Return of the Mack

On the second hand of the game, with sweat dripping down his face, Lone Star faced an eerily familiar situation. In the group's most recent contest, pondering what would eventually be a failed "nil" bid, Lone Star set his team on a course from which they could not recover. Not wanting to make a similar mistake, Lone Star reluctantly entered a bid of one trick, and, while the effects were clearly not as catastrophic, his team soon found itself trailing by sixty points. It would take an aggressive bid from Godking and some miscommunication among their opponents before Lone Star and Puff Daddy would take the lead.

Possessing a powerhouse hand the likes of which is seldom seen in Spades, and in spite of the fact that six tricks has already been bid, Godking entered a personal bid of eight. This brought his team's total to nine, and the overall total to fourteen. Clearly someone would be going away from this hand woefully unhappy. In this case, the disappointed parties would be Godking and Vixen, as their opponents held nearly all of the off-suit muscle. As the two challengers won all five of their tricks in the first eight tricks of the hand, Godking was left holding every single high spade. What looked like a sure thing had quickly spawned an eighty-point deficit for his team. This would not be the last crucial play, however, as the game's underdogs were gradually gaining momentum and confidence.

After a nerve-racking "nil" hand by Godking, one that would prove to be successful, Lone Star and Puff Daddy found themselves with a 343-259 point lead. Emotions would erupt on the next hand however, as Godking and Vixen saw a close contest slowly evaporate. Bidding six against their opponents' bid of five, the defending champions let a couple early tricks slide to their mortal enemies. With nine "bags" in the game thus far, Vixen sensed an eminent flipping penalty, causing her to take one of Godking's tricks and allow Puff Daddy to win a key sequence on the second-to-last trick of that round. Believing him to be holding the Ace of Spades, Vixen followed a spade lead with a lower spade, allowing Puff Daddy to win the trick. Lone Star then slammed the Ace of Spades down on the table, roaring his delight for all the neighbors to hear.

The game was by no means over at this point, but the wind had clearly been taken from the series leaders. On what would end up being the game's final hand, with 438 points, Puff Daddy offered his first "nil" bid in months. When Lone Star followed with a bid of six, their opponents' strategy was determined for them - stop the "nil." Try as they might, though, Godking and Vixen could not stop Puff Daddy's myriad of horrid cards. Lone Star's six spades may have played a small role as well, allowing his team to roll to a 599-293 victory. Coming more than three months after their last win, it was a sweet moment for the new champions. Maybe it was just what the doctor ordered to rekindle the competitive fires in these battered warriors. Maybe time will tell that tale...

Submitted 10/29/99.