Good Bad Hands

Good hands can deteriorate as the bidding progresses. If you have wasted values (especially queens and jacks) in the opponents’ suits and partner seemingly doesn’t like your suit(s), retire gracefully.

You are South and the bidding proceeds (North dealer):

Here are two possible hands for you:
 

 
With South (a), your red-suit queens are almost certainly waste-paper (falling under the opposing ace-kings) and partner doesn’t like your spades. Pass, don’t come again with 3♠.

With South (b), your hearts look good for a trick on defence to 3♥ but may be worth little in a spade contract. Your ♦KJ likely lie “under” ♦AQ (the 2♦ bidder). And your spades are pretty emaciated facing partner’s presumed shortage. Pass. Get out.

If you had: 
           

 – now that’s a 3♠ bid; no defensive red-suit values and a spade suit that plays for one loser opposite a singleton or even a void. Lots of TRICKS in fact – and that’s what bridge is all about.
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