some 26-p0int games fall, Applflng LTC To learn more, visit the author'.
and it will help you make the winning
Losing tnck cmmt can be used in bJog site: http-Jl.lennbridge.blogspc>t.
bid, Plus, you can use it on your own, many situations, but this month we'll COOL 0
even if partner has never heaId of It! look at raises after partner opens the
This article introduces collIltiJlg los- bidding with one of a IlII\lor• .
~8
ers, explains how it works and ~ A nonnaI minimum openmg hand
how to apply it in some conunon SItu- Do you /oWl
ations. Here is the lonnula:
contains seven losers: playing bridge? ~n
, ..
~
.AK976 . A764 +Q3 + 8~ WB haWl an sw V
1- Count fOur .... ers If partner also has seven losers, the for lbatl
Iotal number of losers is 14. SublJact.. Using the ACBL Club Finder &pp,
1_ Add partner's 1000rs
lug 14 from 2418 IQ; the nwnber of yoo can search fo( bridge clubs
s_Dalut:t the tota11'rom 24 tricl<s the partnership can expect to by city, state, province or postal
win. So if partner opens the hidding code. Or, you can lat the app detect
The MSWeI'Is the LTC. ThIs Is the and you have a seven-loser hand with yoor location Via OPS. Map View
number of tncks the partnership can a fit, you should make a forcing bid helps route you to a nlllllby club
expect to win most of the time-i.e., and head toward game. and clicking on a club's name pulls
if suits break normally and half of An invitationa1 hand contains up itS contact InfOrmation (physi-
eight losers, a hand such as: cal address, phone numbers and
your Ilnesses win. It slwuId rmly be emall addrasses). The &pp's ' Game
usetJ oJIm a pa7tnen;hip fit is estab- .8766 . K8 +KD66 .A6~ Details' feature lists a club's game
lished during the mdding. If partner opens and you have an dates, times and special notes.
eight-loser hand with a fit, invite! The app Is fo( the IPhone, IPad,
CountIDg 1 _ Don~ WOITY too much about hJgh-card
iPod Touch and now for Android t .6
1. Count losers only in the first tbree points. Your eight losers plus part- or higher. Click on the Ilnka In the
bottom ~ghl comer of the webslte
cards of each suit. There are never ner'. seven losers equals 16, which,
www.acbl.org to download for free!
more fJum Ih_ losers in a suit subtracted from 24, equals 9 - not

18 BRI..... BIIUETIN Dea!mbt!i 20//