An outgoing player

UNLUCKY Louie resides in the middle income range. Unfortunately, when he plays in the money games at my club, he’s in the upper out-go range.

When I watched today’s deal, Louie was South and stopped timidly at six hearts. North left the table to get a drink and was aghast when he sneaked a look at Louie’s hand.

“You didn’t bid seven with that?” North sighed. “What do you want, a written guarantee?”

“I know my limitations,” Louie replied soberly. He took the ace of clubs, led a diamond to his ace and cashed the ace of trumps.

HIGH TRUMPS

West showed out, and Louie nodded grimly. He took three more high trumps and led a spade to the ace. East ruffed and cashed the king of diamonds. Down one at six hearts!

Louie was unlucky to find East with all five missing trumps and no spades. But Louie let 1,430 points go out the window. At Trick Two he should ruff a club. He then takes his four high trumps and concedes the fifth trump. He can win the diamond return and claim. DAILY QUESTION: You hold: AK9 842 None 10 7 4 A K 9 7. You open one spade, your partner responds 1NT, you try two clubs and he bids two hearts. The opponents pass. What do you say? ANSWER: This is an uneasy situation. A rebid of two spades would be defensible, but partner may have no tolerance for spades at all; his hand may take a few tricks only if hearts are trumps. My advice: When the deal is a misfit, don’t tempt fate. Stop bidding. I would pass. North dealer Both sides vulnerable

NORTH ADMIT, AMID, AMIDST, ATOM, ATOMISM, DIATOM, DOGMA, DOGMATISM, GISMO, IMAGO, IMAM, MAGI, MAID, MAIM, MAOISM, MAOIST, MAST, MASTOID, MIDMOST, MIDST, MIMOSA, MIST, MOAT, MOIST, MOST, OGAM, OMIT, SIGMA, SIMA, SMOG, SOMA, STIGMA, STOMA, TAOISM