Blum on Bridge More Trivia
	The bridge encyclopedia is thick, over 800 pages. To uncover trivial but factual data still in use today, one almost needs a microscope. Last week I presented some of these nuggets for you to peruse. This week, for both our enjoyments, I'll torture you with a few more. So, as they say at the dog track, "There goes Sparky!" Many of you know a "coup" is a term applied to any strategic play. Ah, but how many of you are familiar with the "Alcatraz Coup"? Perhaps some of you ex-jailbirds have accomplished this play not covered by the rules. It's considered a form of robbery that almost warrants a prison term for the perpetrator, according to the encyclopedia. You hold K3 opposite dummy's AJ10. To make three tricks you call the jack from dummy and when RHO plays low you fail to follow suit. Fourth hand either plays the queen or a small card. If a small card, you correct the revoke and substitute a small card, lead to the king, and have the ace in dummy for your third trick. If fourth hand produces the queen you produce the king sweetly permitting LHO to change his play. Then you finesse against the located queen on the next play. It will be much too late to recant when the bullet strikes you between the eyes! Then there's the "Idiot Coup", a defensive play that might work against a naive declarer. With a dummy of AK10xx opposite declarer's xxxx, the normal play would be to play the top honors expecting LHO with something like Jx and RHO holding Qx. However, if declarer leads from his hand and lefty plays the jack, declarer may think weird thoughts. Since it would be bad for lefty to play the jack from QJx, declarer should not be tempted to take a second round finesse. If he does so, partner is entitled to call him the name of the coup. In the days of Whist you may very well have been called a "bumbledog" for the grievous error. Hey, there are also "dinks" and "dubs". To "dink" means to shorten either declarer or dummy in the trump suit by forcing him to trump. I must admit it is a rarely used colloquialism. If your partner competes below the standards of the other players in your club you may call him a "dub". Of course if it's you that's not so hot, I could think of worse words not covered in the encyclopedia. Even a "dub" should be able to handle a "pianola" because this is simply a bridge hand that presents no problem to declarer. It is so easily playable it can almost play itself. The word "pianola" is derived from the old player piano that does play itself. When's the last time you made a "pudding raise"? Probably quite recently, for it's simply a balanced raise based on high card points alone. I must say, by jove, its use is far more common in merry old England. I never knew that the four of clubs is also known as the "Devil's bedposts" and though it's true there seems to be no explanation as to its origin. I own a bridge classic published over 70 years ago by Sidney Lenz. In it he devotes a chapter to "Mimmies." It must have gotten lost in the shuffle (bad Bob) for I was unable to find the word in the Encyclopedia of Bridge. What Lenz said then amazingly remains true today. He stated, "In my opinion, there will always be two schools of Auction Bridge players, those who play for penalties and those who play for the rubber. While a great deal can be said in favor of both methods of play, I believe the player who bids at the earliest possible moment when holding the minimum requirements, has an advantage over the player who lays back waiting for penalties. A 'Mimmie' suit bid should have at least four cards in a suit and two quick tricks, one of which must be in the bid suit."