Play Some BishDaily Challenge Recap
Calling Clubs on One Jack Because the Alternative Is Worse
Three calls lose by a mile, and the one that wins is a single Jack and a Partner you cannot see. Sometimes the call is about keeping the trump suit away from the opponents.
The hand
Your first six cards are the Ace and 7 of hearts, the Jack and 8 of diamonds, the Jack of clubs, and the 9 of spades. The kitty is the 7 of clubs, the Queen of diamonds and the 10 of diamonds.
The decision
Diamonds looks right. You hold the Jack, 8, Queen and 10, and it loses 50 to 162. Opponent 1 ends up with the Ace of diamonds, and also holds the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 8 of spades, a five-card run worth 50. Hearts and spades lose by even more.
That second fact is why you call clubs. A suit the opponents cannot use is a good suit. Your Partner holds the King, Queen, 10 and 9 of clubs, and the Ace comes in the kitty, so the clubs are all on your side. The call wins 138 to 94 even after Opponent 1's 50 run in spades is counted for them.
The line that wins
The hard AI, playing all four seats with the cards face up, won six of nine tricks with clubs as trump.
Trick 3: the Jack cuts a spade
Opponent 1 leads the 8 of spades. Your Partner cuts with the Queen of clubs and your Jack goes over it, taking 23.
Tricks 5 and 6: Partner's trumps come out
Your Partner wins with the King of clubs for 18, then leads the 9 of clubs for 16. The King and Queen of clubs are a Bella worth 20 on top.
Trick 9: the Ace for the last trick
Your Partner finishes with the Ace of clubs and takes 30 points with the bonus.
The takeaway
You pick the trump suit for the whole table. If the opponents hold a monster suit, calling a different one can be the winning move even when your own cards are thin. See when to call trump and runs and Bella.