Читать книгу Foster's Complete Hoyle: An Encyclopedia of Games - R. F. Foster - Страница 11

The difference between straight bridge, as it is sometimes called, and auction is in the method of selecting the trump, which must be declared by the dealer or his partner, the opponents having nothing to say except to double the declaration if they think it will not win the odd trick. Another point is that either side can score toward game by getting the odd trick or more, there being no penalties for failure to make the odd except losing the value of the tricks because the dealer never declares to make any given number of tricks on the hand.

There are some irregularities which are peculiar to straight bridge that would not apply to auction. These are fully covered by the following description of the game, all other matters, such as the correct card to lead and the manner of combining the hands, have been fully described in connection with auction.

MAKING THE TRUMP. This is the chief peculiarity in bridge. The trump is not turned up, but the suit is named by the dealer or his partner, after they have examined their cards. In order properly to understand the considerations which guide them in making the trump, one should first be familiar with the values attached to the tricks when certain suits are trumps. The first six tricks taken by one side do not count; but each trick above that number counts toward game according to the following table:—

When	Spades	are trumps,	each trick counts	2	points.
”	Clubs	” ”	” ” ”	4	”
”	Diamonds	” ”	” ” ”	6	”
”	Hearts	” ”	” ” ”	8	”
”	there is no trump,	” ” ”	12	”

Better to understand the importance of this variation in value, it should be noticed that the game is 30 points; so that if two partners won 3 by cards with no trump, or 4 by cards with hearts for trumps, they would win the game in one deal. On the other hand, if either of the black suits were trumps, they could not lose the game, even if a slam were made against them.

It will thus be evident that two considerations influence the player whose privilege it is to make the trump: First, to win as much as possible, if he has the cards to do it. Second, to save himself, if he is weak; or the game, if it is in danger. As a general proposition, it may be said that his decision will be indicated by the colour of the trump he names. If it is red, he is strong, and plays to win; if it is black, he is taking to the woods. A further element may enter into his calculations, the state of the score. If he feels sure of the few points necessary to win the game or the rubber with a black trump, there is no necessity to risk making it red. This is a part of the subject which we shall go into further when we come to the suggestions for good play.

The dealer has the first say in making the trump. If he does not feel himself strong enough to make it no trump, or red, although his hand may be black enough to promise a good score in clubs or spades, he should transfer to his partner the privilege of making the trump by saying: “I leave it to you, partner.” Guided by this indication, his partner must fix on some suit for the trump or go no-trumps, and must announce it.

Either the dealer or his partner may elect to play without a trump, if he has sufficient strength in all the suits to do so.

IRREGULARITIES IN DECLARING. If the dealer’s partner makes a declaration before being asked to do so, either adversary may demand that the declaration shall stand, or that there shall be a new deal. In England, only the eldest hand, A, may exact the penalty. If the dealer’s partner passes the declaration to the dealer, either adversary may claim a new deal or may insist that the player in error shall make the declaration. In England, the eldest hand exacts this penalty.

Should an adversary of the dealer make a declaration, the dealer may, after looking at his own hand, either have a new deal or proceed as if nothing had been said.

SETTLING THE VALUE OF THE TRICKS. The trump suit having been announced, the first hand or leader, A, before he plays a card, has the privilege of doubling the value of the tricks if he thinks the opponents cannot win the odd trick with the trump named. To do this, he simply says: “I double.” If he does not feel justified in doubling, he transfers the opportunity to his partner, by asking him: “Shall I play?” That is to say, “shall we play without doubling?” If his partner will not double, he answers: “Yes.” Either A or B having doubled, it becomes the privilege of the player who made the trump to double him again; making the value of the trick four times greater than that given in the table. If he does not do so, he says: “I pass”; and his partner then has the privilege. If either the dealer or his partner doubles, the adversary who first doubled may repeat it; or if he passes, his partner may double. This doubling may be continued until the value of each trick over the book is 100 points, when it must cease.

IRREGULARITIES IN DOUBLING. If the pone doubles before his partner has asked him “Shall I play?” the maker of the trump shall say whether or not the double shall stand. If he allows it to stand it may be redoubled. Should a player redouble out of turn, the one whom he redoubles shall have the right to say whether or not the redouble shall stand.

Any consultation between partners as to doubling or redoubling will entitle their adversaries to insist on a new deal.

If the eldest hand leads without asking his partner’s permission to play, the pone cannot double without the consent of the maker of the trump. Should the pone ask the eldest hand, “Shall I play?” that does not deprive the eldest hand of the right to double.

METHOD OF PLAYING. The trump suit and the value of the tricks settled, the player on the dealer’s left begins by leading any card he pleases. After he has played, the second player, Y, lays his hand face up on the table, and takes no further part in the play beyond availing himself of the privilege of asking his partner if he has none of a suit to which he renounces. From the moment that Y’s cards are exposed the game becomes Dummy, the dealer, Z, playing Y’s cards for him.

The dealer gathers the tricks for his side; either adversary may gather for the other. The first six tricks taken by one side make a “book” and all over six count toward game. The tricks should be so laid that they can be readily counted by any player at the table.

The Revoke. Should a player fail to follow suit when able to do so, it is a revoke. Dummy cannot revoke under any circumstances; but the penalty for any other player is the loss of three tricks for each revoke made, which are taken from the side in error at the end of the hand. In England, the penalty may be exacted in any of three ways; three tricks, or the value of three tricks in points, or the addition of a like amount to opponent’s score. A slam cannot be scored if the tricks necessary to make it were taken for the revoke penalty. The side making a revoke cannot win the game that hand, no matter what they score; but they may play the hand out, and count all they make to within two points of game, or 28. Players cannot score a slam in a hand in which they have revoked.

Exposed Cards. If the dealer or his partner exposes a card before the declaration has been made, either adversary may claim a new deal. If any player exposes a card before the first card is led, his partner forfeits the right to double or redouble. If the pone exposes a card in this manner, the dealer may call it an exposed card, or he may require the eldest hand not to lead that suit.

If, during the play of the hand, either adversary of the dealer exposes a card, by playing two cards at once, dropping one face up on the table, or holding it so that his partner can see any portion of its face, the card so exposed must be left face upward on the table, and is liable to be called.

Exposed cards can be called by the dealer at any time, but he cannot compel the play of a card which would constitute a revoke.

Leading Out of Turn. If either of the dealer’s adversaries lead out of turn, the dealer may either call the card exposed, or may call a suit when it is the turn of either adversary to lead. If the dealer leads out of turn, there is no penalty, but he cannot correct the error if the second hand has played.

Cards Played in Error. If any player but the Dummy omits to play to a trick and does not correct the error until he has played to the next trick, his adversaries may claim a new deal. If any one, excepting Dummy, plays two cards to a trick and does not discover it, he is responsible for any revokes that he may make in consequence of not having the card in his hand.

OBJECT OF THE GAME. As in all members of the whist family, the object in Bridge is to win tricks, the highest card played of the suit led winning, and trumps, if any, winning against all other suits. At the end of each hand the side that has won any tricks in excess of the book, scores them, after multiplying their number by the unit of value settled upon by the doubling, if any took place. As soon as either side reaches or passes 30, they win the game; but the hand must be played out, and all tricks taken must be counted. The total is written on the score-sheet; the score of the losers standing to their credit until the final accounting at the end of the rubber.

RUBBERS. Three games, of 30 points each, constitute a rubber; but if the first two are won by the same players, the third is not played. The side winning the majority of the games adds 100 (rubber) points to its score.

SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. The points which the beginner may profitably study in Bridge are chiefly in making the trump, and in the methods by which the hands of the partners are combined, so as to work together.

Making the Trump. The bridge player’s first consideration should be the state of the score, which will show how many points he needs to win the game. Let us suppose this number to be 12, he having already scored 18. These 12 points can be made by winning six by cards with spades for trumps; three by cards with clubs; or two by cards with diamonds or hearts. But if the hand can be played without a trump, the odd trick wins the game.

It is hardly necessary to say that a player would be very foolish to engage himself to win six by cards if the odd trick would equally answer his purpose; nor would he undertake to win three by cards with clubs for trumps, if he had as good a chance of making two by cards with diamonds or hearts. In other words, the player should not make the trump which promises the greatest number of tricks, but should select that which will yield the largest number of points.

It is for this reason that every good player first considers the advisability of making it “no-trump,” and if he thinks that injudicious, hearts or diamonds, leaving the black suits as a last resort.

It is the custom invariably to make it no-trump with three Aces, unless the hand is strong enough for a heart make, or holds great honour value in red.

In estimating the probabilities of trick-taking, it is usual to count the partner for three tricks on the average. Conservative players do not depend on him for more than two. Generally speaking, the maker of the trump should have four pretty certain tricks in his own hand.

The dealer should seldom announce a black trump unless he has a certainty of the game in his own hand, without any assistance from his partner, or unless he has such a poor hand that he must make it a “defensive spade.” If he cannot safely make it no-trump or red, he should pass, and allow his partner the chance. With such a hand as seven clubs, including four honours, and absolutely worthless cards otherwise, the dealer should make it clubs, except when the adversaries have won the first game, and are about 20 points in the second. This makes it not unlikely that they will win the rubber on the next hand with their deal. Under such circumstances the dealer must invariably leave it to his partner, in the hope that he can save the rubber by making it no-trump.

The dealer’s partner should be aware that there cannot be any reasonable hope of four tricks in red in the leader’s hand, or a red trump would have been announced; and unless he has at least five probable tricks in his own hand he should not make it red. With three Aces he should make it no-trump. Four Aces is always a no-trumper, no matter what the rest of the hand may be. If he is obliged to make it black, and has three or four probable tricks, he should announce whichever suit he is best in. Attention should be paid to the score; for in many instances the suit must be selected so that the adversaries cannot win the game with the odd trick, even if they double.

Doubling. The dealer or his partner having announced the trump, the adversary should carefully consider the score before doubling or playing. Most players consider themselves justified in doubling when they have six reasonably certain tricks in their own hands, trusting partner for one only. Great caution should be used in doubling no-trumpers, the position of the lead being carefully studied; because the odd trick usually settles the fate of the game when a no-trumper is doubled. While a player with the lead, and seven certain tricks in one suit, should double a no-trumper, his partner would be very foolish to do so, unless he had, in addition to his long suit, the heart ace; for it is a conventionality of the game for A to lead hearts if B doubles a no-trumper.

The original maker of the trump should be very strong to justify him in redoubling the adversary. If he had four probable tricks originally, he may count the adversary who doubles for five, and of the four doubtful tricks remaining, the odds are against partner having the three which would be necessary to win the odd trick.

Opening Leads. The first lead must necessarily be made in the dark, but the selection of the suit will often depend on the trump, and whether it was named by the dealer or by his partner.

If the dealer has made it red, and A has the A K of any plain suit, he should play the King, so as to retain the lead until Dummy’s hand is exposed.

If the dealer passes it to his partner, he is probably weak in red. If Y makes it hearts, A should lead a supporting diamond, unless he has strength in another suit. If Y has made it diamonds, A should lead a supporting heart. But in either case, if A has in his hand such cards as A K, even of a black suit, he should play the King, and wait to see the Dummy’s hand. If Y has made it black, A must be guided by his own cards, but should give a red suit the preference for his opening lead.

Details as to the correct card to lead and the play after the opening lead have been fully covered in connection with auction bridge, which see.

The discard is usually coupled with the system of opening against a doubled no-trumper. If your partner says he is “heart and strong” he means that if you double a no-trumper and he is eldest hand, he will lead you his best heart, and that he will discard his strong suit when playing against a no-trumper. If he says he is “heart and weak,” he will lead the top heart; but he will discard his weak suit. If he says he is “weak and weak,” he means that he will lead the shortest or weakest suit in his hand, if you double no-trumps, that being the almost universal custom in England.

All the situations which have been covered in the play of the second, third and fourth hands at auction can be studied with advantage by the bridge player, as the manner of securing the best results from certain distributions of the cards is the same in both games. The chief difference lies in the value of the tricks, because at bridge the opponents of the declaration can score toward game, and it is therefore frequently advisable to take a finesse or make a play that would be quite unjustifiable at auction, if there is any chance that such a play may win a game that would be otherwise impossible.

Close attention to the score is an important factor in bridge which does not operate in auction, because in that game any previous score toward game is seldom of any use, eighteen out of every twenty deals being game hands or nothing, and the dealer having no more advantage in the selection of the trump than any other player. In bridge, one always calculates that the dealer will go out if he is 18 or 20 up on the score, as almost any suit will do. This prompts the side that has the deal, or a chance to go game, to lose no opportunity to win at once, before the other side gets a chance at it.