Good hands – really good ones – happen every once in a while. The more bridge games you play and decks you shuffle through, the great er your chances become of seeing more of these types of hands at the table.

Sometimes good hands are in the hands of the opposing team, but other times the coin falls the other way – and the good hand ends up in yours instead.

What do you do with a good hand when you get one?

You play it, of course. But there’s a way to play good hands well, and a way to make sure that your “good hand” doesn’t get you as far as you thought it would.

Here’s how to mess up a good hand – and how to make sure that you don’t do it when Lady Luck is in a good mood.

1. Getting Lost in the Excitement

Having a good, strong hand inevitably makes you feel pretty good. It’s that warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s hot cocoa or a cup of coffee; to some people it’s more like a breeze on a hot day, or a blanket on a cold one. Beware of this warm, fuzzy feeling that you get when you see a good hand.

It has the potential to get in the way of thinking what to do with it!

Forget about the initial excitement of a good hand. It can be far too distracting. First, stop, breathe and think about what you’re going to do with the cards.

2. Overly Aggressive Trick-Taking

A good hand sometimes warrants the taking of a few “sure tricks” – but what’s left once you’ve played all your high-ranking cards? Usually, hoping you can distract the opponent (or trump them) with spot cards.

Too aggressive trick-taking in the beginning might lose you later tricks in the game.

Again, stop and think about every move rather than deciding that a good hand gives you the power to force all your winning tricks into the first few moves.

3. Forgetting the Other Cards

Sure, you might have a good hand now. What else do you have?

A quick glance at a great bridge hand can mean that players aren’t looking at the cards that surround them (in either their own hand or their partner’s!).

If you have a strong hand, look at your weakest cards first. Are they worth getting rid of now? Can they win tricks now versus later?

Never let a good hand make you forget what to do with the rest.

4. It’s a Partnership Game

Speaking of partnerships, good hands can turn any player into one that forgets their partner has cards to play, too: If you have a good hand, consider the fact that your partner or opponents are on the other side of the coin.

If you have the good hand, who has the bad one?

If it’s your partner, remember that your hands are meant to (and supposed to) support one another to get through the game.

Your hand – even a good one – is only as great as your partner and opponent’s hand in this context (and what you do with it from here).

5. Remember That Good Hands Change

Bridge hands change every single time someone has laid down a card. When you do, it’s no longer the same hand you had one move ago – or two, or three, or four.

Hands are in a constant state of changing as the game continues.

Remember to ask where your hand is right now. Inevitably, bad hands can suddenly be good ones – or good ones can suddenly turn sour.