Hearts - Passing Strategy
Cron
heart (say the 10) and still try to cover your pass. My usual idea is
to pass weak clubs or diamonds and hold the heart, but all to often
they play out early before hearts are broken and I am left scrambling
to prevent a run.
David desJardins
> How do you usually handle your pass when holding only a mid to strong
> heart (say the 10) and still try to cover your pass.
I don't believe in "cover your pass". I generally make the best hand I
can for myself. If the other players don't want to stop my opponent
from shooting, because they think that I should, then that's their
problem.
If I have only one "mid to strong heart", it's almost surely better for
me to get rid of it than to be stuck with it.
I think "cover your pass" is a notion that some players invented so that
they can get other players to help them win.
David desJardins
Don Woods
There's a difference between "cover your pass" and "stop the shoot".
Covering the pass means doing what you can to ensure that SOMEONE can
block a shoot by the person receiving your pass. It does NOT mean that
you have to be the one who steps up and eats the points.
In general, passing small non-hearts to the opponent might or might not
stop them from shooting. Usually it doesn't help much, and it definitely
helps the opponent if he's NOT trying to shoot, because the small cards
may become duckers or exits. A small heart is much more effective at
stopping the shoot since the opponent HAS to win the trick that has the
small heart on it. Thus, a common tactic is to include your second
biggest heart in the pass. That way, unless the opponent has so many
top hearts that he can capture your big one, you know you can stop that
shoot. It's still perfectly all right to hope that someone else will do
so instead, but it ensures you have the option.
If you have only one heart, I agree that it's often right to pass it.
For one thing, it might set up a shoot for yourself. For another, it
means the opponent you pass it to won't have a heart void, so unless he
has a bunch of top hearts it should be possible for SOMEONE to stop him
from shooting. It's up to the other players to spot the threat and take
the heart trick if that's what it takes to stop him.
-- Don.
Eric Gorr
> How do you usually handle your pass when holding only a mid to strong
> heart (say the 10) and still try to cover your pass.
What do you mean by "cover your pass?" I'm that familiar with that term.
Does it mean that whatever card you pass to another player, you try to
keep a higher card just in case they try to shoot? This largely seems to
be a rather poor strategy and not one I would ever employ. All that
means is that they will likely be unable to make a run (as would I) and
since they were more focused on stopping one rather then not taking
tricks, I would likely have the edge in the game.
So, in your case, if I am just holding a single card in a suit, like the
10 of hears, unless it is a spade lower then the Queen, I will
automatically pass it to another player as I believe attempting (and
mostly succeeding) to short suit yourself always works quite well. Being
short suited has saved me more times then I care to count.
--
== Eric Gorr == http://home.cox.rr.com/NeOrSiPcAgMorr == ICQ:9293199 ===
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