Jennbridge: Losing Trick Count Seminar, Part V

Part V and final segment of the LTC seminar presented at the San Francisco NABC:  Bid Like the Experts!

LTC works well with help-suit game tries as shown in the following example.
                                                          
Question:  What do you bid with this hand after you open 1♥ and partner raises to 2♥?

♠105
♥AK10973
♦4
♣KQ82

Answer:  Partner’s single raise promises 9-10 losers.  You have only 12 points, but 5 losers.  Make a game try, such as 3♣.

♠943
♥Q862
♦87
♣AJ5

♠105
♥AK10973
♦4
♣KQ82
                                                                                           

Partner will bid 4♥ with help in clubs.  You reach a nice 19-point game using Losing Trick Count.

Note:  Change the responder’s hand as shown below.  With 9 points but no help in clubs, game won’t make.    

♠Q43
♥Q862
♦KQ8
♣973

♠105
♥AK10973
♦4
♣KQ82
    

Question:  After two passes, West opens 1 heart.  North doubles and East bids 3 hearts.  What do you bid with the South hand?
                                                                                               

Board 30 East Deals None Vul	♠ A 4 2 ♥ 5 2 ♦ K Q J 9 ♣ K 8 7 2
♠ 9 8 ♥ A K Q J 8 7 4 ♦ 6 ♣ Q J	N W E S	♠ Q 5 3 ♥ 10 9 6 3 ♦ A 10 8 7 5 ♣ 53
	♠ K J 10 7 6 ♥ — ♦ 4 3 2 ♣ A 10 9 6 4

Answer:  First, count your losers.  While this hand has only 8 high card points, it has 7 losers.  It should therefore make game opposite a takeout double.  Jump to 4 spades.

FINAL NOTE:  Generally, as points increase, losers decrease; as points decrease, losers increase. Also, the more balanced a hand, the more losers; the more unbalanced a hand, the fewer the losers.  Go slowly with flat hands. These principles are quite effective and lead to increased bidding accuracy.  Good Luck!

____________________
*The seminar material presented here contains a brief summary of Losing Trick Count.  For more information you may purchase either or both of my LTC books on this site. Vol. I contains the basics, how to use LTC with Bergen Raises, and several good example hands from actual play.  Vol. II contains the six Bridge Bulletin articles plus more great hands. Questions?  Email me at Jennife574@aol.com.

See you at the table!