DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Ed, my club’s best player, has a mild gambling addiction that he manages to control. As a penny game ended, Ed announced that he was headed to a 7-Eleven store to buy a lottery ticket.

“I’ll tell you this,” said Cy the Cynic: “Your chance of being struck by lightning en route to the store is better than your chance of winning the lottery.”

Ed is good at figuring odds. In a team match, he was declarer at six spades. He ruffed West’s diamond lead, drew trumps, led a heart — and played low from dummy! Ed ruffed the next diamond, took the A-K of hearts, pitching a club, and ruffed a heart. He led a club to the ace and took the good fifth heart for his 12th trick.

OTHER TABLE

At the other table, South ruffed the diamond lead, drew trumps, took the A-K of hearts and ruffed a heart. East discarded, so South tried a club to dummy’s jack, losing. When clubs failed to break 3-3, he had to go down.

Ed’s play gave him at least a 90% chance. The other declarer’s line was slightly inferior. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S 9 6 H A K

6 5 2 D 9 6 3 C A J 5. Your partner opens one spade, you bid two hearts and he rebids two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: You can’t stay out of game with so many prime honors plus a jack that is bolstered by the ace. Bid three clubs. If partner bids 3NT next, pass and wish him luck. If he bids three spades, raise to four spades. If he bids three hearts, he probably has only a doubleton in support, hence bid three spades.