16
votes
Accepted
In trick taking games, terminology for not following suit
As the strategy of all players is immediately effected by second hand not following suit, all terms for this distinguish - of necessity - between discarding a side suit and playing a trump. The latter ...
7
votes
Accepted
Is there an English name for this popular Lebanese card game?
Like AndyT said in his answer, the game is 400 according to all the cited sources he mentioned.
The difference between 400 and spades is in the scoring, and that spades are trump instead of hearts.
...
7
votes
Is there an English name for this popular Lebanese card game?
Well, according to the fount of all knowledge it's called 400, is a Lebanese game, and bears some resemblance to Spades but with a few differences.
6
votes
Accepted
Simplest finesses in Spades?
The smaller amount of information in Spades means it is hard to purposefully start a finesse, but you can still easily continue one if it is started by accident. For example, your partner happens to ...
6
votes
In trick taking games, terminology for not following suit
The term I have seen in bridge columns is "show out". The column might go something like this:
"South then cashed the ace and king of trumps [expecting the opponents' five trumps to ...
4
votes
Accepted
Is it ok to show my cards when I know I I’m the only one with spades left
The rules (in most spades rulesets) prohibit showing your cards, yes.
That said, what you describe is a pretty common practice in friendly games, as (as you note) the rest of the hand's play is ...
4
votes
Accepted
In Spades, what is the probability a suit is distributed in a way, given I hold n cards from that suit?
TLDR:
The probability is about 8%.
Distribution of diamonds for any deal
With no restrictions at all then dealing a pack between four hands results in the following probabilities for distributions ...
4
votes
In Spades, what is the meaning of a high/low sum of bids?
A low/high sum of bids can mean anything. The sum of 4,4,4,3 is the same as 1,1,1,12 (exaggeration), but those two mean completely different things. Instead of looking at the sum of the bids, you ...
4
votes
Passing cards to prevent an opponent to shoot the moon
No it is not and in fact it might ensure that they do shoot the moon. IF they happen to have the AKQ♥ you have lost the ability to stop it by taking a trick with the J♥. If you pass one of your hearts ...
3
votes
In trick taking games, terminology for not following suit
Anecdotally, people I have gamed with have always used the term "break", as in "Bob played a Diamond, and Jim was forced to break, discarding a Spade". I do not know how common or ...
3
votes
Accepted
Understanding the rules of Knock-out Whist
Q: Trump suit here means that even if the category of the card is lowest, it will be considered higher than ACE too?
A. Yes. By category, you mean Rank. Any card in the Trump suit is stronger than ...
3
votes
Passing cards to prevent an opponent to shoot the moon
Maybe.
One of the biggest liabilities when shooting the moon is low hearts (2, 3 and 4 in particular) because you have to save them until everyone else is out of hearts. This is different from low ...
3
votes
Accepted
In Spades, what to lead from {Ace,King,...}
Spades and Contract Bridge share most of the same mechanics as far as play of the cards are concerned, and this has long been a matter of disagreement between experts. Also, the style of playing from ...
3
votes
What are the rules for the card game "High Nines"?
Not official, but at least a start:
High 9
Deck of 52 plus 2 Jokers (mark them "Big" and "Little")
4 players - draw for partners (2 high cards and 2 low cards)
High card deals
Deal 9 ...
2
votes
Whist Variant with points suit
After some play-testing with friends, the complexity was intimidating, and so we settled on these rules:
The last card is dealt face up, and it is the point suit.
There is no trump suit.
...
2
votes
Is it ok to show my cards when I know I I’m the only one with spades left
This is a common play, called: The rest are mine (TRAM).
Wikipedia:
A common play among more experienced or skilled players is for a
player who realizes that he cannot help but win all remaining ...
2
votes
Is it ok to show my cards when I know I I’m the only one with spades left
This procedure, called Claiming or Conceding as the case may be, is common in Contract Bridge (both Rubber and Tournament). However it is also error prone for beginners and can be used unethically by ...
2
votes
Simplest finesses in Spades?
I think this completes the other answers, implementing the idea into actions.
Indirect Finesses are when partner plays a non-honor card towards your tenace. They also sometimes occur when you are ...
2
votes
Simplest finesses in Spades?
Finesses are all about considering the risk. In the example Benjamin notes, where partner plays low, right-hand opponent (RHO) plays low, and you hold AQ, you have a choice. You can play Q, which ...
2
votes
in Spades, when to bid such that the sum of bids equal 14?
In addition to Forget I was ever here's answer, it's appropriate to bid to 14+ tricks where your hand is disproportionately strong by itself (like comfortably bid 7 or more) and no one bids nil. This ...
2
votes
Accepted
in Spades, when to bid such that the sum of bids equal 14?
There are no hard and fast rules or heuristics for such a decision, but the following indicators will tend to be positive in such a circumstance:
When one is clearly the strongest player in the game.
...
1
vote
Accepted
Is the Hand pattern probabilities equal to suit pattern probabilities?
Yes, and the tables are used in exactly this way by Contract Bridge analysts and experts.
However, be careful when extrapolating from these tables to perform analysis based on your own holding in any ...
1
vote
When you take a trick, you *take* a trick
You've described something similar to Top Trumps and its many different versions.
When a player wins a trick however they add it to their deck rather than hand but the principle is similar to what ...
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