UDCA (Upside Down Count and Attitude) CARDING
Tournament Series #15
Turn it all around www.bridgewebs.com/borderlinebridge
Lavinthal Discards #1 – Bridge Bidding Basics #11 – Strips and Squeezes
The first discard in an unwanted suit #2 – Six Basic Conventions #12 – Blackwood
signifies suit preference. There are 4 suits, #3 – Play of the Hand #13 – Cue-bids
#4 – Defense #14 – Flannery
the 1 being lead, the 1 you don't like and are #5 – Intermediate Bidding #15 – Carding
sluffing and 2 other suits. #6 – Advanced (Two over One) #16 – Four Suit Transfers
#7 – Stayman and Transfers #17 – Weak No Trump
#8 – Lebensohl #18 – Wolf Sign-off &XYZ
A low card shows preference for the low #9 – Doubles and Overcalls #19 – Unusual/NMF/4SF
#10 – Online Bridge #20 – One Level Transfers
Upside Down Count and Attitude signals suit (other than the suit of the sluffed signal
reverse the meanings of Standard Carding. card), while a high card asks partner to lead
the high non-played suit.
There is no consensus as to which way is best.
When following suit, Positive Attitude is with a Carding when following suit and Discards
small card, just the opposite of standard carding. need to be discussed with your partner as
Count is also the opposite of Standard Carding they are a critical element in a good
with an echo being Low then High. partnership for winning bridge.
Suit Preference remains the same as Standard
Carding with UDCA. Except for pros Jeff Odd/Even Discards (aka Roman Discards)
Mecksroth and Eric Rodwell, they reverse the are a type of signal for attitude and suit Grafton Duplicate Bridge Club
Suit Preference signal, some say “Just to show preference. The first discard of a spot card Thursday Noon – Ameriprise Financial Bldg
they can”. They are obviously good. Stratified Pairs – Bridge lessons at 11am
has the following meanings: Director – Michael Leighton (701) 520-0753
An odd spot card (9, 7, 5, 3) Grand Forks Duplicate Bridge Club
A perceived advantage of UDCA is that Monday 6:30pm – GF Senior Center
encourages that suit. Stratified Pairs – Bridge lessons at 5:45pm
you are playing little cards in suits that
A high even spot card discourages Friday 12:30pm – EGF Senior Center
you like, rather than "middle cards" that Director – Tom Rand (701) 742-3676
that suit, and is a suit-preference
could be pushers for future tricks.
signal for the higher side suit. Ambassador Bridge Club Winnipeg MB
A low even spot card discourages that Tuesday 12:15pm – MB Bridge Centre
suit, and is a suit-preference signal for Stratified Pairs
Wednesday 7pm – MB Bridge Centre
Recommended reading regarding odd even the lower side suit. Invitational Pairs and Swiss Teams
(Roman Discards) can be found at Thursday 1pm – (0 – 200) Temple Shalom
Play and learn
Bridgebum.com/odd_even_discards.php Odd/Even Discards are quite robust and often Saturday 12:30pm – MB Bridge Centre
not permitted in some bridge venues. Swiss Teams
Director – Bill and Sue Treble (204) 669-1458
Standard Carding
Recommended Carding
Attitude
We agree to lead the ACE from A/K. Partner leads the
Ace against NT and you have Q92. Your play of the “9” Suit Preference
indicates the Q as you know that partner is not foolish and Finally, if playing a suit contract and partner
would not lead a Blank ACE, s/he must have the KING
against a NT contract. You are not giving COUNT. You leads the ACE and dummy has a singleton in
are giving ATTITUDE. Partner can under lead the King that suit, then your play is SUIT
to your Queen and you return a low card to let partner run PREFERENCE as it would make no sense for
the suit. Otherwise it is blocked.
partner to continue the suit and give declarer a
We are not just following suit. Every card Finer Points possible ruff and sluff.
means something and sends a message. When your partner is on lead and leads the ACE from
Especially Partner's Opening Lead A/K. If you have the something like Q982, your attitude
card to play at the first trick is the “9”. Playing the “8” A low card says change suits to the LOWEST
would deny having the “9” because when signaling you ranking suit that is not trump and a high card
1st Priority - ATTITUDE (about 90% of want to be as clear or emphatic as possible by playing the says change suits to the HIGHEST ranking suit
the time on opening lead) highest of touching honors.
that is not trump. In our example, if partner
2nd Priority – COUNT (echo – high/low If partner has the A/K/10, partner will continue the suit leads the ACE of HEARTS and SPADES are
with the King and you then follow with the deuce. Clearly trump and dummy has a singleton Heart, then
for even number – 90% of the time it is a showing ATTITUDE so that partner continues the suit for
you to run. On the other hand, if partner has 5 of the suit the 9 of Hearts says “switch to Diamonds – the
doubleton, only if count is not clear and from A/K then partner would under lead the King at trick highest side suit” and the 2 of Hearts says
attitude is obvious) i.e. Partner leads 4th two so that partner can run the suit. “switch to Clubs – the lowest side suit”.
highest and Dummy has 2 honors higher
than you and “goes up”. Since you cannot Count Discards
beat the dummy, your play cannot be However, , let’s say that the QJ9 are in When discarding, the play of a low card says
ATTITUDE, it is COUNT. Dummy and partner has led the ACE “I don’t like this suit” and the play of a high
against a suit. Now if you play the 8, card says “I like this suit, play it next”.
3rd Priority – SUIT PREFERENCE (only because you cannot have the Queen for
when obvious – such a singleton in ATTITUDE, the eight is the beginning It can be expensive to play 9s and tens to
of an echo and implies 2 cards in the suit. show that you like a suit and oftentimes you
Dummy & partner led the Ace)
won’t have a card to show that you like a suit.
Of course, you could be singleton, but
that is fine. The echo gives partner an
opportunity to count the suit around the It is best to play a low card in the suit you
table. If partner has a 5 card suit, don’t like as you are wasting nothing and by
Journalistic Leads by agreement state
therefore if you have 2 and the dummy inference partner should know to play the
the lead of the "Jack denies a higher other suit. There are only 2 suits outside of
has QJ9, partner knows to cash the K and
honor" and a nine or ten promises "0 play a 3rd card in the suit to give you a trump in addition to the suit that partner is
or 2 higher honors". ruff or establish 2 winners when partner leading. If you don’t like one, you might like
has an outside entry for No Trump. the other.
