[mgoetze]

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In this position, with the ♠7 and 5 clubs outstanding, LTPB2 recommends two rounds of clubs before drawing the last trump, to guard against a 4-1 split. Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't it possible that the 4-1 split is the wrong way around and the second round of clubs will get ruffed? In fact, it seems to me that out of all 4-1 splits, 8 times out of 13 the player with the singleton club will also have the outstanding trump, making this line actually inferior to the straightforward method of drawing all trumps before playing on clubs.

[inquiry]

Heads you win, tails you break even with club-club. By this i mean, here is the options,,,

3-2 clubs
Cash Club AK, no ruff, lose no clubs,
play trump then AK club, lose no club

4-1 clubs, hand with 4 clubs has spade 7
Cash club AK, no ruff. Cash club Q, ruff club. Lose no clubs
Pull last trump, play clubs lose one club.

4-1 clubs, hand with 1 club has the last spade
Cash club AK, they ruff the club king. But now, you ruff 4th round of club, lose 1C (ruff)
Pull trump, then cash club, you lose 4th round of club
(lose one "club" either ruff or 4th round either way)

As you can see, of the 3 options, cash club AK is eihter as good as immediately pull the last trump. This type of play is fairly common, if they ruff, you are just exchanging one loser for another one. But if they can't ruff when the suit splits badly you gain a trick.

[mgoetze]

Thanks, Ben. Somehow, I was under the delusion that you would lose two clubs if one got ruffed... Hm, so even on a 5-0 club break, you don't lose any more.