Dappen — Puzzle X2

You claimed the Dapp. Your eighteen cards: Skus, XX, XVII, XIV, XI, VIII, V, II, K♥, Q♠, C♦, J♣, 8♠, 7♣, 4♥, 4♦, 10♣, 10♠.

dappen Puzzle #231

Which six do you keep?

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Answer

Skus, XX, XVII, XIV, XI, K♥. Eight Taroks is a luxury; it is tempting to bury the King and run six Taroks pure for maximum trump count. You may not: the K♥ is a guardian, and the discard law never bends for a good plan. Once the K♥ has its seat, fill the other five with your five best Taroks (Skus, XX, XVII, XIV, XI) and let VIII, V and II go with every color card in the pile. Keeping the II instead of XI for a II Ultimo trades your fifth control card for a promise the second-to-last trick cannot be steered toward with only four Taroks against six hands; the failed Ultimo pays the table and the lost control can cost the Dapp itself.