Learning To Play - The First Trick

As povinnost, the first card you lead sets the tone for the whole round. Whether your team will be on offense or defense, whether you will aim for valat or the pagat on the end, and whether you plan on winning or losing are all decided when the first card hits the table.

So, which card should you play? Here are four different strategies you can take to maximize your first play.

1. Leading the Skyz
2. Leading a Low Trump
3. Leading a King
4. Leading a color

We will analyze each strategy, take a look at its pros and cons, when to use it, what to expect of povinnost, and how to defend against it.

The First Strategy - Leading the Skyz

Leading the Skyz is a strong first move. It tells your opponents (and your partner) "I intend to valat." There are two main reasons you may want to lead the Skyz:

• You have a strong hand and another player called Tarocky
• You have a strong hand and another player called Bida

First, lets look at Tarocky.

As povinnost, when another player calls Tarocky, you typically (but by no means always) know who your partner is. This is especially true if you didn't call the XIX. If you have a strong hand (Especially if you have all three of Skyz, XXI, and XX), leading the Skyz is a good first step to valat. If you aren't partners with Tarocky, however, it can be risky, especially if your hand isn't very strong.

The other reason you might want to lead the Skyz is to catch Bida's Pagat. If Bida calls Pane and you don't have the Pagat, leading the Skyz is a good way to catch it. If Bida happens to be on your team, Bida will be able to throw you the I. Otherwise, you may catch the XXI or the I anyway.

When to Play the Skyz First

The Skyz should be played first when you intend to valat. Valat - literally "to roll" in Czech - usually involves rolling your hand onto the table, starting with Skyz, then the XXI, the XX, etc. If you don't have the XXI, the Skyz can also be lead to signal to your parnter "Go ahead and play the XXI." Here's a nasty situation which could arise if you instead lead a low trump:

You lead the II. The player across from you is your partner (Tarocky). The second player plays the XX. Your partner, who has the XXI, doesn't play it because he thinks player 4 may have the Skyz. He plays low, and you lose the valat. Additionally, player 2 will now lead back color (he should lead a king), which you may not be void in.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• A strong lead which lends itself to valat
• Effective signal to your partner

Cons:

• Risky when playing against Tarocky - the very situation in which you most want to use it
• Risky when you don't have a strong hand

Playing Against a Skyz Opening

When povinnost leads a Skyz:

• Start counting. Every trump is going to matter this game.
• Watch your kings and queens - they may pull a trick from the jaws of valat later in the game.
• If Tarocky is partnered with Povinnost, ditch the I. The higher trump you'd have to throw to keep it is worth it.
• Play your trumps from the bottom up (more advanced players may skip around strategically to make it harder to tell how many they have left).
• Throw away color you know Tarocky is void in. Even if it's a king.
• Watch for signs of distress - if either player keeps leading trump after you are your partner are out, their color is weak. Or they have 11+ trump (in which case, there's nothing you can do).
• Keep an off with your queen. When they lead the king, throw the off. Your queen could save you from the valat.
• Watch what your partner throws - and keep it yourself, if you have the king or queen. If you alternate colors, you have higher chances of catching an off trick.

The Second Strategy - Leading a Low Trump

A much more common variation, leading a low trump means "I'm looking for my partner. Please play the XIX, then lead back a trump." There are two main reasons you may want to lead a low trump:

• You have 7+ Trump
• Another player has Tarocky

First, if you have a strong hand.

Usually, leading a trump when no one calls Tarocky (besides you) means "I have a strong hand." So, if you don't have a strong hand- maybe because you don't have kings, or your trump are small, or you aren't void in any suits- don't lead a trump. On the other hand, if your hand is strong, leading a low trump is the best way to go.

When you lead a trump, your partner should lead a trump back. You and your partner can swap trumps back and forth, playing offensively. The other two players will try and catch your tricks and lead back color, playing defensively.

Leading a low trump is a great move to lead into this kind of game, because the XIX will catch the trick. Leading a medium trump, like the XI or XII, is usually a waste because the XIX will catch it anyway.

Sometimes, an opposing player will catch the trick with the XX, XXI, or Skyz. Typically, they will lead back color (Most likely a king). In this case, you may lose a trick or two (if you aren't void in that suit), but you should be able to get back in the lead and pull trump.

Another reason you may lead a low trump is if another player called Tarocky.

This is slightly riskier, but very common. In this case, leading a trump means "I want to know if you're my partner. If you are, please take control and lead a high trump." The advantage of this approach is informational: you know from very early on whether you are partnered with Tarocky. This is imporant because, if your hand is not strong, you need to play defensively early in the game. An offensive against Tarocky is doomed from the start.

If you lead a low trump and another player plays the XIX, the meaning of your play changes. Now, it means "I wish Tarocky were my partner. Since he isn't, please lead back a king. Otherwise, lead back another color." Why a king? Because you, as povinnost, got to discard 4 cards. Even if Tarocky got to discard a card, you have an easier time being void in more suits (usually at least 2). If Tarocky trumps the King, you can play a higher trump. Otherwise, you can play a low trump (if you have the I, get it home) and bring the king home to safety.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Leading a low trump is usually a low-risk strategy
• A lot of information can be gleaned from the first trick
• If you are partnered with Tarocky, you can play into his strengths
• If you aren't partnered with Tarocky, you can learn quickly and pivot to match

Cons:

• If you and your partner have powerful hands, leading a low trump could throw a trick that would've been valat
• If your hand is weak (5 or fewer small trumps, 4 or fewer trumps) and Tarocky isn't your partner, you wasted both a trump and a color lead
• If your hand is weak and Tarocky's trumps are small, the other team's defensive plays could defeat you
• If your hand is strong but your partner is weak, you could force moves (e.g., the I and XXI) that your partner would otherwise like to avoid
• Likewise, if you play low expecting your partner to come back high, you could end up sorely disappointed

Playing Against a Low Trump Opening

When povinnost leads a Low Trump:

• Start counting. There's a good chance that every trump is going to matter this game.
• Watch which big trump are played - you and your partner can catch some tricks.
• If Tarocky is partnered with Povinnost, try to lead color. You have to even the playing field by forcing them to trump color cards.
• Save kings and queens for the end - if Povinnost and his partner run out of trump, you may be able to take all of the big tricks at the end.
• Don't let a trick pass by - each trick you catch is a color you lead.
• Watch for signs of distress - if either player keeps leading trump after you are your partner are out, their color is weak.
• If you haven't caught a trick, keep an off with your queen. When they lead the king, throw the off. Your queen could save you from the valat.
• Watch what your partner throws - if they throw high trump that doesn't win the trick, they are running low.
• Work with your partner - grease from a player who ran out of trump will swing the game.

The Third Strategy - Leading a King

One of the most common strategies among new players and seasoned veterans alike, leading a king is a risky strategy focused on getting points home despite having weak (or few) trumps.

There are a few different reasons you might want to lead a king, including:

• Your color suits all have kings
• Your king is the card you have in that suit
• You want to get your king home early

The first- and, arguably, best- reason to lead a king is if your color suits all have kings. Maybe you are void in two suits and have the other two kings, or maybe you have Rosa Pane. In any case, leading another member of that suit instead of the king significantly reduces the chance of getting it home. You also don't want to lead a trump- because your hand is weak- so that leaves only the kings. Which king? Here is one possible approach:

Lead the king from your smallest suit. Best case would be if your king is the only card you have in that suit. This approach makes the conjecture that, since you don't have the other cards, other players must.

The second reason you may want to lead a king is if you have a king alone in a suit. Maybe you discarded the rest, or maybe it's the only card you drew. In any case, leading the king of a suit uses the same logic as above: if you don't have the other cards, someone else does.

The third- and weakest- reason to lead a king is if you want to get your king home early. This particularly applies to really weak hands. Typically, though, it would be better to bleed a color than to lead a king with a weak hand.

Another common train of thought- especially among veteran players- is to try and avoid leading kings. If you lead a king, three other players could be void in that suit. If you wait for another player to lead an off, you can ensure your king gets home by catching the trick with it (or at least having only 1 or 2 players behind you). Additionally, if another player leads an off and it gets trumped, you can play low instead of losing your king.

However, leading a king can be a good start into a bleed. If you have 4 of the same suit (including the king), leading the king first is very risky, but it is possible to bring it home. Each time you get in the lead, you can play another one of that same suit to pull trump from the other players. Your color cards become as effective as trump.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Can bring valuable points home early
• Can lead into a powerful bleed strategy

Cons:

• Very risky. You could easily lose the king
• Usually a worse approach than leading an off-suit or a trump

When povinnost leads a King:

• Watch the colors - players usually aren't void in more than 2 suits (1 is typical for players besides Povinnost).
• Catch the trick - as the player after (or across from) Povinnost, it is not an overreaction to Skyz the king. Another player could be void, and this trick is worth the play (but don't play the XXI).
• Use the I - if you are the last player, the Pagat finds a nice home catching a trick with a king.
• Lead Color - unless your hand is strong. In this kind of game, most of the points are up front. Getting kings home is a priority.

The Fourth Strategy - Leading a Low Color

What at first appears to be a sign of weakness, leading the lowest card in the game can turn out to be a very effective strategy. There are several possible reasons you may want to lead low:

• You have 4 or more of that suit
• You have only 1 of that suit
• Your hand is weak
• You are trying to get Pagat on the end
• You don't have a king

As you can probably guess, this strategy reveals the least amount of information. It's the most common and virtually ubiquitous. There are a variety of reasons and it's the default.

The first, and most powerful, reason to lead low is because you have 4 or more of that suit. This is a particularly effective strategy because it means that 4 (or fewer) other cards of that suit are in other players' hands. After the first round, each time you get back in the lead you can play another card of that suit. It's guaranteed to pull at least 2 trump. After another round, it'll pull 3. So, for 4 color you pull up to 8 trump (Usually, 3 from 2 players and 2 from the other). This strategy is called bleeding, because it forces your opponents to bleed trump to your color.

The second reason is to void a suit you only have one card in. If the second or third player trumps it (which happens quite frequently), then the king may not be played. If the suit is played again later, you will have a chance to trump it and win the king.

Another reason to lead low color is if you have a weak hand. Effectively, you are throwing the lead to another player and then playing defense. This strategy usually results in a loss, but a minimized loss. If you are going to lose (for sure), you can lose less by playing defensively.

Saving the Pagat for the end is always risky, especially when you don't have 7 or more trump. Or if another player calls Bida. Or Tarocky. Leading color can help save your trump for when you have to use it, and preserve the needed trump to get Pagat to the end. If you're lucky enough, you may just be able to catch the last trick. Definitely count cards if you go this route.

Last, and probably least, is if you don't have a king. When you have no other options, leading color is always here. It can help to pull trump. It leans towards a defensive strategy. Most importantly, it's an option. When your hand is garbage, you can always lead color.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Very effective way to bleed trump
• Easy way to void a suit
• Low risk, as it doesn't lose a king
• Defensive

Cons:

• Low ceiling. It's practically impossible to valat starting with a low color
• Misses out on offensive opportunities

When povinnost leads a Color:

• You learn almost nothing. But don't lead back a king of that color if possible.
• Use the I - if you are the last player, the Pagat finds a nice home catching a trick with a king.
• Lead Color - unless your hand is strong. In this kind of game, most of the points are up front. Getting kings home is a priority.
• If your hand is strong, play offensively - Povinnost's hand is likely weak.

Summary

Everyone gets good hands and bad hands. As Povinnost or against Povinnost, taking advantage of the cards your given is the key to winning. Every game, every time, starts with a single card. Měj štěstí, my friends, much luck! May the Skyz be ever in your talon.