Tips ninetynine

There are three players and nine tricks. Therefore: if in doubt, bid three.

Note that the four suits differ in trick-taking potential according to to their differences in bidding value. Since the average bid is three, and the various ways of representing this are [club diamond diamond], [heart spade diamond] and [spade spade spade], it follows that diamonds and spades are more likely to be out in bids than hearts and clubs. Given an average distribution, clubs and hearts are therefore usually all in play and will go round at least twice without being ruffed, so their Aces and Kings are usually reliable trick-winners. Clubs are especially reliable as trumps, as it would be self-defeating to discard them in bids. At the opposite extreme, diamonds are very unreliable. The Ace is as often as not ruffed on the first diamond lead, and when diamonds are trumps there is usually at least one player who will discard three of them - especially Ace, King and Queen - for a plausible bid of zero.

Because you are aiming for an exact number, low cards are as important as probable trick-losers as high ones are as probable winners. Middle-ranking cards are unreliable in either respect, so it is usually best to discard Jacks, Tens and Nines as bid-cards and to retain Aces, Kings, Sevens and Sixes as trick-winners and losers respectively. This consideration will often lead you to the best of several possible bids.

Nevertheless, if you really cannot find a sensible way of bidding, a good ploy is to throw out three cards whose absence from play is most likely to upset everyone else, such as the top three trumps, or three Aces. You may not make your bid, but neither will anyone else, and if you should happen to win a majority of tricks, you will even gain on the deal!

If you have a middling card that may or may not win a trick, such as the Jack of Spades, lead it at the earliest opportunity in order to clarify the situation.

A no-trumper always favours the lead player. Never declare at no trumps unless you have the opening lead, or unless you have a cast-iron bid of zero (in any position).

(strategy from game designer's website: https://www.parlettgames.uk/oricards/ninety9.html)