Weekly games 3-23 #2

[Dlan]

Should s3 have trumped 1st trick?



https://worldofcardgames.com/#!replayer ... %3A1%7D%5D

[RedDuke]

No. He knows for sure that the dealer can overtrump that 9. If he trumps with the right, nobody can overtrump him but he has nothing to lead back with and dealer can easily throw off leaving him and potentially his partner with no trump strength.

[Wes (aka the legend)]

Should s3 have trumped 1st trick?

This is the way I see it. To answer this question you have to start by asking a 5000 feet up type question: "If my team is gonna euchre the maker how is that most likely going to happen?" IOW what will be the typical anatomy of a euchre in this spot? And the answer is pretty simple. The overwhelming majority of the times your team euchres the maker it will be because your Right and your 9 of trump BOTH take a trick, and then your partner somehow gets the other trick. If your 9 doesn't take a trick that usually means game over on the euchre front. After all, given that you hold R+1 and the dealer called trump in that suit it is very difficult to imagine your P ever having 2 tricks in his hand to save the day. So your 9 of trump must take a trick for magic to happen. So when S1 leads into your void with a diamond and S2 plays the Ace, you gotta put your 9 of trump on that and pray the dealer has another diamond (it's not like you have other voids to wait for, this is it). If the dealer overtrumps it no big deal. The enemy is still not getting 2 points, and you did your best to go for the euchre which is all you can do.

Here's another way to look at it. When you lay off that first trick and let S2 take it, that line in itself will eliminate your team's euchre chances the vast majority of the time. I mean think about it. The dealer called trump, he's gonna have something, and you just let his P assist with 1 trick. What are the odds you stop the enemy now when all you have is the Right and another low trump that's virtually useless since you have no other voids? I mean I hate to insert actual results into my argument becuz that's usually a specious tactic, but the actual results kinda tell a compelling story here. I'm S4 and I make a very dubious call that might not even be correct. You basically catch me at the bottom of my range and YET allowing my P to take the first trick was all I needed to escape. So even against a BS call, letting S2 take the first trick sunk your battle ship. Imagine how your line will work out against a legit call, which is the kind've call you'll be facing almost ALL of the time.

So IMO you have no choice but to trump in on the first lead becuz that's generally the only pathway that leads to a euchre anyways. If the dealer doesn't have a diamond and overtrumps you then your euchre attempt is probably over and that's ok, there was no viable alternative. If your 9 of trump flies then lead a club through the maker maximizing your P's chances to overtrump since that suit is dirtier than your spade option.

[irishwolf]

I agree with Wes about trumping when S2 plays an ace such as in this hand. However, I would caution on one aspect. You have to know how your partner at S1 plays. He S1 has a tendency to lead from three of a suit that does not work. It is generally speaking, not a good idea for S1 to lead from 3 when the dealer makes trump. There are exceptions though.

But to me, S3 also underplayed the JD with the 9H. To me just wasting trump.