How to Bid – the BasicsJim Berglund’s Bridge Lesson 3

2

What is bidding all About? 3.1. General Description  In bridge, the bidding (often called the auction) is actually an exchange of

information between the two partners to establish the highest contract the pair can make, if a game is sure, possible or out of the question, and what suit is best to be the trump suit, if any. Then, the players bid accordingly.

As the opposite pair at that table is doing the same thing, the two pairs are bidding for

the contract to play, evaluating their hands continuously to know where to stop.   The bidding is done by just naming how many tricks you think your pair can make

over the book and the suit you would like to be the trump suit (or no trump). As mentioned, the bid also conveys information about the strength and distribution of your hand to help your partner evaluate the partnership overall strength.

  For example: “One spade” means you think your pair can take 6 (the book) + 1 = 7

tricks, with spade being the trump suit, and that you have a hand of a certain strength and distribution (details are presented in following sections).

  It is illegal to use more than the exact bidding language, or tone intonation, or any

kind of body language or body signs. For example, do not say “I pass” or “I bid one heart”. Just use the proper bidding language (“Pass”, and respectively “One Heart”, in our example). In competitions, you are penalized according to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge if you do this.

3

The Bidding BoxBridge clubs and tournaments use

bidding boxes instead of voice bidding to prevent any illegal voice signals. In addition, full table screens are used in big competitions

Each player has their own bidding box. Bids are placed in front of each player as the bidding progresses.

4

Hand Evaluation

HIGH-CARD POINTS

DISTRIBUTION POINTS (Suits)

SUPPORT POINTS

Ace = 4+ 5 Cards = 1 Void = 5

King = 3 6 or more Cards = 2 each

Singleton = 3

Queen = 2 5-4 = 1 Doubleton = 1

Jack – 1- 5-5 = 3 4th Trump = 1

10 = 1/2 6-5 = 5 Add’nl Trumps = 2

Add to your HCP, when

deciding what to Open

Add to your HCP, when

deciding what to Respond

5

Minimum Points Required• The value of a hand is given by the total of high card and distribution points.

• Experience shows that to make a game (minimum 100 contract points when you score), the two partners should have the following minimum total number of points in the combined two hands:

• When bidding notrump contracts, count only the high card points (HCP).

ContractPoints

Notes

3NT 25-26 Combined HCP

4H/4S 25-26Combined HCP’s, DP’s, & SP’s

5C/5D 28-29Combined HCP’s, DP’s, & SP’s

Small Slam 32-34

and a minimum of 3 Aces (or voids)

Grand Slam 36-37

and a minimum of 4 Aces (or voids)

6

The Convention CardThe bidding system and

the conventions you are playing with your partner must be made known to the opposite team sitting at your table. Consequently, in competitions, standard convention cards are filled in and made available to the other pair.

  If you use conventions that

are not in the system you must alert your opponents (just say “Alert!” before you bid, or show the “Alert” card if bidding boxes are used). The opponents may ask you to explain what the bid means.

Bids in black are not Alertable

Bids in red are alertable.

Say “alert” or flick the Alert card in your

bidding box when your partner makes an

alertable bid

Blue bids are Announcable.Simply state what the bid means, when your partner

makes it.

7

Is that all there is?♠Absolutely not, and in the following 35 lessons, you’ll learn much, much more. For example, you’ll learn that points don’t take tricks – at least not always.

♠You’ll learn the important differences among weak, invitational, and forcing bids, and what to do after your partner makes one.

♠You’ll learn the value of a myriad of doubles, when and how to use them

♠And of course, you’ll learn what to do when the opponents interfere with your bidding