Vu-Bridge | Play like a Champion!

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This is your list of available Cardplay Lessons:

Vubridge Cardplay Lessons

Click to play Lesson 1


Basic tricks (No-trumps)


This series is all about cashing your tricks in the right order, usually so that you can be in the right place at the right time.


Click to play Lesson 2


Tricks with trumps


This series is all about making tricks with a trump suit.
There are two reasons to select a trump suit rather than play in No-trumps. One is that you may be wide open in a suit if playing in No-trumps. The other is that you may be able to make extra tricks by trumping (or ruffing)


Click to play Lesson 3


Setting up suits (knocking out Aces)


This series is all about setting up tricks in No-trumps.
Almost all deals played at Bridge contain top tricks and suits that must be developed into tricks. Tricks that need to be developed are called slow tricks as they are not immediately available.


Click to play Lesson 4


Setting up suits (knocking out two high cards)


This series is all about setting up tricks in No-trumps.

Whenever dummy comes into view, declarer should pause to consider the hand as a whole and count his tricks. Only if the contract is available in top tricks should declarer cash all his winners immediately. Usually, declarer has to set up his tricks by developing a suit, often by knocking out an Ace.

In this series, there are more high cards to knock out than one.


Click to play Lesson 5


Suit breaks (3-2, 3-3 etc)


The art of making tricks comes not only by cashing high cards but also by setting up low cards in a suit. Earlier series have already demonstrated deals where the opponents’ high cards are knocked out to establish a suit.


Click to play Lesson 6


Setting up suits knocking out Aces and using suit breaks


This series combines the ideas of previous series (Knocking out High Cards and Making use of Suit Breaks).

In these deals you have to develop tricks by driving out the opponents' high cards as well as counting the missing cards so that you are able to take advantage of how the suit splits.


Click to play Lesson 7


Drawing trumps


This series looks at the simple idea of extracting trumps from the opponents before harm (in the form of adverse ruffs) befalls you.


Click to play Lesson 8


Entries, blocked suits


This series is all about suits that are naturally blocked and how side-suit entries can enable declarer to access these suits.


Click to play Lesson 9


Entries, overtaking play


We continue on from series 8 by looking at blocked suits. In this series, though, we look at ways of overcoming roadblocks by means of overtaking plays.


Click to play Lesson 10


Ruffing Losers in the Short Trump Hand


How to eliminate losers by ruffing them, usually in dummy where the shorter trump holding resides.


Click to play Lesson 11


Counting Winners and Losers


This is a series of partial and full deals all about counting winners and losers.


Click to play Lesson 12


Ruff in the Dummy or Draw Trumps?


This series looks at ways to ridding yourself of losers. You may ruff them in dummy (in the short trump hand) or you may discard them if there is a side-suit that can be set up as a source of tricks.


Click to play Lesson 13


Discarding Losers before Drawing Trumps


When you have too many losers for your contract you need some way of eliminating them. Sometimes you may ruff them in the dummy, sometimes you may discard them. We say that you can either trump them or dump them.


Click to play Lesson 14


The Marked Finesse


A finesse that is certain to win, often by virtue of a particular defender having already shown out of a suit, is called a marked finesse..


Click to play Lesson 15


The Simple Finesse


A simple finesse is whereby you try and promote a card such as a King or Queen, hoping that a high card held by the opponents lies in the correct place for your purposes.


Click to play Lesson 16


Double Finesses


When there are two key honors missing and the strength of his holding permits, declarer can often improve his chances by taking two finesses, often beginning with a deep finesse of the lower card.


Click to play Lesson 17


Combination Finesses


This series looks at combination finesses; plays that combine more than one finesse, some in the same suit.


Click to play Lesson 18


Ruffing Finesses


Sometimes, you are void of a certain suit, but want to make use of some sequential honor cards in dummy. That's where the ruffing finesse comes in.


Click to play Lesson 19


Ducking (to establish a suit)


This series focuses on establishing long suits in no-trump by way of ducking.


Click to play Lesson 20


The Hold-up


This is a series of partial deals (and full deals) about keeping back high cards for a trick or two in order to break communications between the opposition hands.


Click to play Lesson 21


Percentage Plays


It's important to know the best way to tackle certain suits to best advantage. After all, there is no denying the significant edge that the best play can give.


Click to play Issue 22


Avoiding overruffs


When declarer is taking ruffs in one or the other hand, he is often at risk of conceding an overruff, losing a trick and, perhaps more importantly, the lead.


Click to play Lesson 23


Loser on Loser Play


The principle of using a Loser on Loser play is to exchange one loser for another loser in order to win extra trick(s).


Click to play Lesson 24


The cross-ruff


Declarer can often bolster his tricks by taking ruffs with the short trump holding. Occasionally, he can also benefit by taking ruffs with the long trumps. One of these maneuvers is the cross-ruff.


Click to play Lesson 25


Setting up a side-suit


Long side-suits are a privilege for declarer. They can often be set up to provide extra tricks.


Click to play Lesson 26


Harder Hold-ups


This series continues from Series 20 and looks at more difficult instances of Hold-up play.
We have to discuss the idea of a danger hand and a safe hand.


Click to play Lesson 27


Counting Points


Counting is there to aid your decision and help you place the enemy cards.
When he considers the high cards in relation to the bidding, or lack thereof, the seasoned declarer seems to play as though he can see through the backs of the cards.


Click to play Lesson 28


Precaution Plays


It is possible to cater for a certain, perhaps unlikely, distributions without giving up on overtricks. That's where the precaution play comes in.


Click to play Lesson 29


Safety Plays


At IMPs scoring (the normal method for teams games), the security of the contract is paramount. A game contract or higher should almost never be put at risk for the sake of an overtrick.
That's where safety plays come in. They are plays that maximize your chances of making the hand at the possible cost of overtricks.


Click to play Lesson 30


Card Combinations 1


It's essential to know how to handle certain suit combinations to best advantage. A priori percentages abound, and are the best indicators in isolation, when there's nothing else to go by.


Click to play Lesson 31


Card Combinations 2


It's essential to know how to handle certain suit combinations to best advantage. A priori percentages abound, and are the best indicators in isolation, when there's nothing else to go by.


Click to play Lesson 32


Endplays


It is always preferable to have the enemy broach a suit for you rather than tackling it yourself, but they don't always oblige.
Sometimes, you can give them no choice in the matter. That's where the endplay comes in.

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