I heard you bought a smartphone,” I said to Unlucky Louie in the club lounge.

“I almost managed to lose it,” Louie sighed. “It may be called a smartphone, but I’ll believe it’s really smart when I yell ‘Where’s my phone,’ and the thing yells back, ‘Down here, in the sofa cushions.’”

Louie was South in a penny game, and after two passes, East took advantage of the vulnerability and his third-seat status to open with an atypical weak two-bid. Louie overcalled two spades and went to game when North raised to three.

West led a high heart, and East took the ace and resisted the temptation to underlead his ace of diamonds next. When he led the ace and deuce instead (not best), Louie won in dummy, but 10 tricks proved as elusive as his missing cell phone. Louie next let the ten of trumps ride. West took his king and exited with his last trump, and Louie lost a club to West’s king at the end. Down one.

The winning play was indicated, but Louie missed out. After East, who opened two hearts, showed the red-suit aces, Louie could place West with both black-suit kings. After Louie wins the second diamond, he should take the ace of trumps, a third diamond and the K-Q of hearts. Louie then leads a trump, and when West wins, he is end-played: He must lead a club from his king or concede a ruff-sluff.

I often see players perpetrating undisciplined calls such as East’s two hearts even as dealer. Sometimes they get in the opponents’ way; other times, as in today’s deal, they give declarer a roadmap in the play.