When I watched today's deal at my club, Unlucky Louie played at 3NT. East put up the king on the first club, and Louie took the ace and plunked down the king of diamonds.

East won and returned a club, and Louie won and cashed the jack of diamonds, scowling when East discarded. Louie then took two more diamonds and tried a spade finesse with the jack for his ninth trick. East produced the queen, and Louie went down two.

LOSING

"A 5-1 break and a losing finesse," Louie moaned. "How unlucky can I get?"

"I'll sell you the secret to luck for a dollar," I said.

"A sound investment," Louie said as he forked over a bill.

"The secret to luck," I told him, "is not to trust to it."

The chance that East has the bare ace of diamonds is about 1 percent, but Louie need not trust to luck. He loses nothing by leading a spade to dummy at Trick Two to return the queen of diamonds. If East played low, Louie would overtake, but when the ace appears, Louie plays low and has 10 tricks.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S A K J 5 2 H A J 6 3 D Q C 6 4 2. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one spade, he bids two clubs and you try two hearts. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: If partner had a minimum hand such as Q 9 4, 2, A K 6 5 3, K 9 8 3, he'd have raised to two spades at his second turn. His actual sequence suggests extra strength, good spade support and heart shortness. Bid six spades. He may hold Q 9 4, 2, A K 10 6 4, A Q 5 3.