What A SLAM Dunk! September 24, 2016
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Travel & Leisure.trackback
When you have a Bridge hand like this . . .
And the dummy (your partner) lays down a hand like this . . .
It’s a SLAM dunk, Baby!
Aah . . . that’s better!
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Did that really happen Nancy?!?!? WOW 🎉
Perhaps you should start thinking about getting on the gambling circuit …. 😉
I got this as a practice deal at home . . . but it was fun imagining it happening on the circuit!
I know nothing about Bridge, Nancy, but it must be good. 🙂 Happy Saturday!
Holding all the Aces & Kings = FUN STUFF!
Congratulations on your slam dunk! Do only tall players get slam dunks in Bridge?
Not at all. Bridge follows EEOC* guidelines and does not discriminate based on height, weight, or age.
So short people got a reason to play, baby!
* Equal Entertainment Opportunity Commission.
Bridge is, alas, a great big mystery to me, but the sequences of cards certainly look impressive! Like a royal flush in poker.
You strike me as someone who would take to bridge like a duck takes to water . . . It’s part luck of the draw, of course, but many hands give you a chance to test your metal.
Often wanted to try, but never had the opportunity. It seems like Scrabble – luck of letters drawn plays a big part, but it still counts a great deal whether one uses what one draws to best advantage or not.
Good analogy, Col.
Without “good cards,” even the best players get low scores, but often “great hands” are wasted on people (like me) who make the wrong tactical decisions about whether to finesse or duck, or to draw trumps sooner vs. later, or who close the lines of communication too soon or . . . whatever.
TIP: Bridge players LOVE “new blood.” So if you get a hankering to try a hand, they’d probably greet you with open arms.
I don’t really know bridge, I’m afraid, but I’ll take your word for it that the hands were significant. 🙂
Only a very inept or EXTREMELY UNLUCKY bridge player would have difficulty taking all 13 tricks with these two hands at their disposal.
In a nutshell ~>
If the game is played in No Trump (with no Wild Cards), there is no way they can lose.
No matter what suit is led by the opponents at the first trick, this dynamic duo can play the Ace or King and take the trick, thereby winning the lead.
Since they have the 4 highest Diamonds, the 4 highest Clubs, the 2 highest Hearts, and the 3 highest spades ~> that’s the 13 tricks needed for a Grand Slam (worth a bonus of 1000+ points) ~> 4 + 4 + 2 + 3 = 13
If Diamonds are trump, they should be able to clear out the opponents Diamonds (3-4-5-8-10) in short order by playing the Ace, then the King, the Queen, and the Jack, leaving themselves a few trumps to play as Wild Cards (in the unlikely event they’re needed).
BUT an EXTREMELY UNLUCKY bridge player could lose if one opponent holds all 5 outstanding Diamonds and hangs onto the 10 until after the Ace through the Jack are played. That 10 would beat the Dynamic Duo’s next highest trump (the 9).
Also, on the initial lead, if one opponent is VOID in the suit led, he/she could play a trump card (e.g., a Diamond) and take the trick BEFORE the Dynamic Duo can draw all the trump.
So a NO LOSE proposition in No Trump, but a few possible potholes when playing with Diamonds as trump.
As you can see ~> Bridge players play with very large “nutshells”
I think I got the main point, that this was an incredibly good hand, although it was a little hard for me to follow the specifics. I’m pleased for you. It’s always exciting when something like that happens.
Having said I didn’t really follow your explanation in its entirety, there were a few key details I could make out and that I strongly agreed with. These were No Trump, No Wild Cards and a NO LOSE proposition in No Trump which I took to imply TRUMP = a lose proposition.
You got the gist ~ when you have ALL the high cards you need, playing with a suit as TRUMP can be dangerous. In that situation, No Trump is safer. When you don’t have ALL the high cards, having lots of TRUMP can save the day.
That said, I’m still not voting for TRUMP in November. 😉
I’m not a Bridge player, Nancy, but those hands look impressive nonetheless. 🙂
Faces + Aces = Fun Stuff!
Even though I’ve never played bridge, these two hands definitely look like a slam dunk.
I felt compelled to photograph these two hands and share them for any Bridge Players in the “audience.”
We will resume our regular programming on Tuesday. 😀
I know nothing about bridge! But I know all those King, Queen, Jacks are good and the Aces are great! Good Morning!
Yes! Faces + Aces = Awesome!
I haven’t played Bridge for years (and I don’t think I ever had hands like this!) Good Slam Dunk 😀
Hands like this are few and far between.
Haven’t quite got together the subtle bits of bridge! No-one to play out here in the country 🙂
Hey Nancy! I finally finished my book 😀 I still miss the WeBook days, was a great resource. Hope you’re well Paul Arvo (aka Scouser7)
Congrats on your completed novel, Paul! That’s a nice accomplishment to have under your belt.
I’m glad I found WEbook (way back when) since it started me on the journey of writing on line and to Spirit Lights The Way . . .
That said, I don’t miss providing feedback on “work in progress” or the often-times strange reactions received from people who wanted “honest feedback” and then got angry about getting it. 😉
Blimey, the stuff you commented on in mine was *so* useful. Finding folk who’ll tell you straight is hard! I always thought it was due to living in the reticent UK.
Yay! Glad it helped.
I wish I knew about Bridge! I’ll bet my in-laws would appreciate that hand. They play Bridge.
If they play Bridge, they would LOVE to get these hands.
That had to be a dopamine release!
Haha! I definitely remember an immediate smile bursting forth!
I don’t know a thing about Bridge, but it appeals to me somehow. I’m influenced by scenes in old movies where the game was being played and it seemed an integral part of the characters’ lives. Maybe I should finally learn!
I just started playing this summer, four decades after learning the basics while playing with my parents. There’s a learning curve, and at times the cards do NOT cooperate . . . but I am already getting a return on my investment.
it’s FUN and a great way to meet people without having to make idle chitchat for hours on end.