Bidding Quiz BRIDGE

Multiple choice

1. The probability of being dealt a hand containing a five-card or longer suit is: A. 75% B. 65% C. 55% D. 45%

2. The probability of being dealt at least one ace is:

A. 25% B. 50% C. 60% D. 70%

3. You are declarer in a notrump contract and hold A-Q-J-9 of a suit in which dummy has a low singleton. To make the contract, you must take three tricks in the suit.

When you lead the singleton from dummy and the next player follows low, you should: A. Play the nine; B. Play the queen;

C. Play the ace.

4. When you and dummy together hold 10 cards of a suit, the probability of finding the missing cards divided 2-1 is:

A. 90% B. 78% C. 67% D. 50%

***

1. B. A player is dealt 4-4-3-2 distribution 21.6% of the time; 4-3-3-3 10.5% of the time; 4-4-4-1 3% of the time. That covers about 35% of all deals. In the remaining deals, a player will hold at least one fivecard or longer suit.

2. D. There are players who claim they never hold an ace and that this is why they always lose. Cold mathematics refutes this contention. All you have to do to silence such claims is offer these players odds of 2-1 per deal that they will be dealt at least one ace. If you find any takers (lucky you), you’ll have even better odds in your favor than most gambling casinos!

3. A. Oddly enough, the nine is the right play. It will yield three tricks in the suit in about 52% of all deals, while playing the queen or ace will succeed less than half the time. You should therefore go with the odds and play the nine.

4. B. This knowledge would come in handy if, for example, you were considering bidding a grand slam and your only possible loser was in the trump suit, where you knew you held 10 cards in the combined hands missing the queen or queen-jack. In general, you should bid a grand slam when the odds are at least 2-1 in your favor. In the given case, therefore, you would undertake the grand slam because the odds are more than 3-to-1 in your favor.

Tomorrow: An unusual safety play.