georgeac, on Jun 27 2008, 06:53 PM, said:
i could plan the play, but before i can do that, can someone explain 2/4 leads as well as 3/5 leads. I hear both of these frequently and am not sure what they mean. Thanks
Although they sound similar, they actually have very different meanings.
"3/5" fairly consistently is used to mean
- 3rd highest from an even number
- lowest from an odd number
(even though this should actually be called "3rd and low")
So from 10642 you lead the 4, from 106432 you lead the 2
3/5 is sometimes used to mean
- 3rd highest from an even number
- 5th highest from an odd number (>=5)
"2/4" has come to mean different things in different countries. In the UK, it means
- 4th highest from length to an honour (bottom from 3 to an honour)
- 2nd highest from length without an honour
So from J432 you lead the 2, from 9432 you lead the 4
Depending where you are in the world, you either lead top or bottom from a doubleton. Many people think "2/4" includes leading the 2 from 82 doubleton. Many other people think it only applies to length leads (what to lead from 4 or more cards).
So both of these explanations are not actually very helpful in practice, as they can mean different things to different people!
Contract 7♦
lead ♥8