Master Ruffing Losers in Bridge Today

Unlock the secret to transforming losing cards into winning plays with the powerful technique of ruffing losers in dummy. Learn the essential conditions and strategies to effectively manage your trump suit and elevate your bridge game to new heights. Tune in now to master this game-changing skill!

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Ruffing losers in the dummy is a powerful technique in bridge that can turn losing cards into winning ones. This strategy allows you to use dummy's trump cards to trump losing cards in your hand.

To ruff a loser in dummy, you first need to identify a side suit where your hand has more cards than dummy. You play out that suit until dummy runs out of cards, creating a void. Then, you can lead the suit again from your hand and use one of dummy's remaining trump cards to ruff it. Even the lowest trump can beat an ace in another suit, making this technique quite effective.

For ruffing losers to work, three conditions must be met. First, you need to have more cards in your hand than in dummy for the suit you want to ruff. This ensures you can create a void in dummy. Second, dummy must have enough trump cards to ruff your losers while still maintaining control of the trump suit. Lastly, you need a way to return to your hand after ruffing, especially if you have multiple losers to ruff.

When planning to ruff, start by counting your losers in the hand with the longer trump suit. For example, if you have six losers and can ruff one diamond loser in dummy, you'll reduce your total losers to five. This can make a significant difference in your contract.

The typical sequence involves winning the opening lead, counting your losers, and executing your plan by playing the side suit where you want to ruff. Keep playing that suit until dummy is void, then lead from your hand to ruff with one of dummy's trump cards.

Managing your trump suit is crucial. You need to balance ruffing losers in dummy with drawing the opponents' trumps to prevent them from ruffing your winners. Sometimes, you might have to give up some trump tricks to maintain enough trumps in dummy for your ruffing plan.

For instance, if you're in a heart contract and have two diamond losers, and dummy has fewer diamonds than you, you can win the opening lead, play diamonds until dummy is void, then lead another diamond from your hand and ruff it with a trump from dummy. This eliminates one of your diamond losers and gets you closer to making your contract.

Ruffing requires careful planning before you play to the first trick. Consider how many losers you have and which ones can realistically be eliminated through ruffing.

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