Where do we lose points in the club?

Well, here is a typical example. Not all players reach 4♥, and the majority makes only 3. West starts with a hand worth 14 points with length. Even the old loser count is 6 which is a better than normal opening. East has 11 high card points and should add extras for ♣A7 and the possibly the diamond length. East and West should bid game. 

If you always cash AK with 9 cards, you can make only 4. But in fact, you can double finesse spades and finesse in trumps to make 5. The majority of players made only 3.

It is usually a mixture of unprecise bidding and bad playing which spoils the results. usually, the hand is not re-evaluated during the bidding. Often, the right way to invite partner is missing. In the end, some players will even be proud about not bidding to game because "we could not make it".

After the raise, North has 17 points with the trump length, the double and the singleton. The old loser count also shows 5 which is 2 less than a normal opening. He should take further action, even if partner underbids his hand like this. The partner can count 8 high card points and at least two extra points for the singleton. Some count 3 because the singleton is in the hand with the shorter trumps. Some players even add one point for the length in clubs, but that works only if partner fits.

The overly careful bidding happened on half of the tables. The opponents often intervened, even up to 5♦. They have 11 trumps. The law does not really apply on the 5-th level and both players have 2 spades to lose. With good defense, you go down 4. As the hand is bid and played in the Club, it is best to be careful and hope that 4♠ are not made.

In fact, the game is not easy when the finesse to ♣K does not work. But without a lead of the ♥Q, you have enough entries and time to establish the clubs. Only a ♥Q lead will beat the contract.

I included this hand here, because it shows the kind of considerations you should make in the Club. This game has about 50% chance to make, maybe a bit more. Maybe the defense will not be optimal all the time which increases your chances (if you are capable of finding the best line all the time!). On the other hand, many players will not make the game in the club. So, it may be just as good for the result to stop below game, unless the opponents force you with 4♦.