THE LOSING TRICK COUNT
from 'No Fear Bridge Notes'

A clear and simple guide to basic Acol bidding ("Standard English").  Suitable for beginners or for anyone who needs to brush up knowledge of the basic bidding sequences.

Available from www.nofearbridge.co.uk
or phone 01932 344609

Previously we have used shortage points when valuing a hand with a known eight card fit (void=5, singleton=3, doubleton=1).  The Losing Trick Count (LTC) is a more accurate way of valuing unbalanced hands when there is a known eight card fit.

 

WHY USE IT?

·       Enables you to bid to the correct level

·       Most bridge players use it

 

WHEN TO USE IT?

·       When you know you have an 8 card or better fit

It’s as simple as that!   Don’t use the LTC when:

·       You haven’t got a fit

·       You don’t yet know whether you have a fit

 

HOW IT WORKS

It works like this:

·       Count the losers in your own hand

·       Add the losers in your partner’s hand (you have to make some basic assumptions about how many losers your partner has from the type of bid they make – see page 4)

·       Subtract the total from 24 and the result is the number of tricks you expect to make.

 

HOW TO COUNT YOUR LOSERS

·       Count one loser for each missing A, K and Q in each suit.

·       You cannot have more losers than the number of cards in the suit.

Here are some example (losers are shown in red):

J 5 4

3 losers

 

J 5 4 2

3 losers (you count a maximum of 3 losers in a suit)

A 2

1 loser

 

A Q 4 3 2

1 loser

K 3

1 loser

 

Q 3

2 losers

A Q

1 loser

 

A

no losers

K

1 loser

 

void

no losers

 

 

HOW TO CALCULATE WHICH LEVEL TO BID

When responding to an opening bid of one of a suit and you have an eight card fit:

1.    Count the losers in your own hand

2.    Add the losers in your partner’s hand (A minimum opening bid is assumed to be 7 losers.  Note however, that you do not use the LTC to decide whether to open the bidding!!  Still use the Rule of 20).

3.    Subtract the total from 24 and the result is the number of tricks you expect to make.

The formula for calculating the number of tricks your side is expected to make is as follows:

 EXPECTED TRICKS  =  24 – [YOUR LOSERS + PARTNERS LOSERS]

 

LOSING TRICK COUNT ADJUSTMENTS

1.    Count the queen as half a loser when you have no other honours in the same suit e.g. Qxxx. (But  in AQxx, KQxx, QJxx queen is not ½ loser).

2.    Add half a loser if your hand has no Aces.

3.    If you know your partnership has nine or more trumps and you have a void or a singleton you can subtract one loser.

4.    If your high card point count suggests you should bid at a higher level, then use the point count instead.

Look at the following examples to see how it works in practice. As you can see from Example 3, both partners can use the losing trick count to value their hand.  East was able to revalue his hand using the Losing Trick Count once he learned that they have an eight card fit. 

 

LOSING TRICK COUNT EXAMPLES

1  Dealer West

8 7           

K Q 9 6 2

A 9 5         

A 6 4         

K 4 2

A 8 5 3

7 6 3

Q 7 3

WEST

NORTH

EAST

SOUTH

1

Pass

2

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

 

East has three losers in diamonds, two in clubs, two in hearts and two in spades.  Nine in all.  East assumes West had a seven-loser opening.
9 + 7 = 16;    24 –16 = 8.  i.e. 8 tricks, so East raises to the two level.   West does have a 7 losers minimum so passes. 

 

 

2  Dealer East    

-    

Q 9 8 6 2

A J 10 6   

Q 10 8 7

A 8 7

A K 5 4 3

9 4 2

K 5

WEST

NORTH

EAST

SOUTH

 

 

1

Pass

4

Pass

Pass

Pass

 

 

West has 6 losers. West assumes East had a minimum seven-loser opening bid.   6 + 7 = 13;  24 – 13 = 11. i.e. 11 tricks.  So West raises to 4ª.  

 

 

3  Dealer East    

A 8 7 6

4

K J 7 5 2

9 7 3                     

K Q 9 5 3

A 7

A 8

J 10 6 2

WEST

NORTH

EAST

SOUTH

 

 

1

Pass

3

Pass

4

Pass

West has  eight losers. West assumes East had a minimum seven-loser opening bid.   8 + 7 = 15;  24 – 15 = 9.  Therefore West raises to three and East with 6 losers, one less than he might have had, bids game.    (From East’s point of view, he has 6 losers, he knows from West raise to the 3 level that West has 8 losers.  6 + 8 = 14;  24 – 14 = 10, so game is on.)

 

PRESUMED NUMBER OF LOSERS FOR COMMON SEQUENCES

The table below shows the presumed number of losers for the last bid in the sequence shown.  It is worth knowing these by heart.

 

BID

EXAMPLE

LOSERS

 

N

E

S

W

 

OPENING BIDS

 

 

 

 

 

 

One level suit opening

1

 

 

 

7

 

1NT opening

1NT

 

 

 

7/8

 

SAME SUIT RAISES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responder’s same suit raise to 2.

1

 

2

 

9

 

Responder’s same suit raise to 3.

1

 

3

 

8

 

Responder’s same suit raise to 4.

1

 

4

 

7

 

CHANGE OF SUIT RESPONSES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change of suit at the 1 level

1

 

1

 

9

 

Change of suit at the 2 level

1

 

2

 

8

 

OPENER’S REBIDS:

 

 

 

 

 

Bids that show
12-15

Opener’s single raise of partner’s suit

1

2

 

1