When there are two suits of equal length, dummy must select the suit, which counts most by spots, the ace counting eleven and the other honours ten each. If the suits are still equal, dummy declares the one having the higher trick valuation.
Only one adversary, the leader, can double.
If the dealer has seen the two hands, he is not allowed to redouble.
The dummy hand is not exposed until the doubling has been settled and a card led.
When the dummy is the leader, his partner must look at the dummy hand and lead from it before seeing his own cards; and dummy alone has the right to double.
There are various methods of playing Dummy Bridge. An approved feature is to allow either adversary to double the dealer’s make and to eliminate doubling on a forced make.
Practise soon shows a player the relative importance of playing for the greatest possible number of points and tricks, and of playing to win or to save the game. No matter how cleverly the cards are managed, the player who underestimates the attention the state of the score demands, will unnecessarily lose many a rubber. The declaration largely depends upon the score, and much of the play is influenced by the number of tricks required to win or to save the game.
Most Bridge players take means to ascertain the score before announcing a declaration; it is only an occasional game that is lost by a hasty declaration regardless of the state of the score; but in the play of the hand, the score is frequently entirely overlooked. Interested in his scheme of play, the dealer will try for too much or too little, and quite lose sight of what should be his first goal--to win or to save the game.
With a game to the good, the advantage conferred by the position is too great to risk by a rash make. When you are a game ahead, make none but a conservative and sound declaration. When you are a game behind, the score justifies a bold make.
On the rubber game, particularly if the adversaries are over twenty, the dealer may attempt a forward declaration, but his partner should not be too reckless, realising that the dealer knew the situation and did not consider his hand worth a venture.
At twenty-four or more on the score, with a strong black suit the make should not be passed; average assistance in your partner’s hand will probably enable you to win the game; and with weak red suits, a passed red declaration may be doubled and the game won by the adversaries.