bidding tips for beginners/intermediates

[muggle]

Some rules of thumb I have found easy and profitable when deciding what to bid, or whether to pass.

 

1) Rule of 20 to open 1st, 2nd, 3rd seat.

Add your HCP + length of your 2 longest suits. If more than 20, open the bidding. Sometimes still pass with too many "soft" values (quacks), or points in short suits.

 

2) Rule of 15 to open 4th seat.

Add HCP + length of spade suit. If less than 15, let the deal pass out.

 

3) Rule of 9 to penalty double (or convert a takeout double to penalty).

Add level opponents at + your trump length + your trump honors (AKQJT), and you trumps are strong enough to try for a penalty if the total is more than 9.

 

4) Compete to the 3 level if your side has a total of 9 trumps.

Law of total tricks.

 

5) If your opponents are good defenders and like to penalty double, preempt using rule 2-3-4.

Unfavorable vulnerability (Vul versus NV), expect to go down 2 using LTC.

Equal vulnerability, down 3

Favorabile vul, down 4

 

6) Bidding a NT contract, add 1 point for a 5 card suit, if it is headed by 4-7 HCP.

Got this from MSN Bridge Club' s Lorne Russell.

 

---

 

Also, let me add, rule 3 and 4 apply when both sides have approximately equal strength, around 18-22HCPs, for part-score battles.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi

 

5) is great, but the rule is fairly aggressive, i.e. your beginner

will go down a lot, i.e. loose more, that he will win

 

Marlowe

[Guest Jlall]

2) Rule of 15 to open 4th seat.

Add HCP + length of spade suit. If less than 15, let the deal pass out.

Be sure to add that this only applies to marginal openers. With 0454 14 you would still open. Likewise, 13 and a stiff spade is an opener. Likewise, a 5-5 12 count with short spades is an opener. However if you have a balanced 11 then probably only open with 4 spades.

[mikeh]

Delete the Rule of 20: this is one of the most appalling 'rules' I have witnessed. It substitutes a bad mechanical rule for basic judgement. If you want to use it, at least make it a condition that on minimum hands, 80% or so of the hcp be in the two suits.

 

Examples:

 

xx x KQxxx KQxxx is not an opener, unless you are a very, very light opening bidder, and most beginners should pass this hand.

 

KQ543 KQ432 xx x is also not an opener, altho it is closer.

 

Jxxxx Jxxxx KQ K is not remotely close to an opening bid

 

AJ9xx AJ10xx xx x is an opening bid

 

For those who think that beginners have the judgement to know when to apply such mechanistic rules, I played against a good pro and his client earlier this year: the client held an excellent 0-4-6-3 14 count with nice controls and good texture and passed in 4th seat, using the Rule of 15. His partner, holding a nicely fitting 10 count was unimpressed: unfortunately our teammates bid the second best game and made a misguess in a critical suit and we lost 3 imps :P

[ArcLight]

Mikeh,

 

 

Why is xx x KQxxx KQxxx not an opener? At least the HCP are concentrated in 2 suits, and you can bid 1D - (1S or 1H) - 2C to describe your hand.

 

Using traditional methods 10 HCP + 2 lenghth points = 12 points,. 1 shy of a "full opening bid"

 

It may be a bit light, but I dont think it's very light.

 

 

>Jxxxx Jxxxx KQ K is not remotely close to an opening bid

 

I agree, the HCP are not working, though this is a ZAR opening bid.

[inquiry]

>Jxxxx Jxxxx KQ K is not remotely close to an opening bid

 

I agree, the HCP are not working, though this is a ZAR opening bid.

Are you certain that according to ZAR rules this is an opening hand?

 

I ask because in his article he gives theee two hand pairs...

 

Hand A

♠ 8 6 5 3 2

♥ 7 5 4 2

♦ A Q J

♣ K

 

and Hand B

♠ A J T 8 4

♥ K Q T 9

♦ T 9 6

♣ 4

 

In discussing these hands, he says hand A is not worth near the 26 ZAR points while hand B is worth a lot more. I wonder, do you know what he says about concentration of hcp in suits and how to evaluate singleton and doubleton honors. I ask only because I am certain Zar would never call the hand you showed an "opener".

[ArcLight]

>In discussing these hands, he says hand A is not worth near the 26 ZAR points while hand B is worth a lot more. I wonder, do you know what he says about concentration of hcp in suits and how to evaluate singleton and doubleton honors. I ask only because I am certain Zar would never call the hand you showed an "opener".

 

In ZARs latest paper he does suggest down grading for wasted honors. I dont think that was originally in his article. I think his original article didnt address where the HCP were (just like Bergen doesn't mention them in his Rule of 20).

It was strictly (L1 + L2) + HCP + (L1 - S1)

 

 

In the 2 hands presented below the "bad hand" also has fewer intermediates (10s 9s) so no surprise its weaker! ;)

[mikeh]

Why is  xx x KQxxx KQxxx  not an opener?  At least the HCP are concentrated in 2 suits, and you can bid 1D - (1S or 1H) - 2C to describe your hand.

 

Using traditional methods 10 HCP + 2 lenghth points = 12 points,. 1 shy of a "full opening bid"

 

What constitutes an opener is a matter of style and agreement. If you open light, then respponder needs more than usual in order to force to game.

 

Thus my partners will force to game opposite my 1♦ opening with most 12 counts and all 13 counts. That is not to say that we will always make ;)

 

And perhaps more importantly, in today's competitive environment, my opening bids promise some defensive values (unless I have an extreme hand)

 

The majors are worth stretching for, since a ten trick contract is game. And a major suit opening has a preemptive effect on the auction.

 

Light minor suit openings are less attractive, because:

 

a suit contract may be 11 tricks, far tougher than 10, and

 

a minor suit opening invites the opps into the auction: you hold xxx AKJxx Qxx xx and RHO opens either 1♠ or 1♣. Few experts (I won't say none) would be happy with a 2♥ overcall (and if you are, delete the ♥J) but I cannot imagine any expert passing 1♣.

 

Another point to bear in mind, especially in a standard based thread, is that the lighter you open, the wider the range shown by a one-level opening bid. Standard has enough trouble with wide range bids as it is: unless you significantly lower your requirements for a 2♣ opening (which is not exactly a cost-free exercise), then expanding the range of a one bid exacerbates an existing and non-trivial problem.

 

I am also a believer in light responses, which makes increasing the range of opener's values even more problematic.

 

For what it is worth, my criteria for an opening bid decision include:

 

hcp: almost all 13's are opened, but I would pass in 1st or 2nd seat:QJ QJ KQx Qxxxx.

 

most 12's are opened and some 11's or even lower

 

For less than 12 hcp, I need 3 controls (A=2, K=1) and a LTC (losing trick count) of 7 or fewer

 

When on the cusp, I will look at whether I am in first or second (I am fractionally more likely to open in 1st) and at the vulnerability.

 

I am aided in this (perhaps) conservative attitude by playing 10-12 1N when not vulnerable in 1st and 2nd, so I get many non-traditional openers off my chest via 1N.

 

In 3rd and 4th seat, i do look at the rule of 15, but it is merely a factor, not the go-no go that the use of the word 'rule' suggests.

[Winstonm]

Mikeh,

 

 

Why is  xx x KQxxx KQxxx  not an opener?  At least the HCP are concentrated in 2 suits, and you can bid 1D - (1S or 1H) - 2C to describe your hand.

 

Using traditional methods 10 HCP + 2 lenghth points = 12 points,. 1 shy of a "full opening bid"

 

It may be a bit light, but I dont think it's very light.

 

 

>Jxxxx Jxxxx KQ K is not remotely close to an opening bid

 

I agree, the HCP are not working, though this is a ZAR opening bid.

I'd like to chime in here if you don't mind. I agree strongly with what MikeH has to say about opening hands and the differences between major suits and minor suits.

 

A couple other points of consideration I'm sure Mike just didn't feel like pointing out:

 

First, these two hands: xx, x, KQxxx, KQxxx verses 10x, x, KQ1098, KQ1098. It's hard to describe the difference other than saying Night and Day. Even then, I wouldn't open the latter unless playing a limited opening system like Precision.

 

Secondly, this pattern: xx, x, KQxxx, KQxxx verses: 10xx, void, KQ1098, KQ1098.

 

Again, Night and Day.

 

And lastly, as MikeH pointed out - opening a hand with minors is usually an invitation to 3N or 5 of the minor - neither of which you want to play under strength in high cards unless you have huge fits - sometimes it's better to pass and then back in with a 2N where you can show your entire hand with 1 bid and find those huge fits. If I open, it will take me 3 bids to show my hand - and I might already be at 3N by then. And by the way, 1D-1S-2c has not completely described this hand - it takes a further 3C bid to do that.

 

Winston

[Gerben42]

The most important thing has not been mentioned yet: the BOX principle.

 

Remember what your partner already knows about your hand and evaluate it in that respect. If you have a 4-count and you have already passed partner's opening bid, if it suddenly fits partner's you have a huge hand with respect to the auction.

 

What usually happens is that people still see that they have just a 4-count and forget that partner already knows. On the other hand if you have a 20-count once you've shown it, don't push it partner already knows.

[Winstonm]

The most important thing has not been mentioned yet: the BOX principle.

 

Remember what your partner already knows about your hand and evaluate it in that respect. If you have a 4-count and you have already passed partner's opening bid, if it suddenly fits partner's you have a huge hand with respect to the auction.

 

What usually happens is that people still see that they have just a 4-count and forget that partner already knows. On the other hand if you have a 20-count once you've shown it, don't push it partner already knows.

Along with this concept, begin trying to understand hand evaluation and how to apply it. Here are 4 hands with a 6-count after partner opens 1S playing 5-card majors and 2/1.

 

A) Axx, xxx, Qxx, xxxx

B) Qxx, xxx, xxx, Axxx

C) AQx, xxx, xxx, xxxx

D) xxx, xxx, AQx, xxxx

 

Rating the hands, the order in which the bidding has raised the values of the hands would be.

 

B) 2 useful cards and the Q has grown in value.

C)2 useful cards but the Q may not hold full value.

D)1 1/2 useful cards.

A) 1 useful card and 1 of unknown value.

 

From this basis, the next thing I'd look at is spot cards and how their addition improves the hand.

 

A) Q109, xxx, xxx, A109x

B) Axx, 109x, 109x, Qxxx

C) AQ10, xxx, xxx, 10987

D) 1098, xxx, AQ10, 10987

 

Obviously, hand A with its good spot cards in trumps and in its long suit is suddenly much better than it was. Hand B, with its spots in its short suits is not improved much at all. C and D have increased somewhat but still not enough to overtake hand A.

 

Now apply shape:

 

Q109x, x, xxx, A1098x This hand has grown to a constructive raise.

Axxx, 10, 109, Q9xxx This hand still sucks.

AQ10x, x, xxx, 1098xx Improved, and may be worth a constructive raise.

1098x, x, AQ10x, 1098xx Better and hard to bid. Worth about 1 1/2 spade raise.

 

Learning how to apply location, spots, and shape will go a long way towards improving your decision making on close calls.

 

Winston