Glossary of Contract Bridge Terms - Y

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Yarborough

Originally, a hand with no card higher than a nine. The British Earl of Yarborough, during the 19th century, would offer a wager of 1,000 pounds to 1 against picking up such a hand at whist. (The actual odds against such a hand are approximately 1,827 to 1.) In common usage, its meaning may refer to any exceptionally weak hand.