I think that the style that one adopts has a lot to do with dumb luck on early 'formative' hands in our bridge histories.  If something works, you remember it and embrace it.  If something else doesn't, you experience cognitive dissonance anytime you decide to try it again.  With me, 2 high-risk high-reward strategies that haven't panned out are honor doubleton leads in unbid suits (with no attractive alternative) and heroic underleads to try to get a ruff.  I still try both on occasion, but more out of resignation than in an expectation of earning a happy ending.

Yesterday with Jeff, I picked up this nice hand in 4th at unfavorable:

AKJ9843 / KQ9 / 932 / -

Unfortunately, by the time it got to me the auction had gone 3NT (on my left) and 5 Diamonds (on my right.)

Sigh.

I don't like selling out to 5 Diamonds when we could be cold for 6 Spades, but I don't like to bid 5 Spades over 5 Diamonds when I have a side suit void (making 5 Diamonds less likely to make) and no reason to believe that partner has a Spade fit with me (making a parking spot for my 3 Diamond losers questionable.)  I don't know what the right bid is here, but I chose to double.  Jeff sat (somewhat to my surprise) and I was on lead.

Ugh.  I can lead a top Spade and let declarer ruff the 2nd Spade and lose a Heart later or I can try to be a hero and risk a lot worse (having a top Spade beat the hand without breaking a sweat.)  I tried to be a hero.  I led the three of Spades. 

Dummy tracked and it was clear that I was either a hero or a goat.

T / T53 / AKQJT85 / 65

Leading a top Spade to get a signal from partner obviously wouldn't have worked.  I resigned myself to another bitter disappointment when Jeff won the Spade Queen and led the 3 of Clubs!  Declarer played the Ace and I happily ruffed.  Now what?

Jeff's 3 of Clubs was a pretty loud suggestion to switch to a Heart, but I wasn't too keen on underleading my KQ of Hearts and finding out later that we'd had a little failure to communicate.  Still, I wanted another ruff if I could get one.  I waffled and returned the Queen of Hearts.  When that held, a low Heart went to Jeff's Jack and Declarer's Ace and we later scored a Club in the endgame.  My lead had been a resounding success.

T / T53 / AKQJT85 / 65

62 / A764 / 7 / AKT982

A top Spade lead will likely lead to just down 1, and actually gives declarer a chance to make double dummy (by playing for the double club hook.)  A Heart lead guarantees down 1, but no chance of down 2.  I don't know if a low Spade is the percentage lead on the hand, but I was happy that it worked.  We needed to cover most of the damage caused by the folks in 4 Spades our way (we couldn't make 5) and also keep up with the folks who played Diamonds from the safer side.

Q75 / J82 / 64 / QJ743

AKJ9843 / KQ9 / 932 / -

+300 was worth less than half an IMP.