You have learned from the video the difference between top tricks and potential tricks and that it’s a good idea to count your top tricks at the start of the hand - particularly in no-trumps.  We will look at the best planning technique when playing in trump contracts in Module 6.4.

If you can see enough top tricks to make your contract, that’s great, and sometimes you need to just take those tricks while you can  - like in the example hand in the video.  A good player, however, will develop the ability to decide when you need to take all your top tricks straight away and when you can make more tricks by not doing so.  The two key questions you must ask yourself are:

Are there ways in which I can make extra tricks by giving up the lead (sometimes just risking giving up the lead)?

How much damage can my opponents do if I let them have the lead?

In the next three videos we will show you different ways in which you can create extra tricks beyond the obvious ones.  As you are playing, try to get into the habit of thinking about which risks you are happy to take and which might prove too costly. This skill comes with experience but you can develop it sooner if you think about those questions.