How can this happen? It's the first deal of a 3-handed game. Each player is dealt 1 card. Only one of the 3 people is dealt a Wizard, yet after the play of the hand everyone is set. (Nobody made their bid).

* See "A First" in "Anecdotes" for the answer.

With spades as trump you hold:
Wiz, Ace S., King H., 3C., 4D
You need one more trick, not 2.
A wizard is led. What do you do?
(a) Throw off your wizard?
Now a Spade lead and a Heart lead and you are apt to win 2 tricks.
(b) Throw off your Ace of trump?
Now if a spade is led you can dump your King H. If a Heart is led you can win with the Wizard and lead clubs or diamonds. Only another heart lead would force you to win 2 tricks.

I believe I remember that game and it was particularly brutal, with the scores very tight and high score only around 360 (in 20 rounds). Would that be more common for low scores (experienced in that game) rather than very high scores, based on the skill level of the players in the game (as opposed to lop-sided scores)?

Situation: Last hand of a 3-handed game with score virtually tied. Its your lead. You hold 2 cards, a Wizard and a 5H. You know: 5H is good, Jesters are gone, 1 Wizard remains in play in addition to your own, person on your left wants no further tricks, you need 1 more trick and the 3rd person wants 2 more tricks. Which card do you lead and why?
Lead the Wizard? If player 2 holds the other Wizard he dumps it on yours and you take both tricks. If player 3 holds the Wizard he knows he cant win 2 tricks so he dumps his Wizard and takes you down in flames with him.
Lead the 5H? I led the 5H hoping that the 3rd player had the Wizard and would take it with his Wizard and lead back his last card to my Wizard. This works only if the 3rd player has not kept track of the Wizards left in play. In this case he knew there was still a Wizard out and he couldnt take both tricks so he took neither setting us both. By the way if player 2 had held the Wizard he would have dumped it on my last card (The Wizard) with the same result.