Power Pinochle Forums

(1) Dow should make accurate meld bids. {All kinds: meld bid, save bids and jump bids}
(2) Dow should know the formula for how much to bid. { (p+y+20=h)=( partner meld bid or 10 if passed+your hand+20= how much you can bid )}.
(3) Dow should not overbid his or her partner if he or she reaches 60 plus first. {only if he or she has a double run, remember this is a team sport}
(4) Dow should analyze laid-out cards.
(5) Dow should not hold aces of trump if partner made trump. {ace is the trump are guaranteed a win when played first, also to let your partner know where they are}.
(6) Dow should play basic cards after the first lead. {queen of trump, if no indicator. { indicators are aces and jack’s }
(7) Dow should trump with point cards only. {kings & 10’s}.
(8) Partners should never attempt to take overhand, if your partner may trump. { the person that made trump has the master plan! }
(9) Dow should be careful in using high meld in your hand to play. {remember double pinochle, double kings, double queens, and double jacks. All these cards are losers, no power! }
 (10) Dow should learn to use his or her rundown suit when making trump.

These commandments work, not just for me. But for those who master all of them. These commandments are for newbies and honest players. Cheaters are exempt! Good luck and happy knuckling.
















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(08-20-2021, 09:06 PM)deadeye61 Wrote: [ -> ](1) Dow should make accurate meld bids. {All kinds: meld bid, save bids and jump bids}
(2) Dow should know the formula for how much to bid. { (p+y+20=h)=( partner meld bid or 10 if passed+your hand+20= how much you can bid )}.
(3) Dow should not overbid his or her partner if he or she reaches 60 plus first. {only if he or she has a double run, remember this is a team sport}
(4) Dow should analyze laid-out cards.
(5) Dow should not hold aces of trump if partner made trump. {ace is the trump are guaranteed a win when played first, also to let your partner know where they are}.
(6) Dow should play basic cards after the first lead. {queen of trump, if no indicator. { indicators are aces and jack’s }
(7) Dow should trump with point cards only. {kings & 10’s}.
(8) Partners should never attempt to take overhand, if your partner may trump. { the person that made trump has the master plan! }
(9) Dow should be careful in using high meld in your hand to play. {remember double pinochle, double kings, double queens, and double jacks. All these cards are losers, no power! }
 (10) Dow should learn to use his or her rundown suit when making trump.

1.  What is 'accurate'?
2.  The point in general, yes.  How you get there...not so much.  There's 2 parts here.  #1, how many tricks, and thus points during play, is your hand worth?  #2, what can you expect from your partner?
3.  Often, but not always, true.  Bidding to play the hand is making promises about your hand...but I can have something MORE playable.  
4.  Yes.
5.  Not necessarily.  Did partner exit with a trump?  If not, then assume *he doesn't want trump played early.*  Another point:  you have Axxxx of trump, and started with xx in a suit where partner cashed an ace while he was in.  YOUR trumps become extra tricks.  There is no reason to cash your trump ace early;  it's not going anywhere.  
6.  No.  LOTS of times this is wrong.
7.  Dummy, probably.  Declarer?  Kings, OK, but 10s?  NO.  Declarer can find himself losing tricks to the defense's trump 10s.  
8.  Well, we'll assume that dummy thinks declarer actually DOES have a plan.  That'll prove to be a false assumption MUCH of the time, but we'll start with it.  In most cases, yes, dummy's job is to go along with the plan.  There are occasional cases, tho, where dummy needs to tell declarer that, yes, he *can* take over the hand if all the trump are pulled...including declarer.  This may lead to dummy doing things that look...odd.
9.  For declarer?  Yeah, double kings is tricky.  It's points you'll be giving to your opponent.  But it shouldn't matter, if you understand how to evaluate your hand's playing potential.  For dummy?  If declarer hears big meld from dummy...cool.  It doesn't matter that it's a bunch of losers.  Dummy isn't expected to take tricks.  My LONG-term rule of thumb:  unless dummy's shown aces, count on him for 2 tricks, thus 5 points in play.  That's all.
10.  Not particularly helpful as written.  Side suit management is important, sure, but it has several flavors.