TIGER_GALT'S OCTOBER SPADES TIPS!

John Strichman is the author of HOW NOT TO LOSE AT SPADES by JohnGalt Strichman - Valley Publishing - Richmond, Virginia

BID FAREWELL

WITHOUT WARNING, AND WITH NO PROVOCATION, THE JUNGLE IS UNDER ATTACK.

WOLVES, LIONS, AND FOXES, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER ANIMALS, HAVE APPEARED FROM NOWHERE AND ARE CAUSING UNSPEAKABLE DAMAGE IN THE VERY DEN WHERE THE TIGERS HAVE ALWAYS SOUGHT PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP, AND WHEREIN THEY HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED A FEELING OF SAFETY AND WELL-BEING.

IN A SOPHISTICATED AND WELL-ORGANIZED SCHEME, A RELATIVELY SMALL BAND OF MARAUDERS HAS MANAGED TO INFILTRATE THE DEN, AND IS REAPING UNIMAGINABLE DESTRUCTION WITHIN WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE TIGERS' ZONE OF HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM.

THE TIGERS HAVE RECENTLY DEVELOPED A SECRET WEAPON TO BE USED ONLY FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES IN DEFENSE OF THE DEN AND ALL THAT IS GOOD AND JUST.

THIS WEAPON, REFERRED TO AS "SPADESBOOK", IS SO POWERFUL, AND SO POTENTIALLY DAMAGING, THAT, IF PLACED IN THE WRONG HANDS, COULD CAUSE MASS DESTRUCTION, AND THREATEN THE VERY SURVIVAL OF THE DEN AND ALL OF ITS INHABITANTS.

IT SEEMS THAT A SMALL, BUT FANATICAL, GROUP OF ROGUE ANIMALS HAD CONCOCTED A SINISTER PLOT TO OBTAIN SPADESBOOK AND USE IT AGAINST THE TIGERS. SOMEHOW, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO STEAL MANY SPADESBOOKS, AND ARE USING THEM TO WREAK HAVOC UPON THE TIGERS.

THE ATTACKERS ARE TAKING SO MANY CERTIFICATES, AWARDS, AND BANNERS FROM THE TIGERS, THAT TIGER MORALE HAS BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED. THE HOPE OF THE ATTACKERS IS THAT THE FAMILY WILL SO LOSE HEART, THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY CRUMBLE AND DISAPPEAR FROM THE JUNGLE FOREVER.

THE TERRORISTS DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TIGER!

THE HEAD TIGER CALLS THE FAMILY TOGETHER FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING.

HE TELLS TALES OF TIMES PAST IN THE JUNGLE WHEN, WHEN UNDER ATTACK, THE MALE TIGERS WOULD JOIN TOGETHER AND GO FORTH TO DESTROY THE ENEMY. SOMETIMES THIS WAS VERY COSTLY TO THE TIGERS, AND MANY TIGERS HAD GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN ORDER TO ASSURE THAT ALL OF THE CUBS AND THE CUBS TO BE WOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM, JUST AS THEIR FATHERS AND BROTHERS HAD DONE FOR THEM WHEN THEY WERE CUBS.

NOW IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES!

THE LEADER WARNS THE FAMILY THAT THERE WILL HAVE TO BE MANY SACRIFICES, BUT THAT SOMETIMES IT IS NECESSARY TO SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE FUTURE.

HE ALSO EXPLAINS THAT TIMES LIKE THESE ARE ESPECIALLY HARD ON ALL OF THE LADY TIGERS. THEY HAVE TO SEND THERE MATES AND OLDEST CUBS OFF TO DO BATTLE, NOT KNOWING IF THEY WILL EVER SEE THEM AGAIN.

HARD TIMES ARE AHEAD.

THE VERY NEXT DAY, ALL OF THE TIGERS GATHER IN THE CENTER OF THE CLEARING.

THE LEADER EMERGES FROM THE BUSHES, AND HE, TOGETHER WITH ALL OF THE TIGER WARRIORS, VENTURES OFF INTO THE JUNGLE AS ALL OF THE LADY TIGERS, WITH TEARS SOAKING THEIR FUR, BID FAREWELL TO THEIR HEROES.

YOU, BEING ONE OF THE LADY TIGERS, ARE NOW FACED WITH THE TERRIBLE ORDEAL OF SITTING, WAITING, AND HOPING THAT SOMEDAY YOU WILL SEE YOUR LOVED ONES AGAIN. IN ORDER TO HELP PASS THE TIME, AND DO YOUR SHARE TO MAINTAIN TIGER PRIDE IN THE JUNGLE, YOU DECIDE TO GO PLAY SOME OF THE BEST SPADES THAT YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED.

YOU ARE PLAYING A 10 HAND MAX TOURNAMENT GAME, AND ON HAND 9 YOU ARE FACING THE FOLLOWING GAME SITUATION AND HAVE BEEN DEALT THE CARDS SHOWN.

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 420

PONES: 358

	North 2
West 5		East 3
	South 1

3 6

2 5 6 J

4 6 K

2 4 7 9 10

YOU DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER BIDDING NIL DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOUR TEAM HAS A COMMANDING LEAD IN THE GAME.

(PART OF THE SECRET ARSENAL THAT THE TERRORISTS HAVE ACQUIRED WITH SPADESBOOK).

YOU BID ONE, FEELING CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN WIN THE KING OF DIAMONDS AND NO OTHER TRICKS.

ON THE FIRST TRICK OF THE HAND, EAST LEADS THE ACE OF DIAMONDS.

YOU START TO CLICK ON THE DIAMOND 6, AND THEN YOU REMEMBER ALL OF THOSE TALES HEADING OFF INTO THE JUNGLE AND THE SACRIFICES TO BE MADE IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE DEN AND THE TIGER WAY OF LIFE.

ON THIS HAND, THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 453

PONES: 278

YOU WIN 6 TRICKS AND SET THE PONES

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 452

PONES: 438

YOU TAKE 2 BAGS

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 451

PONES: 439

YOU TAKE 1 BAG

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 450

PONES: 340

YOU MAKE BID EXACTLY

SCORE

YOUR TEAM: 390

PONES: 341

YOU GET SET

THERE WILL BE 1 HAND LEFT TO PLAY AFTER THIS HAND. IT IS YOUR JOB TO COME UP WITH A STRATEGY THAT WILL GIVE YOUR TEAM THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN THE GAME.

IF YOU CAN SET THE OPPONENTS, YOU WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY WIN THE GAME.

THE CHANCES OF SUCCEEDING IN A SETTING ATTEMPT, HOWEVER, ARE VERY LOW. IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO WIN MORE THAN THE 1 TRICK THAT YOU BID.

IN ORDER TO SET THE OPPONENTS, YOUR PARTNER WOULD HAVE TO TAKE 3 OVERTRICKS (MAKE 5 TRICKS HAVING BID 2). UNLESS YOU PARD MADE A BIG TIME BLUFF BID, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SHE WILL BE ABLE TO WIN 5 TRICKS IS VERY LOW INDEED, AND THERE IS NO REASON TO BE BLUFF BIDDING IN THIS GAME SITUATION.

YOU MUST ASSUME THAT YOU WILL NOT SET THE OPPONENTS.

GIVEN THAT ASSUMPTION, WHICH OF THE REMAINING POSSIBLE OUTCOMES ON THE HAND WOULD LEAVE YOUR TEAM IN THE POSITIONS MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE GAME?

IF YOUR TEAM TAKES 1 OR 2 BAGS, THE PONES WILL HAVE A VERY REALISTIC CHANCE TO WIN THE GAME ON THE LAST HAND.

THEY WOULD NEED TO OUTSCORE YOU BY ONLY 20 POINTS, AND TAKE EITHER 1 BAG IN THE FIRST CASE, OR NO BAGS IN THE SECOND CASE.

IF, HOWEVER, YOU ARE ABLE TO BAGSET THE PONES, YOU WILL BE IN A MUCH STRONGER POSITION.

THIS IS TRUE WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET SET IN THE PROCESS OF BAGGING THE PONES!

IF YOU CAN MAKE YOUR BID ON THE NOSE, YOU WILL BE AHEAD BY 110, AND EVEN IF YOU GET SET YOU WILL STILL BE AHEAD BY 50 POINTS.

EITHER OF THESE OUTCOMES IS FAR BETTER THAN YOUR TEAM TAKING 1 OR 2 BAGS ON THE HAND.

THE OBJECTIVE ON THIS HAND SHOULD BE TO STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM THE POOR OUTCOME SCENARIOS. THE WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS TO PLAY THE HAND TRYING TO WIN AS FEW TRICKS AS POSSIBLE.

YOU REALIZE THAT, THIS TOO, IS A TIME TO SACRIFICE, AND YOU DUMP YOUR DIAMOND KING UNDER EAST'S ACE ON TRICK 1!

ONCE YOU HAVE DUMPED YOUR KING, EVEN IF YOUR PARTNER TAKES AN OVERTRICK YOU WILL STILL BAGSET THE OPPONENTS. CONSIDERING THAT SHE WILL BE TRYING TO BAG THE PONES TO START WITH, IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT SHE WILL TAKE 2 OVERTRICKS ON THE HAND.

THE CHANCE OF THIS STRATEGY BEING SUCCESSFUL AND RESULTING IN YOUR TEAM WINNING THE GAME IS VERY VERY HIGH.

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT IN SPADES, LIKE IN LIFE, ON OCCASION IT IS NECESSARY TO SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO ASSURE SURVIVAL.

THIS MEANS THAT SOMETIMES YOU MUST SAY TO YOUR BID, FAREWELL...

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY SPADING!
Tiger_Galt