Thursday, January 09, 2003 3:20 AM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( The Finesse )

PITBULLS:

Bridge experts by nature do not like taking a Finesse. The odds of success with no other factors are just 50 % unless you are Peter Jones so it is less than that due to continuous bad luck J . Expert likes better odds than a 50-50 guess. Beginners seem to live for finesses. So what are the Bridge tools to avoid a finesse ? Elimination of side suits & try an endplay is a technique to avoid a finesse. Another technique to avoid taking a finesse , is to throw the opponents in to find cards for you . This play is “opponent dependent” so will not work against good opponents very often. Playing out your long suit first & watch the opponents sluff wrong is another way to find a card. Again , this does not work against good opponents very well.

Opponents bidding finds cards for you as they announce a certain HCP strength . Get into the habit of counting points when they are played by the opponents . The extra concentration needed to do this will pay great dividends in the long run . Practice , practice , practice … When RHO has already shown up with the 13 HCP’s she announced , her partner holds that queen so you can play accordingly. Training is required for this memory feat as it is a necessary Bridge skill .

Patterns again will help you whether to finesse or not finesse. When LHO shows up with 5-5-2-1 , you need to find the diamond queen , it is x to 2 that the Queen is in the other hand . When you got nothing else to go on & you need to find a queen to make a 6 NT contract , play all the other suits first even if it means going down an extra trick when the finesse fails . Sometimes an opponent will show out of a suit rather quickly so you can get a fairly accurate count of her hand . When she shows up with 6 spades , 3 hearts , 3 clubs it’s pretty easy to find the queen of diamonds to make your 6NT. Opponents can be very honest & give accurate count for you . Take advantage of this so your finessing will continue to be above 50 % .

Squeezes & strip squeezes are tools to avoid a finesse. Sometimes you can combine your chances by trying for the squeeze first so if that does not materialize, fall back on a finesse. There is a technique called “squeeze for the count” to find a queen . Say you are in 4♠ , you have to find the Q of hearts with Axxx on the board opposite KJx in your hand . RHO has to guard clubs also or your club threat is good. Run all you trump , RHO sluffs two hearts . You cash the Ace of hearts , a small heart & RHO follows to both of them ! You know that RHO has the boss club in this end position so you go up with your King & drop the doubleton queen ! Experts hate taking finesses so will do just about anything to avoid them .

Against good opponents , analyzing their opening leads will help you with your finesses. Why did they not make the obvious unbid suit lead ? Why did they lead a 4 card suit against your 3NT ? Watch for suit preference signals by the opponents . When they are asking for a spade switch , it is because they do not hold the diamond Ace . So when you get the inevitable diamond guess , play accordingly. Taking inferences from the way the opponents are defending a hand is another way of finding cards. Again this depends on the strength of the opponents.

Safety plays with good card playing technique is another way of maximizing your chances of finding a card. Law of restricted choice , spot watching & avoiding bad breaks add to your finesse techniques. When you have to finesse in one direction as it caters to bad breaks , of course you do it.

The last technique involved is table feel with the Terplawy rule . Hesitations , nervousness , ethics , knowing your opponent i.e. play the dentist for the card rather than Jones are more hazardous. These are all done at your own risk . Table feel to me is knowing the distributions , counting the HCPs, knowing percentages & knowing the techniques to avoid finesses rather than taking them . When all else fails so I must finesse , I ignore hesitations & go for the Terplawy rule . Anyway , I feel experts should be successful in finesses around 70 % of the time . Counting distribution & HCP along with card play techniques should bring it up to that percentage . Pitbulls should have a team percentage of better than 50 % for their finesses . Work on it !