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In a Suit Contract Count Losers
Ending up in a suit contract your first task is to count your losing tricks. This helps you work out the number of
tricks your hand is likely to win. This is helpful for planning a line of play.
2. With three or more cards in a suit count the A, K and Q as winners; any rank lower eg. Jack is a loser.
3. With two cards in a suit only count the A and K as winners; any rank lower than these eg. Queen and Jack are losers
4. With one card in a suit count the A as a winner; any other ranked card eg. King, Queen, Jack or lower is a loser
5. There are never more than three losers in a suit.
6. There are never more losers in a suit than the number of cards in the suit.
2. The number 24 is derived from the maximum of 3 losers countable per suit per hand - using this method there are only a maximum of 24 losers between Declarer and Dummy's hands. maximum in a hand. There is no guarantee that you will in fact lose this number of tricks, it should be used as a guide only.
Overview
Counting losing tricks re-evaluates your hand once you have found a trump suit 'fit' and are in a suit contract. It's purpose is to help you to predict the number of tricks your partnership can certainly win, and help on deciding the lines of play you need to use to win more tricksDeciding on Losers
1. Count losing tricks only for the first three cards of each suit. The 4th, 5th, 6th etc. cards in a suit are taken as winners.2. With three or more cards in a suit count the A, K and Q as winners; any rank lower eg. Jack is a loser.
3. With two cards in a suit only count the A and K as winners; any rank lower than these eg. Queen and Jack are losers
4. With one card in a suit count the A as a winner; any other ranked card eg. King, Queen, Jack or lower is a loser
5. There are never more than three losers in a suit.
6. There are never more losers in a suit than the number of cards in the suit.
Calculate Tricks You Can Make
1. Count the losing tricks for each suit in each hand then take that total away from 24. This will leave you with the number of tricks you can hope to win.2. The number 24 is derived from the maximum of 3 losers countable per suit per hand - using this method there are only a maximum of 24 losers between Declarer and Dummy's hands. maximum in a hand. There is no guarantee that you will in fact lose this number of tricks, it should be used as a guide only.
Table of Card Combinations to Count Losers
| Cards held in suit | Losers | Cards in Suit | Number of losers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J T 9 | 3 | 8 6 3 2 | 3 | |
| A 7 5 | 2 | A 7 5 | 2 | |
| K 6 4 | 2 | Q J T 4 | 2 | |
| K Q 8 | 1 | K Q 7 4 | 1 | |
| A K T | 1 | A Q 6 4 | 1 | |
| A K Q | 0 | A K Q 8 6 | 0 | |
| J 5 | 2 | Q 9 (doubleton) | 2 | |
| A 2 | 1 | K (singleton) | 1 | |
| A K | 0 | A | 0 | |
| T 9 8 7 4 3 | 3 | A 8 7 5 4 | 2 | |
| K J 8 | 2 | K Q 7 4 2 | 1 | |
| A Q 6 4 3 2 | 1 | A K Q 9 7 3 2 | 0 | |
| Q J (doubleton) | 2 | K Q (doubleton) | 1 | |
| - (void) | 0 |
Instant Progress Quiz - Check all correct answers
Extra for Experts
A different game on the same subject as this lesson, with questions for community discussion in the comments area below.
PLAY