INTRODUCTION TO THE LOSING TRICK COUNT

(continued)

Let's take another look at the slam hand at the start of the lesson, using just the Raw LTC Count:

Your losers 7 Add partner's losers

5 Total losers 12 Deduct from 24 = 12, the number of tricks expected if spades are trumps (and the breaks are normal).

Your partnership should reach 6ª. A sensible auction would be:

You Partner

1¨ 1

ª 4ª 4NT

5© 6

ª Pass

Note that there is nothing special or unusual about opener's hand - no voids, no singletons, no freak fit. If anything, it is slightly light for the jump to 4ª.

5. COUNTING THE QUEEN AS A WINNER

It clearly cannot be correct to value a queen as highly as an ace.

Obviously Q-7-3 is not nearly as powerful as A-7-3. Just as obvious Q-7-3 is more valuable than 8-7-3, so that it is better than three losers.

The queen should be counted at full value, a winner, whenever it is supported by another honor. If the queen has only rags with it, Q-9-8 or worse, count it as only half a trick, and thus as 2 ½ losers.

Therefore,

A-K-Q = no losers, A-Q-6 = 1 loser, K-Q-3 = 1 loser, Q-J-5

= 2 losers and Q-10-7 = 2 losers, BUT Q-8-3 = 2 ½ losers, Q-7-5-4

= 2 ½ losers Q-9-6-5-2 = 2 ½ losers, and so on.

The value of "togetherness" for bridge honors is well known:

(a) Dummy: KQ6 (b) Dummy: K76 Declarer: 754 Declarer: Q54

In (a), you have a 50% chance of two tricks. In (b), the chance for two tricks (lead low to one honor, duck on the way back) is a mere 1% unless the opponents kindly lead the ace for you.

(c) QJ6 (d) Q64 432 J32

With (c), you have a 75% chance of one trick (lead twice towards dummy). In (d) the chance for a trick is a tick above 30% (unless they lead the suit for you).

Example of counting losers involving the queen:

*Note that with a doubleton, any card below the A and K is a loser. So that Q-x is two losers, not 1½

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