Answer: trump it with the six-blank

Trump it. Play the six-blank.

Count the sixes. There are seven: the double-six, six-five, six-four, six-trey, six-deuce, six-ace and six-blank. In the first trick you led the double-six, and West, North and East all followed with the six-deuce, six-four and six-ace. In the second trick you led the six-five and West followed with the six-trey. North and East did not follow. That accounts for six of the seven. The last one is in your hand.

So the six-blank is the only trump left anywhere. The lowest trump still beats any domino that is not a trump. Nobody behind you can play a higher trump, because there are none. Once you put it down, the trick is yours.

What does that trick hold? The double-five, 10 points. One point for the trick. And anything West and North add to it.

In the real hand North still had a five, the five-blank, and had to follow suit with it. Since your trump was already winning, that nickel came to your side. That trick was worth 16 points. Your side finished with 35 and made the 32.

If you throw the deuce-blank instead, East wins the double-five and your side ends the hand with 30. That is two short. Throw the double-ace and it is worse. We checked this with a small program. It tried all 560 ways the unseen dominoes could be split that fit the play so far, played the rest out the best way for both sides each time, and in every one of them trumping did at least as well as anything else.

Saving a trump is only worth it when there is something better to spend it on. Here there are two tricks left after this one, and nothing coming is worth more than a dime you can take for certain.