PlaySpades
Home | Basics | Where to Play | Players | Other Info' | Random Jottings | Links

RANDOM JOTTINGS - 19th August 2001

NEWS & GENERAL COMMENTS

What with Summer, holidays and decorating, I haven't been updating the site very often. I hope to get back to more regular updates in the Winter. I have now been listed on some of the larger search engines, so I am pleased to say that the site is getting better known. Please email me if you would like to see any changes or additions.

Links
I have updated all the links.
"Christy's Cardhouse" is now redirected to "Spades" - whether this is being run by the same person I don't know! "Jeff's Spades", "Ladder Monkey" and "American Hearts & Spades Players Association" sites, all appear to have vanished. Maybe it's only temporary. I have added a site called MySpades.com. I don't know anything about it, but it claims to be a "Spades tournament site." Please send me details of any good links that you think I should add.

Online Spades
NBCi appears to no longer taking Pogo games. You are now redirected to Playsite. GO appears to have stopped games altogether. The site listed for "Flipside" is the UK site. There are also American, French & German sites - see www.flipside.com for details.

"Wordplay"
I haven't listed WordPlay which is on AOL, because I am unable to get into it. Is it for AOL members only? Some AOL members are also unable to get into it! I have emailed AOL asking for help, but they haven't replied! I suggest any AOL members having problems call them direct. I would like to know if they reply!


N
W E
S

INTERESTING HANDS

Hand 1

K9863
1096
82
1094

  

West bids 1, your partner bids 7 and East bids 3. What do you bid? You expect to make 2 tricks, so the correct bid looks like 2. However, think about it for a minute. Your partner has bid 7 which probably includes a couple of spade tricks. There may well be some duplication of values in Spades, you have very little ruffing capability and you could easily lose 5 tricks. I suggest therefore that you only bid 1. Some people would suggest this is wrong, but I would prefer a safe +80 and 1 bag rather than score -90!     

Hand 2

A75
AQ82
AK
AJ62

  

Your right hand opponent bids 1 and it's your bid. What do you bid? I would probably be pessemistic and bid the obvious 5. Without the low bid of 1, I would bid 6 expecting to make either a diamond ruff or make QH. At the table my partner bid 7. He was a good player, but in my opinion 7 is definitely wrong! Unfortunately, he didn't play it as well as he could have done and only made 5 tricks! My hand was hand 1 above. Yes, I made my 2 but we we were set when East turned up with QJ10x in spades!     


Hand 3
Underbid? No way!

    A
10763
A1073
AKJ6
  
KJ83
KJ92
KQJ5
3
   N   1075
A84
86
Q10542
W   E
  S  
    Q9642
Q5
942
987
  
The score was 485 to N-S and 396 to E-W. North started with a fairly normal 4. East, needing points, bid a slightly dubious Nil, but perfectly acceptable with the score. To make life difficult for E, S bid a generous 3. This meant that E had to bid 6 to try and win the game, which he duly bid.

North lead 7H - not the lead that E wanted! He needs to park AH on the 3rd round of diamonds! The play continued at the table with 8H, QH and KH. West continued with JH followed by 9H and set his partner! With E joining in the attack, N-S then stood no chance and their 7 was set. The score was then 415 plays 357.

If West had found the correct line and played on diamonds at every opportunity (instead of playing hearts), then probably everyone would have made their bids, and E-W would win by 1 point ! (556 to 555)

Both sides lived to fight on! Notice the various tactical bids made because of the score. If you give your opponents a chance to go wrong, then they often will!



Return to Home




(This page was last updated on 19th August 2001