The San Francisco call., 1906-12-23
copyrisht, 1903, by r.. F. Foster.
HO-SS

AFTER q person has thoroughly mas
tered the principles OF opening GER
tain suits by leading certain cards,
against trumps or against no-trumps.
he will probably be better able 20 un-
derstand the reason for departing from
the regular system upon special occa-
sions.
The object in leading a suit is TO
make tricks in it. or to avoid losing
tricks in some other suit. The man
ner OF making the tricks does not
much matter, so that you get them
but the number OF tricks that can be
made by playing a suit one way as
compared 10 playing it another is
sometimes an important matter.
The original lead against a no.
trumper requires something more than
mere knowledge OF book rules. and
in many cases there are several points
10 be considered; tho position OF the
iarities Of your own hand. If you are
the leader and have a suit OF six or
seven cards headed by the A K Q. you
win not fnd much difference of opin-
ion as TO your leading out the high
cards Immediately and trying to drop
the whole suit.
But IL your only high cards are the
A X, the number OF cards you have IN
the suit must determine whether you
viii begin with the high cards or start
out with your fourth best Almost all
n ar "A. facd ba
small card, unless there are seven or
more In the suit A study o1 the prob
liabilities OF the case would seem 70
Y I'd este that the chances OF dropping
the sdverssries' high cards in two
leses ere not ih yorr favor when you
hole only SIX CT the suit yourself.
therefore good players do not at
tempt st.
Bat. says the a-~r. II the dealer
has your sult stopped. say with the
queen. why not nasiA- sure Of your two
tricks by leading A and X and then
let him have his trick With the O. in
stead OF giving him the first trick by
leading q small card2
The answer 10 this question is an
other question. Are you sure OF get
ting into the lead TO make the small
cards Of your Ak suit after you have
given the dealer the third trick in ite
L you are. b. all meana. play the hand
that way.
But II you are not so sure of get
ting into the lead again. or have only
cne chance to dc so. you must refnem-
Der that you have a partner, and that
he may be able to get in, even II you
cannot. II is the consideration OF the
possibilities Of the partners hand that
dictates the lead OF the small card for
the first trick instead of for the third.
It is because you have a partner that
you let the dealer make his Q at once,
instead OF making your A and K first.
Let us suppose the dealer holds the
Q. II you lead your high cards first
and then play a small one so as to
get the dealers Q out Of the way, your
partner must follow suit three times
The odds are then 921 TO 70. or nearly
Ia to ] against his having still another
lard OF your suit with which to put
you in, IL he gets the lead before you
DO.
But II you begin with a small card
and let the dealers q make Immediate
uy, suposing that he holds the Q, Their
II either you or your partner can get
into the lead again you make the 1--WE
remaining tricks in the suit, because
your partner will still have a card OF
your suit left IN HIS hand IL the suit
has been led only once. When you
have six OF a suit, the odds are N to ]
that your partner has two or more.
The reason then for leading a small
card from AK and four others is not
because the dealer will probably make