Card Combinations

You have A-Q-x opposite x-x-x. Do you lead toward the queen or lead the queen?

This sounds like a small detail. But small details add up. Play enough hands, and the difference between the correct technique and the wrong one means hundreds of IMPs or matchpoints.

Card combinations are the building blocks of declarer play. Get these right and the rest of the hand usually follows.

The Basic Finesse: A-Q Opposite Small Cards

Dummy: Q 7 3
You: A 6 4

If you need two tricks, lead small toward the queen. If LHO has the king, the queen wins. If RHO has the king, you lose to it, but you still have the ace for one trick.

Never lead the queen from dummy. That gives up a trick when RHO has the king singleton.

The principle: Lead toward the honor you want to finesse.

The Two-Way Finesse: A-Q-10

Dummy: A Q 10
You: 6 4 3

You can finesse either opponent for the king. Which way should you go?

If you have no clue, it’s 50-50. But often you have information. Did one opponent bid the suit? Then finesse the other one. Did one opponent show up with lots of high cards already? Finesse them (they’re more likely to have the king).

When you have a two-way finesse, use the bidding and play so far to guide you.

The Repeating Finesse: A-Q-J

Dummy: A Q J
You: 7 6 3

Lead toward the jack. If it loses to the king, come back and lead toward the queen. You’re taking two finesses through the same opponent.

This wins two tricks about 75% of the time (when LHO has the king). It wins three tricks about 25% of the time (when LHO has K-x or K-x-x and you can finesse twice).

The key: you need entries to repeat the finesse. Plan your entries before you start.

The Backward Finesse: K-J-10

Dummy: K J 10
You: 6 4 3

If you lead toward dummy and LHO plays low, finesse the 10. If it wins, come back and finesse the jack.

This is called a backward finesse because you’re finessing the lower cards first, not the higher ones.

It works when RHO has the queen. If LHO has the queen, you lose a trick. But you were always losing a trick anyway.

Establishing a Long Suit: Five-Card Suit

Dummy: K Q J 10 9
You: 6 4 3

You have five top tricks if the suit divides 2-2. But what if it divides 3-1 or 4-0?

Cash the king. If both follow, cash the queen. If both follow again, cash the jack. Now the 10 and 9 are good.

But what if one opponent shows out on the second round? Now you know the suit is 4-0 or 3-1 the other way. Plan accordingly.

The rule: When establishing a long suit, watch how it breaks. Adjust your plan based on what you learn.

The Safety Play: A-K-J-10-x Opposite x-x

Dummy: x x
You: A K J 10 x

If you need four tricks, cash the ace and king. If the queen drops, you have five tricks. If not, finesse on the third round.

But what if you need all five tricks? Now you have to decide: do you cash the ace (in case RHO has Q-x-x-x) or do you finesse immediately (in case LHO has Q-x-x-x)?

This is a guess. But if one opponent opened the bidding, they’re more likely to have the queen. Finesse into them.

The Restricted Choice: K-Q-x-x-x Opposite A-x-x-x

Dummy: A x x x
You: K Q x x x

Cash the ace. LHO plays the 10, RHO plays small.

On the second round, should you finesse the queen (playing for LHO to have J-10 doubleton) or play for the drop (playing for the jack to drop from RHO)?

The correct play is to finesse. Here’s why: if LHO had J-10 doubleton, they might have played the jack on the first round (they have a choice of equals). If they played the 10, it’s more likely they had 10 alone and RHO has the jack.

This is called restricted choice. When an opponent plays one of touching honors, they’re more likely to hold only that card than both cards.

This feels counterintuitive at first. But it’s mathematically correct. Finesse on the second round.

The Eight-Ever, Nine-Never Rule

When you have eight cards in a suit missing the queen, should you finesse or play for the drop?

Eight-ever: With eight cards, finesse. The queen is more likely to be in one specific hand (50%) than to drop in two rounds (about 52%, but you lose when it’s offside, so effective odds favor the finesse).

Wait, that’s wrong. With eight cards, the queen will drop doubleton about 52% of the time. But in practice, finesses often combine with other chances. The rule is a guideline, not a law.

Nine-never: With nine cards, play for the drop. The queen will fall in two rounds about 53% of the time.

But don’t blindly follow this rule. If one opponent opened 1NT and the other passed, finesse into the opener (they’re more likely to have the queen). Use the information you have.

The Suit Combination: K-x-x-x Opposite A-Q-x-x

Dummy: A Q x x
You: K x x x

You want four tricks. Cash the ace, then lead toward the king. If LHO has J-10-9-x, you’re doomed. But if the suit is 3-2 or 4-1 with the jack in the short hand, you’ll pick up four tricks.

On the second round, if RHO shows out, finesse on the third round. If LHO shows out, play the king (you can’t do anything about a 4-1 break the other way).

The Trump Combination: A-K-x-x-x Opposite x-x-x

Dummy: x x x
You: A K x x x

You need to pick up five trump tricks. The danger is a 4-1 break with the queen offside.

Cash the ace. If both follow, cash the king. If the queen drops, claim. If not, you’re probably okay (the queen will drop on the third round from a 3-2 break).

But what if RHO shows out on the first round? Now LHO has Q-J-x-x. Lead small toward dummy on the second round. If LHO plays low, play low from dummy. You’ll lose one trick, but you’ll pick up the rest.

This is called a trump coup. You reduce your trumps to the same length as LHO’s, then lead through them.

The Discovery Play: Finding Out Who Has What

Dummy: A K 7
You: 6 5 4 3

You’re not sure which opponent has length in this suit. Cash the ace and king. Watch who shows out first.

This tells you the distribution. Now you can plan the rest of the hand based on what you’ve learned.

Discovery plays don’t gain tricks themselves. They give you information to make better decisions later.

The Obligatory False Card

As declarer, you sometimes want to false card to confuse the defense.

Dummy: K Q 10
You: 9 8 7

Lead the 9. If LHO has the ace and jack, they might duck, thinking you have a singleton. Now the 10 scores a trick.

This doesn’t work often, but when it does, it’s because you gave them a losing option.

The Entry-Preserving Play

Dummy: A K Q J 10
You: 9 8 7

You need to reach dummy multiple times. Don’t cash all the honors at once. Cash one, use it as an entry. Cash another later.

This seems obvious, but in the heat of play, declarers sometimes blow their entries by cashing winners too fast.

The Percentage Table (Memorize These)

With eight cards missing the queen:

• Finesse (through one opponent): 50%
• Play for drop: 52%
• Actual best play depends on layout and entries

With nine cards missing the queen:

• Play for drop: 53%
• Finesse: 50%

With six cards missing K-Q:

• Both honors in one hand: 48%
• Split: 52%

Five-card suit breaking 3-2: 68%

Five-card suit breaking 4-1: 28%

Five-card suit breaking 5-0: 4%

These numbers guide your decisions. A 68% chance is good. A 28% chance is a fallback plan.

Combining Chances

The best declarers don’t rely on one thing working. They combine chances.

Dummy: A K 7 6 3
You: 8 5 4

You need four tricks from this suit. Cash the ace and king. If the suit breaks 3-3 (36% chance), you have four tricks. If not, maybe you can establish the suit by ruffing.

Now you’ve combined the 3-3 break with the ability to ruff. Your total odds are better than 36%.

The Throw-Off Position

Dummy: x x
You: A K Q J

You have four top tricks but no entries to dummy. On the fourth round, discard dummy’s loser. This is called a throw-off.

You’re converting your extra winner into a pitch for dummy’s loser. This combines suit establishment with entry management.

The Hold-Up in a Side Suit

Dummy: K 6 3
You: A 7 4

They lead this suit. Should you win immediately or hold up?

If you need to lose the lead to one specific opponent, hold up. Make sure they don’t have an entry in this suit.

This combines the holdup play (from notrump) with card combination technique.

The Deep Finesse

Dummy: A Q 9
You: 6 5 4

Lead small to the 9. If it loses to the 10 or jack, come back and finesse the queen.

This picks up K-J-10 or K-10-x in RHO’s hand. It’s not obvious, but it’s the correct technical play.

Most declarers would finesse the queen immediately. That’s wrong. Finesse the 9 first.

The Surrounding Play

Dummy: A J 10
You: 7 6 5

Lead toward the 10. If it loses to the queen, come back and lead toward the jack. This picks up K-Q-x in LHO’s hand.

You’re surrounding their honors with yours. Each finesse builds on the last one.

The Table of Common Positions

Here’s a quick reference:

Common Mistakes

Finessing the wrong way. You have a two-way finesse and you guess wrong. Use the bidding next time.

Not preserving entries. You finesse successfully but can’t get back to repeat it. Count entries first.

Playing too fast. You cash the ace when you should have finessed. Slow down. Think through the combination.

Ignoring restricted choice. Opponent plays the jack, you play for the drop instead of finessing. Learn the principle, it gains tricks.

Not combining chances. You take one finesse when you could have tried two different lines. Look for multiple ways to make the contract.

When to Deviate from Theory

The textbook play assumes you have no information. But in real games, you do.

If LHO opened 1NT showing 15-17, they probably have more high cards than RHO. Finesse into them.

If RHO preempted showing length in a suit, they probably have fewer cards in your suit. Play for the drop instead of finessing them.

Use the bidding. Use the early play. Adjust your technique based on what you know.

The Learning Curve

Card combinations feel arbitrary at first. Why finesse the 10 instead of the queen? Why hold up here but not there?

With practice, they become automatic. You see A-Q opposite x-x-x and you know to lead toward the queen. You don’t think about it.

That’s when your declarer play jumps a level. The mechanics become invisible. You focus on strategy instead of tactics.

The Bridge World Standard

There’s a book called “The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge” that lists the correct play for thousands of suit combinations. No one memorizes it.

But the common ones? Learn those. They come up constantly.

A-Q toward the queen. K-J-10 finesse the 10. A-Q-J finesse twice. Eight-ever, nine-never (with caveats).

Master 20 common combinations and you’ll handle 90% of what comes up.

The rest you figure out at the table.