[hrothgar]

Here's an interesting hand that cropped up on BBO today.

Partner has never seen this ploy, so I thought it worth sharing...

You're playing IMPs and get dealt the following:

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You open a 15-17 1NT, partner bids 3♣ (puppet Stayman) and you land in an ambitious 3NT.

The eight of spades gets lead to the 4, and the three. You win the eight.

Plan the play...

{comments}

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[Flameous]

Your north is missing the ♠Q.

Was a neat trick, but I doubt it should really work with these cards.

Spoiler

It's one thing to play hearts and make opps play something else, but that something else must be spades here to get a trick. I think to actually have a chance at this is to win the first trick with J making LHO think you held AJ doubleton. Bad luck is that ♠3 actually always foils your plan here.

I remember falling for this last summer, executed by some 10 year old kid. Damn it made me feel humiliated

[nickf]

Statue of Liberty play isn't it? The italians were fond of it about 10 years ago.

nickf
Sydney

[Antrax]

I don't get it. You play a diamond, giving west a chance to signal. Why won't he signal for a heart?

[JLOGIC]

Yes winning the 9 and playing a heart would be better probably. Another option is winning the 9 and playing the C9 like you have AJ8x and hoping for a duck from KQ...All that said, nice practical effort. This play should never work, but in real life it does because people are not used to it and naturally don't play suits you attack.

[JLOGIC]

FWIW vulnerable I think cashing out is probably right. I am getting old, lol. In the old days I'd always go for a swindle.

[y66]

I saw minimeck do this a few years ago. Pretty cool when it works.

[hrothgar]

Antrax, on 2012-March-03, 23:33, said:

I don't get it. You play a diamond, giving west a chance to signal. Why won't he signal for a heart?

I wanted to show that I had running diamonds and try to make it look like i also needed to develop a slow heart trick...
I also wanted to lead the Jack towards the Queen which required crossing to dummy.

FWIW< I agree that I should have probably won in dummy initially and then lead the heart immediately.