A dummy reversal is a declarer play where you ruff dummy's cards in your own long trump hand, enough times that dummy ends up with the longer trumps, and then you draw the defenders' trumps with dummy's honors. It gains a trick because every ruff in your hand becomes an extra trump trick. Normally ruffing in the long hand gains nothing; the reversal turns that rule around by making dummy the "long" hand.
You need three things: strong trumps in dummy to draw trumps with, a short suit in your hand opposite length in dummy, and enough entries to dummy. Like every card-play technique, it works the same in any bidding system.
Why Ruffing in the Long Hand Usually Gains Nothing
Say you hold five trumps and dummy holds three. If you draw trumps and cash them, you take five trump tricks: one for each card in your long hand. Dummy's three trumps fall on the same tricks as yours.
Now ruff one card in your hand. You still take five trump tricks in total: four in your hand plus the one ruff. The ruff did not create anything; it only used one of your five trumps early.
A ruff in dummy, the short hand, is different. Dummy's trump would otherwise fall under one of yours, so ruffing with it adds a trick: five in your hand plus one ruff makes six. That is why beginners learn to ruff in dummy, not in hand.
How a Dummy Reversal Gains a Trick
The trick count changes once your hand becomes the short one. Keep the same five trumps opposite three, and ruff three times in your hand:
| Trumps | Your hand | Dummy |
|---|---|---|
| At the start | 5 | 3 |
| After three ruffs in your hand | 2 | 3 |
Now dummy is long. Your three ruffs are three tricks, and dummy's three trumps take three more as they draw the defenders' trumps, while your last two trumps follow and then you discard. Total: six trump tricks instead of five.
Count the ruffs carefully. Two ruffs leave you with three trumps against dummy's three, and you still take only five. The reversal pays only when your hand ends with fewer trumps than dummy. With five opposite three, that means three ruffs; with four opposite three (a 4-3 fit), it means two ruffs.
Rule of ThumbRuffing in the long hand gains only when you ruff so often that dummy ends with more trumps than you. Then draw trumps from dummy.
What You Need for a Dummy Reversal
Check these before you commit:
- Strong trumps in dummy. Dummy's trumps must be able to draw the defenders' trumps on their own, for example ♠K Q J. With small trumps in dummy, a defender keeps a trump and the plan fails.
- A friendly trump split. Dummy's three trumps can draw three rounds, so the defenders' trumps must break 3-2. A 4-1 break usually beats a reversal.
- A short suit in your hand. You need a singleton or a void opposite three or four cards in dummy, so there is something to ruff.
- Entries to dummy. Each ruff in your hand puts you on lead, and dummy must lead the next card to be ruffed. Count side entries and the trump honors you can lead to.
- Ruffs that cannot be overruffed. Ruff high enough that the defender playing after you cannot overruff.
When the checklist works, a dummy reversal is often the only way to the extra trick. When dummy's trumps are weak or the split is bad, look for another line.
A Full Deal: 4♠ With a Dummy Reversal
In 2/1 Game Force, North's 2♣ is forcing to game. North then shows three-card spade support with 2♠, and South, with a minimum, jumps to 4♠.
You are South in 4♠. West leads the ♦Q. Dummy has no short suit to ruff in.
Count winners the normal way. Five trumps, the ♥A, the ♦A and ♦K, and the ♣A: nine tricks. Dummy has no shortness, so there is no ruff in dummy. You have two club losers, and diamonds split 4-2, so two diamond losers as well. One trick short.
Now look at it the other way round. Dummy has ♠K Q J and four small hearts; you have the singleton ♥A. Ruff three of dummy's hearts in your hand and dummy's ♠K Q J become the long trumps. Here is the line:
- Win the ♦Q with the ♦K in your hand. Keep dummy's ♦A as an entry.
- Cash the ♥A.
- Lead the ♠7 to dummy's ♠K. Both defenders follow.
- Lead the ♥6 and ruff with the ♠8.
- Lead the ♣5 to dummy's ♣A. Lead the ♥7 and ruff with the ♠9.
- Lead the ♦3 to dummy's ♦A. Lead the ♥8 and ruff with the ♠A.
- Lead your last trump, the ♠10, to dummy's ♠Q. Both follow again.
- Cash the ♠J, drawing East's last trump. You throw a diamond.
Ten tricks: three ruffs, the ♠K Q J, the ♥A, the ♦A K and the ♣A. A double dummy solver confirms ten, and it confirms that drawing three rounds of trumps first holds you to nine.
Why ruff the last heart with the ace? Because you still need to cross to dummy once more. Your ♠10 is lower than dummy's queen, so you can lead it to the queen. Had you ruffed with the 10 and kept the ace, you could not reach dummy to draw the last trump. Keep a low trump for the final crossing.
Here every trump you hold beats the defenders' trumps (they have only the 6-5-4-3-2), so there is no overruff danger. On other deals, ruff high whenever the player after you may be out of the suit.
Dummy Reversal or Ruffing in Dummy?
Most of the time, extra trump tricks come from ruffing in the short hand. Ask in this order:
- Can dummy ruff? If dummy is short in a suit where you have losers, ruff those in dummy. That is the normal play.
- Is dummy flat but strong in trumps? If dummy has no short suit, but has three good trumps and length in a suit where you are short, consider the reversal.
- Can you crossruff? If both hands have a short suit, a crossruff may take even more tricks than a reversal.
A useful hint: when you count your losers and the only extra trick in sight is "ruff something in my own hand," stop and count the ruffs. If you can make your hand the short one, the reversal is on.
How the Defense Fights Back
The best defense against a dummy reversal is usually a trump lead. Each round of trumps the defenders lead takes one of your trumps that you wanted for a ruff, and it uses up one of dummy's honors too. Attacking dummy's entries also helps, since every ruff needs a crossing.
On this deal even a trump lead does not beat 4♠: the solver still gives ten tricks, because dummy still has enough entries for three ruffs and the last trump.
As a defender, think about a trump lead when dummy has shown three-card support and is likely to be flat. Declarer then has no ruffs in dummy and may need a reversal.
Common Mistakes
- Ruffing too few times. Two ruffs with five trumps opposite three gain nothing. Count the ruffs you can really take before you start.
- Drawing a round too many. Every round of trumps you draw early is one trump fewer for ruffing. On the deal above, three rounds first cost the contract.
- Using the wrong trump to ruff. Keep one trump that is lower than dummy's honors, so you can lead it to dummy for the last round of trumps.
- Spending the entries in the wrong order. Win the opening lead in the hand that keeps the most dummy entries. Above, winning with the ♦K saved dummy's ♦A for later.
- Forgetting the trump split. If a defender shows out on the first round, dummy cannot draw trumps alone, and the plan must change.
Practice: Dummy Reversal
You are in 4♠ with the hand below. Dummy has ♠K Q J, four small hearts, ♦A 5 4 and ♣A 4 3. You count nine tricks. Which plan gives you a tenth?
Your hand:
You hold five trumps and dummy holds three strong ones. How many times must you ruff in your hand for a dummy reversal to gain a trick?
Dummy reversals are easy to miss and easy to test. Enter a deal in BridgeDummy's free double dummy solver and compare the reversal with the normal line, or play it card by card in the double dummy analyzer.
Related reading: ruffing in dummy, drawing trumps, the crossruff, the trump coup, loser on loser and counting declarer's tricks.