A hand, played out
Thirty bid, thirty-six made
Every domino in the set, laid out where it actually sits. You're South. In a real game you'd only see your own seven; all four hands are shown here so you can follow the reasoning, which is the whole point.
The deal
Twenty-eight bones, four hands
You (South), the bidder
Your partner (North)
West
East
The bid
You say thirty and call fives
Four fives, and they're the top four: the double, the 6-5, then the 5-2 and 5-0. Only three trumps are outstanding and none of them can beat what you're holding. On top of that you have the 6-6, which will take a trick the moment the trumps are gone.
The 1-0 is a dead loss and you know it. That's fine; 30 leaves you room for exactly this kind of hole. Everyone else passes.
Seven tricks
Play
Lead your boss trump first. Everyone has to follow, so three of the outstanding trumps come out at once, and because you won the trick, the ten points on the 5-5 are safely yours rather than something you have to defend all hand.
+10 count, +1 trick · You 11
Another trump, and now nobody else has one; the last three fives are all in your hand. Watch North: playing third, with West already void, they can see you're taking this trick, so they throw the 3-2 in. That's five points handed straight to your side. Dumping count on your partner's winning tricks is most of what good partnership play is.
+5 count, +1 trick · You 17
No count in it, but you take the trick and everyone else burns a useless tile. Note the 5-2: a deuce to look at, a trump in this hand, and nobody can touch it. This is the two-suits rule doing its work.
+1 trick · You 18
The 5-0 is worth five, and leading it while you still hold complete control means you collect that five yourself instead of watching it get taken later. Count in your own hand isn't safe until you've won a trick with it.
+5 count, +1 trick · You 24
Here's the payoff. West has been sitting on the 6-4 for four tricks trying to protect ten points, but the double six forces every six out, and the 6-4 is West's only one. Ten points, delivered. There was no way to avoid it; the tile was doomed the moment you kept the 6-6 and the trumps ran out.
+10 count, +1 trick · You 35
The 6-3 is now the highest six left, so it walks. You needed 30 and you're at 36, and the hand is safe with a trick still to play.
+1 trick · You 36
You're out of everything but the 1-0. It leads aces, West follows with the 4-1 and beats it, and the five points on that domino go the wrong way. Count escapes at the end of hands; that's normal, and it's exactly what the twelve points of slack in a 30 bid are for.
West / East: +5 count, +1 trick
The count
36 to 6
| Side | Tricks | Count taken | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| You & North | 6 | 30 | 36 |
| West & East | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Bid 30, made 36. In a marks game that's one mark, exactly the same as if you'd scraped home with 30 on the nose, which is why bidding 35 on this hand would have been taking on risk for no reward.
What to take away
Lead trumps when you own them
Stripping trumps early is what makes your off-suit doubles worth something. Wait too long and somebody trumps your 6-6.
Count is only safe once it's won
Leading the 5-0 while you had control turned a liability into five banked points.
Give count to your partner
North's 3-2 on trick two was worth as much as a trick. Playing third or fourth, you always know who's winning.
Bid the number you need
A mark is a mark. Extra points above your bid buy you nothing except in a points game.