Aces and Kings

Big Promoters. Aces and Kings are especially wonderful cards when they support each other. To illustrate, what's the worth of these two combinations?

¨ AKxxx                 ¨ Ax

§ -                      § Kxx

Clearly, the first is more valuable on offense than the second, yet both contain the same number of 'points' and the same high cards. With the second combination, your side may take only one trick -- with the first, it may be worth as much as 4 or 5 tricks.

Promotion.  Aces and Kings, especially in combination, provide the ability to set up small cards  to take tricks -- Queens and Jacks are usually too slow to provide much small card promotion by themselves.

Consider:

ª Axx	ªAKxxx
© Kxx	©xx
¨ Axx	¨AKxxx
§ Kxxx	§ x

As declarer with the first hand you may take only two tricks, but with the second one, you can take lots of tricks, even with as little as this hand in dummy:

ª Qx
© xxxx
¨ J10xx
§ xxx

Is this dummy worth only three points ? If Hand 2 has bid Spades and Diamonds, this dummy is worth about 10 points, not three. On a good day, these two hands will make 10 tricks. Points, Smoints!

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Long Suits. Aces and Kings in long suits are worth more on offense because they can set up little cards. Aces and Kings in short suits are better suited for defense because they take the first round or two of the suit and are therefore unlikely to be ruffed.

Do you think this holding is worth two tricks at defense? Do you think it is worth 4 - 6 tricks as declarer at Two Clubs?

§ AKxxxx

How many tricks do you think this hand will take at either offense or defense?

© Ax

§ Kxx

Aces are worth more than 4 points for several reasons:

• They take tricks on both offense and defense

• They take Kings and Queens

• They take the first trick in each suit

• They keep the lead

• They can help set up long suits