Unlucky Louie likes to fish, and his confidence level as a fisherman exceeds his expectations at the bridge table. When Louie goes fishing, he assumes his trip will be gratifying: He always takes a camera and, I suspect, a generous supply of tartar sauce.

Louie’s dummy play would improve if he took the trouble to make some assumptions about the lie of the cards. Louie was today’s South in my club’s penny game; he played at four spades after he opened one spade in fourth position, and West made a passed-hand takeout double.

West led a safe trump, and Louie drew trumps with his ace and queen and next led a diamond to dummy’s king, winning. On the next diamond, he played the ten, and West took the jack and shifted to ... the deuce of clubs.

Louie had to guess. He grimaced and played the king from dummy, and East took the ace and led a heart. Louie lost a finesse with his queen, and West’s queen of clubs won the setting trick.

“After West’s double,”Louie shrugged, “I expected him to hold the ace of clubs.”

I’m afraid Louie was a sucker on this deal. He should assume the worst: that West has the king of hearts. If East has that card, Louie will lose three tricks at most. But West didn’t open the bidding, so he won’t have a shapely hand with 12 good high-card points. When West leads a club at Trick Five, Louie should play the jack from dummy. If East takes the queen and West has the ace, Louie will still make his game since East will have the king of hearts.

West dealer

N-S vulnerable

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