[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-409984-105":59,"doc-detail-409984-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","suitcombinations-calculations-and-probabilities-for-missing-cards","SUITCOMBINATIONS - Calculations and Probabilities for Missing Cards","","A bridge-suit combinations guide explaining how to evaluate lines of play when key cards are missing. It develops practical reasoning for choosing between finesse and cashing, including how the need for a specific number of tricks changes the best safety play. The text then formalizes success-rate calculation by enumerating possible missing-card distributions, distinguishing favorable and unfavorable cases, and deriving approximate probabilities. Worked examples and a probability table support applying the method to determine the likely outcome of different plays.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/suitcombinations-calculations-and-probabilities-for-missing-cards/409984/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/suitcombinations-calculations-and-probabilities-for-missing-cards/409984.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"WPS_1786070896","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why is it difficult to list all possible suit combinations in a single publication?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The booklet explains that listing every possible combination and the correct handling would be impossible in one compact work, and learning all the resulting data would be tedious for the reader.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"When should a player choose finessing the queen versus cashing the ace first?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The introduction describes that the best line depends on the missing-card distribution and how many tricks are needed, comparing success chances and noting trade-offs such as contract protection versus extra tricks.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How are success rates for a particular line of play calculated?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The calculations section states that the method requires enumerating all possible missing-card combinations, identifying which are favorable for the intended line, and using the relative likelihood of each distribution to compute an overall success rate.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},409984,1791264591,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},549768072016,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","The IPBM Book of  \nSUITCOMBINATIONS  \nSeries Editor:Tony Sowter  \nCT Bridge Supplies3838 Catalina St.Los Alamitos,CA 90720  \nThe IPBM Book of  \nCOMBINATIONS  \nSeries Editor:Tony Sowter  \nB. Senior 1984  \nFirst published 1984  \nISBN 0946236 119  \nPrinted in England for the publishers:  \nProbray Press Ltd,  \n12 Beech Avenue, Sherwood Rise,  \nNottingham NG7 7LL  \nCONTENTS  \nIntroduction…………………………  \n……………………………………………3  \n………………………………………5  \nCalculations……………………………………  \nProbability of distribution of missing cards……………………………7  \nPutting the theory into practice………  \n………………………………………9  \nExamples………………………………  \n……………………………13  \nSolutions to Examples.  \n…………………………14  \nProblems…………………………  \n………………………19  \nSolutions to Problems  \n……………21  \n……………29  \nConclusion………………………  \nFurther Examples………  \n………………30  \nSolutions to Further Examples.  \n…………………………………32  \n# INTRODUCTION\n\nIt would be quite impossible for us to list all the possible suit combin-ations and the correct way of handling them in a publication of thissize.It would be equally impossible for the reader to learn such a vastquantity of data and anyone attempting to do so would find it tediousin the extreme.  \nYou will find a number of the most common suit combinations inthis booklet;what you will also find is an explanation of how the miss-ing cards are likely to be distributed and how the various percentagescan be calculated.Armed with the basic knowledge of how the suit islikely to break and how the key cards are likely to be placed the readercan work out for himself what the correct play is.  \nOf course,in real life things may prove to be a little more complic-ated.The correct play may depend on how many tricks you need froma suit.For example,with A-Q-x-X-x opposite x-x-X-x,needing fivetricks,your only hope would be to finesse the queen then lay down theace hoping for a 2-2 break with the king onside.If you could afford oneloser,however,this line would be incorrect as it risks failure when thereis a singleton king offside.Needing only four tricks you should cash theace first,then lead up to the queen.This safety play will cost an over-trick about 20%of the time but will save your contract a little over 6%of the time.  \nIt is important to remember that you will not usually be playing onesuit in isolation.Considering the hand as a whole it may be better tocombine two slightly lesser chances rather than stake everything onplaying one suit in the optimum manner.  \nAlso,of course,there may be other considerations such as an urgentneed to keep one particular defender off lead at all costs.This may wellpersuade you to take an anti-odds finesse into his partner's hand ratherthan play for the drop and risk his getting that vital entry.  \nAgain,you may have inadequate communications between yourown two hands,in which case you must choose the best line of those  \navailable to you.To return to the earlier example-A-Q-x-x-x oppositeX-X-x-x needing four tricks.If you are in the four small hand for thelast time but have not yet cashed the ace you are obviously unableto take the ideal line.Your options are to finesse the queen or playace and another.Clearly the finesse is much better than the alternative,since the only relevant situations are those with a singleton offsideand only one time out of four with that be the king.  \nNonetheless,despite these qualifications,it is of great importanceto know your combinations.Indeed,I have just illustrated the advantageof learning how to calculate the right play out of those options availableto you rather than learning by rote the percentage plays for suitcombinations in isolation.  \n# CALCULATIONS\n\nTo calculate the success rate of a particular line of play you need toknow all the possible combinations of the missing cards,which combin-ations are favourable for your intended linc,and the relative likelihoodof the various combinations.You hold:  \nAQJ1098765  \n# what is your chance of bringing in nine tricks?\n\nThe cards can be distributed as follows:  \n1  \nK32  \n一  ","cbCaiokcUF1Z4vgF","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiokcUF1Z4vgF","pdf",1594452,36,"English","# INTRODUCTION\n## Putting the theory into practice\n# CALCULATIONS\n## Probability of distribution of missing cards","[{\"question\":\"Why is it difficult to list all possible suit combinations in a single publication?\",\"answer\":\"The booklet explains that listing every possible combination and the correct handling would be impossible in one compact work, and learning all the resulting data would be tedious for the reader.\"},{\"question\":\"When should a player choose finessing the queen versus cashing the ace first?\",\"answer\":\"The introduction describes that the best line depends on the missing-card distribution and how many tricks are needed, comparing success chances and noting trade-offs such as contract protection versus extra tricks.\"},{\"question\":\"How are success rates for a particular line of play calculated?\",\"answer\":\"The calculations section states that the method requires enumerating all possible missing-card combinations, identifying which are favorable for the intended line, and using the relative likelihood of each distribution to compute an overall success rate.\"}]","SUITCOMBINATIONS - Calculations and Probabilities for Missing Cards | PDF",1790583865,91]