The Hold-Up Play in Bridge

The hold-up play is one of the most elegant defensive weapons in bridge. It’s also one of the first advanced techniques declarer learns when playing notrump contracts. But here’s the thing: knowing that you should hold up isn’t enough. You need to know when to hold up, how many times, and—just as important—when holding up is the worst thing you can do.

Let’s break down everything you need to know about the bridge hold up play.

What Is a Hold-Up Play?

A hold-up play is exactly what it sounds like: you refuse to win a trick when you could. Instead of taking your ace immediately, you duck (let the opponent win). You’re deliberately giving up a trick you could have won.

Why would you do something that seems so counterintuitive? Because you’re not just playing cards—you’re managing communication between your opponents.

Here’s a simple example:

        ♠ 7 6 4
        ♥ A 3 2
        ♦ K Q 7
        ♣ 9 8 5 4
♠ K Q J 10 9         ♠ 8 5 2
♥ 9 8                ♥ Q J 10 7 6
♦ 6 4 3              ♦ 10 9 2
♣ 7 6 2              ♣ Q 3
        ♠ A 3
        ♥ K 5 4
        ♦ A J 8 5
        ♣ A K J 10

You’re in 3NT, and West leads the ♠K. You have exactly one spade stopper—the ace. If you win immediately, West can lead another spade when they get in with the ♣Q. You’ll lose four spade tricks and go down.

But if you hold up—duck the first spade, duck the second spade, and only win the third—something magical happens. When East gets in with the ♣Q, they have no spades left to return. The communication between the defenders is broken. Your hold-up play just saved your contract.

Why Hold Up? Breaking the Communication Lines

The hold-up play is all about severing the connection between your opponents. In bridge, the defenders work as a team. One defender often has the long suit (the suit with length and potential tricks), while the other has the entry (the card that can get them on lead).

Your job as declarer is to make sure the defender with the long suit never gets back on lead after you’ve exhausted their partner’s cards in that suit.

Think of it like unplugging a phone line. West has a message to deliver (five good spades), but they need East to answer the phone (have a spade to return). If you hold up until East is out of spades, the line goes dead.

This is particularly devastating in notrump contracts, where you don’t have the trump suit to bail you out. One long suit can destroy you if both defenders can still reach each other.

Classic Hold-Up Situations: The Axx Pattern

The most common hold-up situation is when you have Axx in dummy or declarer’s hand opposite xx (or xxx) in the other hand.

Dummy: A 7 2
Declarer: 5 4

They lead the suit. You have exactly one stopper, but you have three cards. This is the classic hold-up position. If you duck twice and win the third round, anyone who started with only three cards is now exhausted in the suit.

Here’s another classic pattern:

Dummy: K 5 3
Declarer: A 6

They lead small to the queen. You have two stoppers (the ace and king), but again, you might want to hold up. Why? Because holding up with Ax opposite Kx can still break communication. If the opening leader has five cards and their partner has three, ducking the first round leaves the partner with only two cards. Now they might run out on the second round.

The key question: How many cards does the danger hand have?

The danger hand is the opponent who can do the most damage if they get on lead—usually the one with the long suit. If you can make them run out of that suit, you’ve neutralized the threat.

When to Hold Up Multiple Times

Sometimes one hold-up isn’t enough. You need to duck two or even three times to completely sever communication.

The Rule of Seven is a helpful guideline (though not absolute):

Add up your cards and dummy’s cards in the suit they’re attacking. Subtract from 7. That’s how many times you should hold up.

Example:

  • You have A 5 3 in hand
  • Dummy has 6 2
  • Total: 5 cards
  • 7 - 5 = 2
  • Hold up twice

Why does this work? Because if you and dummy have 5 cards, the opponents have 8 cards. If they’re splitting 5-3 (the most common distribution), holding up twice exhausts the defender with three cards.

But here’s the important part: The Rule of Seven is a starting point, not a law. You need to think about:

  1. Who’s the danger hand? If both defenders are equally dangerous, the Rule of Seven helps. If only one defender is dangerous, adjust accordingly.

  2. What entries do they have? If the danger hand has multiple entries, holding up might be futile. If they have no entries, hold up until you’re sure the safe hand is exhausted.

  3. Can you afford to hold up? Sometimes you need to win early to set up your own tricks before they establish their suit.

When NOT to Hold Up

This is where good players separate themselves from average ones. Holding up isn’t always right. Sometimes it’s disastrous.

1. When the danger is elsewhere

If the real threat isn’t the suit they’re attacking, win immediately and go after your tricks.

They lead spades. You have ♠Axx opposite ♠xx. But you can see that the real danger is hearts—if they switch to hearts, you're cooked. Win the spade immediately and run your nine tricks before they find the killing switch.

2. When you need the entry

Sometimes dummy’s stopper is also dummy’s only entry to a long suit.

        ♠ A 7 4
        ♥ 6 2
        ♦ K Q J 10 9 8
        ♣ 5 3
        
        ♠ 6 5
        ♥ A 8 4
        ♦ 7 6 3
        ♣ A K Q J 2

They lead spades. You have the ace—but it’s dummy’s only entry to those gorgeous diamonds. If you hold up the ♠A, you can never get to dummy to cash six diamond tricks. Win immediately, cross to diamonds, and take your nine tricks.

3. When they can switch suits

If holding up gives them the tempo to establish a different, more dangerous suit, don’t do it.

4. When the suit is breaking badly for them

If you can see (or infer from the bidding) that the suit is splitting 4-4 or even 6-2 with the six-card holding on your right, holding up might not help. Trust your counting and card reading.

5. When you need to test a suit

Sometimes you need to find out about suit breaks before committing to your line of play. Holding up unnecessarily can use up precious entries and tempo.

Double and Triple Hold-Ups

Sometimes you have two stoppers in their suit, like AQx opposite xx. They lead small, you play small from dummy, their queen appears, and now you face a decision: win the ace or duck?

This is a double hold-up—you’re holding up even though you have more than one stopper.

The principle is the same: you’re trying to exhaust the safe hand before the danger hand gets in.

Triple hold-ups happen when you have AKJ or AQ10 and can afford to lose two tricks in the suit to break communication completely.

Example:

        ♠ A J 4
        ♥ K 5
        ♦ Q J 10 7 3
        ♣ 8 6 4
♠ K Q 10 9 7         ♠ 6 5 2
♥ J 8 6              ♥ A 9 7 3
♦ 6                  ♦ 9 8 5 2
♣ Q 9 7 2            ♣ 10 5
        ♠ 8 3
        ♥ Q 10 4 2
        ♦ A K 4
        ♣ A K J 3

West leads ♠K. You have AJ4 in dummy—two stoppers. But if you cover with the jack (or even the ace), West continues spades. When East gets in with the ♥A, they return their last spade, and West cashes out.

Instead, duck completely—let the king hold! West continues with the queen—duck again. Now West is stuck. If they continue spades, you win the ace, and East never had more than three spades. Communication broken.

This requires nerves of steel, but it’s often the only winning play.

Example Hands: The Hold-Up in Action

Example 1: The Classic Hold-Up

Contract: 3NT

        ♠ 9 6 3
        ♥ A 4
        ♦ K Q J 10 2
        ♣ 7 6 3
♠ K Q J 10 5         ♠ 8 7 4
♥ 9 6 2              ♥ Q J 10 8
♦ 8 3                ♦ 9 7 5
♣ Q 9 2              ♣ 10 8 4
        ♠ A 2
        ♥ K 7 5 3
        ♦ A 6 4
        ♣ A K J 5

West leads ♠K. You count your tricks: five diamonds, two hearts, two clubs = nine tricks. Beautiful. But if you win the ♠A immediately, West will continue spades when they get in with ♣Q. You’ll lose four spades and a club.

The winning play: Duck the first spade. Duck the second spade. Win the third spade with the ace. Now when West gets in with ♣Q, East has no spades to return. You make 3NT.

Example 2: The Hold-Up That Costs

Contract: 3NT

        ♠ 7 4
        ♥ A Q J 10 8
        ♦ 9 6
        ♣ A 7 5 2
♠ K Q J 9 3          ♠ 10 6 5
♥ 6 4                ♥ 9 7 3
♦ Q 10 7 4           ♦ K J 8 3
♣ 8 3                ♣ Q J 9
        ♠ A 8 2
        ♥ K 5 2
        ♦ A 5 2
        ♣ K 10 6 4

West leads ♠K. You have nine cold tricks: five hearts, two aces, and two club tricks. But here’s the trap: if you hold up the ♠A, West will continue spades. You’ll eventually have to win, and when you take the heart finesse… it works! But you only have four heart tricks because you used up your entry winning the spade late.

The winning play: Win the ♠A immediately! Cross to ♥A, finesse ♥J, cash ♥KQ, cross back with ♣A, and run ♥10-8. Nine tricks.

If you hold up, you lose your timing. The entry management becomes impossible.

Common Hold-Up Mistakes

Mistake #1: Holding up by rote

The biggest mistake is holding up automatically without thinking. Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve? If the answer is unclear, you’re probably making a mistake.

Mistake #2: Not counting

Before you hold up, count the suit distribution. If the opening leader has shown out or the suit is splitting 4-4, holding up might be pointless.

Mistake #3: Ignoring entries

Always think about entries before you hold up. Which defender is the danger hand? Can they get in? If not, why are you holding up?

Mistake #4: Forgetting about other suits

The suit they led isn’t always the killing defense. Sometimes holding up gives them time to find a better attack.

Mistake #5: Holding up too many times

With Axx opposite xx, ducking twice is usually right. But if you know from the bidding or play that the suit is splitting 4-4, ducking is just giving away tricks.

Mistake #6: Not holding up enough

Conversely, with AKx opposite xx and a dangerous hand on your left, you might need to duck the first round even with two stoppers.

The Bottom Line

The bridge hold up play is a fundamental technique that every improving player must master. It’s not about following rules blindly—it’s about understanding the principle: break communication between defenders.

When you’re considering a hold-up:

  1. Identify the danger hand
  2. Count the suit distribution
  3. Check your entries and timing
  4. Consider alternative threats
  5. Then decide

Sometimes you hold up once. Sometimes twice. Sometimes not at all. The beauty of bridge is that every hand is a new puzzle, and the hold-up play is one of your most powerful solving tools.

Master it, and you’ll find yourself making contracts that your opponents thought were doomed. That’s the power of good timing and better communication management—or in this case, communication destruction.

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