Suit Shift Signal

A suit shift signal is used by the taker to let the giver know that she is pitching cards from the wrong suit. In many hands showing a void, singleton, doubleton, or even a classic cry for help is just too dangerous.

	taker
$\spadesuit$	A J 8 5 4
$\heartsuit$	A Q 8
$\diamondsuit$	6 2
$\clubsuit$	-
	fig. 6

In this hand, showing the void in clubs is not a good play, because it is too likely that the only diamonds that giver has are above a six (giver will have one of the $\diamondsuit$3,$\diamondsuit$4, or $\diamondsuit$5 only 57% of the time). It seems pitches are available in spades. It is also pretty likely that giver has more than one club (when taker has a void in a suit, giver has two or more in that suit 90% of the time).

Taker therefore leads his spades. When giver pitches a club taker will shift to $\heartsuit$A and then come back to spades. This is the suit shift signal. It tells giver to stop discarding the last suit that she pitched.

	taker		giver
$\spadesuit$	A J 8 5 4		10
$\heartsuit$	A Q 8		J
$\diamondsuit$	6 2		K Q 10 7
$\clubsuit$	-		A J 10 8
	fig. 7

	taker		giver
1	$\spadesuit$A		$\spadesuit$10
2	$\spadesuit$J		$\heartsuit$J
3	$\spadesuit$8		$\clubsuit$A
4	$\heartsuit$A*		$\clubsuit$J
5	$\spadesuit$4		$\diamondsuit$K
6	$\spadesuit$5		$\diamondsuit$Q
7	$\heartsuit$Q		$\diamondsuit$10
8	$\heartsuit$8		$\diamondsuit$7
9	$\diamondsuit$6		$\clubsuit$10
10	$\diamondsuit$2		$\clubsuit$8

Note that taker cannot use this signal when giver makes her first pitch on the first suit led by taker. This would be mistaken for an emergency signal (section 3.1.9).

	taker		giver
$\spadesuit$	A J 8 5 4		10
$\heartsuit$	A Q 8		J 7 5
$\diamondsuit$	6 2		K 10 9
$\clubsuit$	-		A 9 8
	fig. 8

In this hand taker must play two hearts in normal order to make clear that he is not giving an emergency signal.

	taker		giver
1	$\spadesuit$A		$\spadesuit$10
2	$\spadesuit$J		$\clubsuit$A
3	$\heartsuit$A*		$\heartsuit$J
4	$\heartsuit$Q*		$\heartsuit$7
5	$\spadesuit$8		$\heartsuit$5
6	$\spadesuit$4		$\diamondsuit$K
7	$\spadesuit$5		$\diamondsuit$10
8	$\heartsuit$8		$\diamondsuit$9
9	$\diamondsuit$6		$\clubsuit$9
10	$\diamondsuit$2		$\clubsuit$8