Discard Signals

By Rich Fabbre

You can find entire books written about discards.  In this short article, I'm not going to get beyond the basics.   At the highest level, discards fall into two categories. Attitude (do you like or dislike the suit) and Suit Preference (what suit do you suggest partner leads when she gets in). Remember, your discard is not a command to lead a suit; rather from your vantage point it suggests that it may be a good idea.  In any case, it helps your partner get a better idea of where the various honors lie. 

The most important thing about discarding is that you and your partner agree on what method you are going to play. There's no point in discarding something other than a worthless card unless your partner understands what your discard means.  The second most important thing is that you faithfully watch what your partner discards.  You don’t want to be defending a contract and as you are putting the cards back in the board have partner say, “if you had led a heart like I requested, we would have set them”.

The Foot Stomper for discard signals is that it only applies to the first discard you make.  In most contracts you defend you will have to make several discards, and you will naturally throw away small cards after your first discard signal.

High-Low Discards: You can show, by your discard, your attitude about a suit.  Do you like it or not. Is it a suit you would like partner to lead: It’s generally thought to be the simplest discard system of all.  Basically, you discard a high card in a suit you want your partner to lead. This must be the first discard you make.  You will likely have to make a few more discards and you will throw away small cards whenever possible. Discarding a low card as your first discard suggests that you have no interest in that suit.

For what it’s worth, it always has struck me as crazy to discard a high card in a suit you like, especially against NoTrump.  You may be throwing away a trick.  Therefore, if this is the system you decide to use, I suggest you use upside down signals.  Discard a low card to say you like that suit and a high card to say you don’t like it

Odd-Even Discards: In this technique the play of an odd card encourages partner to lead the suit you discarded whereas the play of an even card discourages a lead in that suit.  If you don’t care what suit your partner leads, discard an even card.

Lavinthal Suit Preference System: These discards are probably the most widespread and easiest methods to use.  First, the suit you discard is the suit you don’t want to be led.  A low discard in one suit suggests interest in the lower of the other two non-trump suits. Similarly, a high card suggests interest in the higher of the other two non-trump suits.  For example, if ♥ s are Trump, the discard of a low ♦ asks for a ♣ lead and the discard of a high ♦ asks for a ♠ lead.  Try to avoid playing a 6 or 7 on your first discard as they are hard for your partner to read since it is difficult to determine if they are high or low cards.

Here's another situation where Lavinthan is especially useful.  Let’s say Partners Opening Lead is an A and you have an agreement that it indicates she also has the King.  However, when Dummy comes down, he has a singleton in that suit; You need to tell partner what to lead next.  Again, follow with a high card to ask for the higher ranking of the non- trump suits or a low card for the lower ranking other suit.  Now let’s say Partner leads a suit which you are pretty sure is a singleton.  She wants that suit to be led back so she can get a ruff, but she needs to know how to get to your hand.  Use the same Lavinthal suit preference signals as described above. Lavinthal is very simple and easy for partnerships to learn and understand.

Revolving Suit Preference System: This is another simple and effective system that is relatively easy to remember.  Typically, you would use this when following suit on partners opening lead but you can also use it after partner’s subsequent leads and when following to a lead from the opponents.  Use it defending both Suit and Notrump contracts. Following suit on partner’s subsequent leads may get problematic because you may not have enough cards left in that suit to play a card that indicates your suit preference. 

Here's how Revolving Discards work. Following your partner’s opening lead with a high card shows interest in the next suit up, while a low card shows interest in the suit down. For example, if Hearts are trump and partner leads the Diamond Ace and you follow with a low Diamond, that says I have a Club preference.  And if Diamonds are trump and partner leads the Heart Ace and you follow with the eight (a high card) you are showing a preference for Spades

The “Revolving” part comes more into play when either Spades or Clubs are trump.  Think of the four suits positioned in order 90 degrees apart on a vertical wheel as in this drawing. 

When Spades are trump and partner leads a Heart, if you follow with a low Heart, that obviously says I have a Diamond preference.  But if you follow with a high Heart, you are not asking for a Spade (trump) lead.  You are asking for a Club lead.  (From the Heart, you “Revolve” around the circle Counter-clockwise) skipping over the Spade (trump) and that brings you around to Clubs. So, following with a high Heart says I have a preference for Clubs. 

Likewise, if Clubs are Trump and partner leads a Spade, if you follow with a low Spade, that obviously says I have a Heart preference. (You “Revolve” around the wheel clockwise from the Spade to the Heart).  But if you follow with a high Spade, you “Revolve” around the wheel counterclockwise from the Spade through the Club (trump) to the Diamond.  Your high Spade is showing your preference for Diamonds. 

Revolving leads may seem a little hazy at first, but I think they are worthwhile.  Just think of the suits being laid out on the vertical wheel.  You revolve around it either up (counterclockwise) to a higher suit or down (clockwise) to a lower suit.  Once you get the picture of the wheel in your mind, I think you will realize it is relatively easy to understand. 

Revolving Odd/Even System: 

My thanks to an anonymous reader for suggesting I include this system.  Whoever it was rates it the best of all Discard Systems.  And I was not even familiar with it!  That should tell you something about me.  It definitely has advantages that the other systems don’t have, but it is complicated, and I only recommend it for advanced players who have a regular partner. As the name implies, it is like Revolving Discards as described above. Use it when you follow to partner’s opening and subsequent leads and also to your opponent’s leads. The difference is you only use the five even cards (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10) to tell partner to “revolve” around the wheel to interpret the meaning of the discard.  Given the 6 is difficult to define as high, it is suggested to use a high card.  So, use the 6, 8 and 10 (high cards) to show a clockwise rotation and use the 2 and 4 (low cards) to show a counterclockwise rotation.

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You need to accept that as a slight disadvantage for an otherwise powerful system. The odd cards (3, 5, 7, 9 and J) show a preference (a positive attitude signal) for that suit (the one you just discarded).  This system has a distinct advantage of being able to show both Attitude and Suit Preference with your discards. 

Remember, never mislead your partner.  If you don’t have the proper suit preference card (an even card) to use, pick an odd card that will show your attitude about your second suit choice. 

Another Suit Preference System (with no name that I could find).  In this system, discard an even card to show preference for the next higher suit and discard an odd card to show preference for the next lower suit.  For example, if you want partner to lead a ♥ back, then discard an odd ♠ or an even ♦.  When in a suit contract, if the signal appears to ask for a trump lead, skip the trump suit and lead the next higher (or lower) suit.   For example, if you are defending a ♥ contract, an even ♦ discard asks partner for a ♠ lead, not a ♥ (trump) lead.  The only other point to remember is that an even ♠  discard asks for a ♣ lead, and an odd ♣ discard asks for a ♠ lead (think of the suit ranks as a loop).

The advantage of this system is that there are two possible ways to signal your suit preference with your discard.   Discard an odd card of the suit above your preferred suit or discard an even card of the suit below your preferred suit.  I like the idea of having two cards you can discard to request a specific lead, but I don’t much like the added complexity.  I’m getting too old to think about all that.

There is no right answer to choosing a discard system. Some work well on one hand but not on another.  As with so much in bridge, effective signaling and discards are important to a successful partnership.

An important thing to remember is that these five systems are not mutually exclusive.  By that I mean, you can (read that as you should) chose to play one system for Attitude and a second/third for Suit Preference.  (This is another foot stomper).

Lavinthal is my favorite and for suit preference and I suggest Upside Down for Attitude.

But, what’s really important is that you and your partner pick one of each, learn them, and use them.

One last thing---and this is important too.  When opponents discard, wait until the discarder has turned over his card, then ask his partner “What are your discard signals?  Be sure that you don’t allow the discarder to turn his discard back over.  If the response you get is “Standard” then ask what her partner’s discard meant.  Whatever she says say “Thank you” and remember whatever the discarder just told you about his hand.  It likely will come in handy later.