If you have only one Club, and it isn't the Ace, keep it. Playing off-suit to the first trick is a red flag that you're void in Clubs and will usually spoil further attempts to make use of it. Best case, after the Queen's been smoked out you can off it on whomever didn't get the Queen and guarantee no moon shot for anyone. Worst-case, realistically, is eating a Heart trick with it (if you're really unlucky it can win you a Heart trick in which someone managed to sluff the Queen that's extremely unlikely). Whoever has the Ace has the power to make or break a moon shot, and by passing it you risk giving it to someone who could shoot the moon with it. The Ace of Hearts even if it's your only Heart, never pass it.If you gave away the only low Spades that would have done that for you, you're hosed. But with everyone at the table trying to get rid of the AKQ of Spades in passing rounds, odds are high that if you're not giving one of those, you're getting one, and will have to avoid playing it until just the right time (off-suit or when a higher Spade got smoked out). If you end up lucky enough to get dealt a hand with no Spades on the no-pass hand, then thank your lucky stars and throw a middle Heart on every Spade trick you see. Passing a Heart lower than 7 is usually a pretty bonehead move even if you're short in them, if your highest Heart is a 7 your bigger concern is ensuring you can choose the non-Heart tricks to win and then lose the lead on the next trick. As soon as someone breaks Hearts, the very next trick is the "funeral", where a low Heart is led and the person who can't undercut the rest (or sluff) gets them all. Even if you're trying for a moon shot, passing certain of these is a guaranteed red flag to the passee, requiring you to pretty much guarantee that you have 10 cards that will make it happen: There are cards that you should NEVER pass if you have an avoidance strategy. I might even keep some otherwise dangerous cards, like face Clubs/Hearts/Diamonds, in favor of voiding a suit and playing the others off-suit early in the hand. Being void in a suit early gives you a lot of power you can start dealing out blood early, or you can play it cool and dump other harmful cards. Except for the Ace of Clubs, if I'm very short in either or even both of these suits and have cards left to pass, I'll pass whatever I'm shortest in and try to void a suit completely. Again, they're dangerous, but usually playable depending on the rest of my hand. Face card Hearts, if I'm short in Hearts.I might hang on to the Ace of Clubs if I don't have the 2, so I can win the first trick and choose the direction of play from there (usually either a Spade hunt or voiding Clubs/Diamonds), but other face cards in these suits typically have a similar low advantage/high risk as the high Spades. In either case they can't hurt anyone else but you, and they certainly won't help you avoid points. So, keeping the Queen is a judgement call, but absolutely nothing good can come from the Ace or King no matter how long you are you're either lucky enough to play them last to a harmless Spade trick or off-suit, or they'll win you the Queen. If I'm long in lower Spades (6+) and have the Queen, I might try to keep her to foist off-suit, or when the AK turn up from someone else's hand. My general priority for passing when attempting to avoid points is: Unless I'm holding 2-5 of each suit, I'd rather not have to play follow-the-leader. I probably should, but I'm not serious enough of a player to learn why it might matter. I've never really considered where I'm passing cards. At worst it's 4-8 points, and you have a play to stop a Shoot-the-Moon by someone else. I don't mind holding a high Heart or two.You can usually win an early trick (before Hearts are broken) with the Ace, then lead the 2 (or similar low card) to void the suit. I'll pass middle Diamonds to set that up. Otherwise, I say pass it so you reduce the risk of being stuck with it. I'll hold the Queen of Spades if it's protected by several other spades and I can easily void another suit.That leaves you open to get passed a single high spade that might stick you with the Queen. I won't ever pass 2 through Jack of Spades to void the suit.
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