How to bid in a game of bridge
You are South and you hold this hand: South S K Q J 7 H A Q 6 5 D 8 C K 10 9 3 Your partner has bid 1S. As this is a minimum bid (at the one level) your partner could have a weak hand. The bidding has gone as follows: East South West North […]
If partner has opened with a bid of 1 of a suit and you have fewer than 12 points it is usual to respond with a bid at the one level if you hold a four card major suit that you can bid, even if you hold a longer minor suit. This is because you […]
We are West and we have this hand: Spades: J 2, Hearts: A Q 9 8, Diamonds: A 9 7 6 2, Clubs: 6 2 The bidding has gone as follows: North East South West Pass Pass Pass ? We only have 11 points. Should we open the bidding? It seems […]
After a player (“you”) has opened the bidding there is the possibility that the player on your left, who is part of the opposing partnership, might overcall. When this happens it can sometimes mean that your partner has to bid at a higher level when making a change of suit response than they otherwise would have. […]
What is Fourth Suit Forcing? Fourth suit forcing is a bridge convention. It is used to help you find the right contract, including finding 5-3 major suit fits and finding a stopper for No Trumps. It is used when you are responder and have 11+ points and: Three suits have already been bid (hence the […]
The Rule of 20 is one of the techniques you will learn when learning how to bid in bridge. It is used in just one situation – when deciding if your hand is suitable for opening the bidding. As a general rule, a hand should contain 12 or more high card points (HCP) if you […]
What is a Slam? There are two types of slam – a small slam and a grand slam. A small slam means you bid for and win 12 out of the 13 available tricks. A grand slam means you bid for and win all 13 tricks. Why Bid For a Slam? If you are learning […]
What is the Losing Trick Count? It is a more accurate way of valuing an unbalanced hand when you know you have an eight card fit. Without using this method you will probably have used shortage points when valuing a hand with a known eight card fit. To do this you count five for a […]
