News From the Dragon's Lair http://dqsoft.com	June 2006
	Player Tips & More
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News from DreamQuest Software Summertime! The sun is out and it's time to play! Safe travels to those leaving town this month and don't forget to bring along that Treo or PDA so you can play your favorite Championship games while waiting for a flight or sitting in the car for that long roadtrip! Don't miss the sneak preview Beta of Championship Solitaire this month! Be one of the first to play our newest game and submit some of your ideas about it before its final release! Refer a Friend And Save! Got a friend you're just waiting to challenge in an exciting game of Championship Rummy, Championship Hearts, or one of our other Championship titles? Tell your friend to sign up for our newsletter and both of you save 20% off your ENTIRE purchase! Keep up-to-date with the happenings at DreamQuest Software with our monthly newsletter! In each newsletter you'll receive the latest news about new game releases, special game tips to sharpen your skills, and exciting promotions available to our newsletter readers! Participate in contests and learn where to get the latest versions of your favorite Championship games. And don't worry, with only one newsletter a month, we won't clog your inboxes or share your address with other vendors. Refer your friend by visiting http://dqsoft.com/news/tell.html and type in your friend's email address. Both you and your friend will receive an offer code that's good for 20% off your ENTIRE purchase! Both of you will be playing each other in your favorite games online before you know it!

Championship Solitaire Beta offers several game options including Klondike (left), FreeCell (right), and Addiction (not shown).
Be one of the first to try our newest title, Championship Solitaire! In this sneak preview Beta of Championship Solitaire, you'll have the opportunity to play the game before its final release next month!

Championship Solitaire comes equipped with our Championship signature features, including detailed statistics let you keep track of your history and skill progression. We've stocked the game with several options that let you adjust gameplay variation, scoring, and deck size. Play against the clock to get your best time possible, and try out our different scoring options like Vegas Scoring to give yourself an extra challenge. Familiar with traditional Klondike Solitaire, but not introduced to variations such as Addiction or FreeCell? Let our guided tutorial help you learn these Solitaire variations so you can make the most of our Championship Solitaire game!

Variations of solitaire such as Klondike, FreeCell, Addiction, and others are typically packaged by competitors as separate games for purchase. Our Championship Solitaire includes all of these variations and more within a single game! Why purchase several different games when this one includes all your favorites already?

We want you to play Championship Solitaire and tell us what we did right and what we did wrong. Be tough, be critical, but most of all, be honest. Your feedback helps us create a better game for you to enjoy! If you come across a bad play or a bug during the hand, simply click on the "Send bad play/bug report" button within the help menu of the game and email the file to .

Take advantage of this Beta release of Championship Solitaire to play our newest title before everyone else! Get your copy at http://dqsoft.com/beta.html

Thanks for your help!

Spades Tips with Joe Andrews This month we follow up with card expert Joe Andrews, author of Win at Spades.

Spades Suit Management - Watch those Bags!

Bags or "Sandbags" were added to Spades in the mid 1950's, and within 10 years, became a standard rule. (A few groups still prefer the original game). Accurate bidding was now at a premium, and overtricks resulted in penalties. In theory, every round of bidding should add up to thirteen tricks, and all contracts should be successful! It sounds logical, to be sure. In actuality, the typical combined bid for a given hand is eleven. There is a reluctance to overbid, as the penalty for a defeat is severe, especially if the partnership bid is greater than four. The biggest problem is evaluating hands. Let's look at three deals:

Hand #1

•   A K
•   A 5
•   A 3
•   Q J 7 5 4 3 2

Hand #2

•   
•   A K Q 6 5 3
•   A K Q 10
•   A K Q

Hand #3

•   Q 3 2
•   Q J 8 7
•   K 10 9
•   A J 9

You have the opening bid in a new game. How would you bid each of these hands?

Hand 1: It just does not get any easier. You have four top tricks -- period. There is a remote chance one of your red-suit Aces might get ruffed. That is not likely to happen. BID FOUR.

Hand 2: You have great strength in 3 suits, with lots of Hearts. With normal distribution, you should score five tricks. The best line of play is to take two Club tricks, then two Diamond tricks, then a third Club. Now you can duck a Heart or two if necessary. If a minor suit gets ruffed, you must then take a high Heart. The idea is to test the Club and Diamond suits before committing to the Heart suit. This hand may bag a trick or two with an unlucky lead. It could also get set, as someone will have long trump, and shortness in one of your minor suits. BID FIVE (A safe bid of four is also acceptable).

Hand 3: Give me a break! This hand has only one top trick, and is very difficult for determining trick potential. The trump Queen may not win, and other suits have unconnected or "broken" honor card sequences. The Diamond King may win, or the Club Jack could promote. You may also get nailed with three or four bags here -- especially if the final bid is eight or nine. BID TWO -- (three is also acceptable.) A one bid is just too conservative. This is a classic example of a hand, which will get set if overbid, and "bagged" if underbid!

There is a variation of Spades called "bag-em" -- which is a reverse form of the game. A lot of players really believe in this strategy. The idea is to underbid your hand and intentionally sacrifice sure or expected tricks in order to force the opposition to win unexpected middle or lower card tricks. Typical "bag-em" techniques include refusing to trump when possible, ducking side-suit tricks with high card winners, and intentionally under ruffing with low trump.

This approach can be very effective, especially if the opposition has more than six bags and/or is threatening to win the game. It is interesting to note that the penalty for overbidding is the "set," and for underbidding it is "bags." Advocates of the "bag-em" game thrive on eight, nine, and ten bids! While this idea does have some merit, it has the inherent flaw of throwing away ten points for each underbid trick. Some players go to extremes and play the bagging game at the beginning of a match. The antidote to all of this is proper discarding, and trump management -- which can "turn the tables" on the opponents. Nothing is more heartwarming than to dump bags on the baggers! Another alternative is to "ratchet up" your bid by a trick or two -- if you suspect or realize that your opponents are playing "bag-em." In any case, you have to be aware of all that is going on at the table, including the score -- and react accordingly.

Bags have been around for almost fifty years, and are here to stay!