In previous articles we have discussed the importance of considering your hand’s distributional assets. There are many ways to do this, but we have found the most useful method is Losing Trick Count (LTC.) LTC is a method of evaluating the combined trick-taking potential of your and your partner’s hand, to determine if you should stop in a part-score, go to game, or explore for slam.
Before we consider LTC in detail, it’s very important to remember the following:
- LTC only applies when you have found a trump suit fit. LTC does not apply when you are planning to play a NT contract.
- You must have at least an eight-card trump suit fit.
- Corollary: do not use LTC to determine whether or not you should open your hand, as LTC is of no value until you and your partner have found a trump fit. (A better way to determine an opening hand is by using a modified version of the Rule of 20, which we will discuss in a future article.)
An introduction to calculating the number of losers in your hand
- A three card or longer suit is considered to have at most 3 losers. Count anything other than Ace, King or Queen as a loser.
- A two card suit has at most 2 losers. Count anything other than an Ace or King as a loser.
- A singleton Ace is not a loser. Any other singleton, even if an honor (King or Queen) is a loser.
Examples:
- The following holdings have no losers: ♥AKQ, ♥AKQx, ♥AKQxx, ♥AK, ♥A
- The following holdings have one loser: ♠AKx, ♠AKxx, ♠KQ, ♠x, ♠Ax, ♠K, ♠Q
- The following holdings have two losers: ♦Axx, ♦Kxx, ♦xx
Using LTC
- Calcuate the number of losers in your hand.
- Estimate the number of losers in your partner’s hand.
- Based on the number of total losers, bid a partial, game or slam. Consult the table below to determine how high to go in your suit contract.
Determining your partnership’s total losers
If you opened the bidding, then you can determine partner’s LTC based on his response:
- Partner raised to the 2-level = 9 losers
- Partner raised to the 3-level = 8 losers
- Partner raised to game = 7 losers
If your partner opened at the 1-level, then her hand may have 5-7 losers.
- An average 1-level opener (12-15) = 7 losers
- A stronger 1-level opener (16-18) = 6 losers
- A maximum 1-level opener ( 19) = 5 losers
A strong 2♣ opening hand typically has four or fewer losers. In general, the stronger the hand, the fewer the losers.
Finally, determine the level of your contract.
The bidding sequence will reveal the losing trick count of opener’s and responder’s hands. Then, based on the LTC, the partnership can reach a partial contract, game or slam in the agreed-upon trump suit. Add your LTC to your estimate of your partner’s LTC, and subtract that from 24. The resulting number is the number of tricks you can expect to make. For example:
- If 24 minus the total combined losers in both hands is less than 10, stop in a part score.
- If 24 minus the total combined losers in both hands = 10 or 11: bid game in a major. If your trump suit is a minor, bid game if 24 minus the total combined losers in both hands = 11.
- If 24 minus the total combined losers in both hands = 12 or 13, look for slam.
Needless to say, there are fine adjustments you can make to LTC. If enough people are interested in a more detailed analysis of LTC, please let us know, and we can write a follow-up article.