Correct contract bridge / by E.V. Shepard ; including the official Laws of contract bridge adopted by the Whist Club, New York, and by all the leading clubs in America.

202 CORRECT CONTRACT BRIDGE

convention does not justify an assist, even though
your partner holds the one definite trick needed to
raise. But in case you allow your partner to name
the suit make you nearly treble his chances of holding four or more cards of one of your three good
suits, and he has even chances of having five or more
cards. As aid to your partner's best make your
hand averages to be worth iy2 tricks stronger than
it will be in case you become the declarer; the
strength of your joint cards averages to be three
tricks greater on your partner's make than on your
own choice.
Contrary to popular belief, holdings having the
best game chances and the greatest slam hopes are
not those with numerous high cards held in short
suits; game expectations and slam hopes are strongest with powerful trump suits and modest side
strength, because they ask no trump support from
partner and because they afford him probable
chances to hold enough side tricks to yield gamepossibly even a slam. Be not deceived by the number of sure tricks that you hold or by your numerous
honor tricks-you must consider the probable
strength of the entire 26 cards of your side.
By using the opening approach bid of 2-No
Trumps, as you would employ an informatory
double against an adverse opening make, as an imperative demand on your partner to make his best
declaration, you will most often arrive at the best
call for your side.
About 3 in 4 declarations can better be played
at some suit than at no-trump. As about 4 of 5