The biggest difference between playing on a weak club night compared to an important tournament is the defense. On the club night you get away with contract after contract, it affects your bidding after a while. In a tournament you look at a hand, think "yea this is ok, I've got nine tricks and if this or that I'll get 10 maybe even 11" and end up with eight.
Here's a hand that demonstrates both my love of bidding (that's the nicest way I can put it) and me getting let off by the defense.
Vul: NS
Dealer: East |
| ♠ Q 8 4 |
| ♥ J T 6 2 |
| ♦ 8 7 2 |
| ♣ J 9 8 |
|
| ♠ J 7 6 |
| ♥ A K 9 7 3 |
| ♦ K 5 |
| ♣ A Q T |
|  |
| ♠ A |
| ♥ Q 8 5 4 |
| ♦ Q J T 9 6 4 3 |
| ♣ K |
|
|
| ♠ K T 9 5 3 2 |
| ♥ - |
| ♦ A |
| ♣ 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
|
The East hand opened 1
♦ playing precision. It always makes me laugh when a bid is described as could be as short as one, I wonder how many rebids it's going to take to convey the other six of them. I bid a spade, 2
♥ from left and my well trained partner bid 2
♠. Over 4
♥ I bid 4
♠ and a quick double ended the auction.
The defense predictably started with the K
♥ which I ruffed and played a club out, West rose killing his partners King and returned a big diamond. I won and beginning to see where this was going I played a spade to the Queen. I had to ruff the diamond from East then in a fit of optimism cashed the K
♠ which didn't bring in the suit like it was supposed to. Somewhat resigned I exited a club which West won:
On winning West cashed his good spade and surveyed the dummy. I'm now down to a single trump and the clubs are blocked, if West forces with a red card I'm going to get 1 trump and 1 club -1100 but happily he let me off by finding the T♣.
grt
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