Pseudo-squeeze is a type of deceptive play in contract bridge. The declarer goes through the motions of executing a genuine squeeze where none exists, in the hope that a defender misreads the actual position and misdefends. The pseudo-squeeze simply gives the defender able to recognize the possibility of a squeezed position a chance to go wrong.

Consider the simple legitimate positional squeeze in Example 1 where South is declarer requiring all remaining tricks and has the lead in dummy:

The ♣A is led from dummy and East is genuinely squeezed between hearts and spades.

Now consider an alternate layout which from East's perspective could be identical to that above.

In double-dummy play, on the play of the ♣A, East can safely throw a spade, as his partner still guards South's ♠2 menace. However, East cannot see declarer's hand and if he throws the ♥A, then he has been pseudo-squeezed.

In another layout, if East throws a spade on the ♣A, South makes the rest of the tricks.

A memory squeeze is a sub-class of pseudo-squeeze where the declarer plays hoping that an opponent has forgotten (or not been paying attention) to the exact cards of a suit. The most basic example:

Declarer leads the ♥3. East realizes that declarer has the last heart, but has not been paying attention (or forgotten) which heart declarer has. If it is the 2, the lead for the last trick will be in dummy and East must keep the ♠A. If it is anything else, declarer will overtake and win the trick, so East must keep the ♦A. Declarer is playing for East to have forgotten and guess wrong.