Competitive Bidding/Suit Length Evaluation Tutorial --------------------------------------------------- In this tutorial, I will discuss guidelines for bidding in competitive situations -- when each side has roughly 17-23 high card points. A very good guideline is based on the total number of cards in both your hand and your partner's hand for a propective trump suit. The basic principle is that you should be willing to contract for the number of tricks that equals that total number of cards. Thus, if your side has an 8 card fit, you should be willing to go to the 2 level. With a 9 card fit, you should be willing to go to the 3 level. With a 10 card fit, you should be willing to go to the 4 level. I will give one example of how I apply the above principle. If my partner opens 1H or 1S, and I have 5 card support and less than 10 points, I always jump to 4 (even with 0 points!). This is likely to be our best contract, and makes it difficult for the opponents to bid. (The reason for the point limitation is that with 10 or more points we could very well have slam, so I would like to leave us more bidding room.) A second guideline, based on the above principle, is that if you know the opponents have at least an 8 card fit and have stopped at the 2 level, you should push them to the 3 level. The above discussion is based on the "Law of Total Tricks". The law basically states that the more length each side has in its prospective trump suit, the more tricks each side can take, regardless of point count. There is another guideline to consider when making borderline bidding decisions. You should bid higher if most of your high cards are in suits not bid by the opponents. You should be more cautious if you have points in your opponents' suits. You might be wondering "How do I know how many total cards we have in a suit?" It's not as hard as you might think. If your partner opens 1H or 1S, that promises at least 5. Similarly, if your partner overcalls (bids over an opponent's opening bid), that promises at least a 5 card suit. A weak 2 promises a 6 card suit, and an opening 3 bid promises a 7 card suit. Finally, if your partner opens one of a minor, you respond one of a major, and your partner raises that major (e.g. 1C-P-1H-P-2H), that tends to show 4 card support. Quiz ---- Your hand is: S Q952 H KJ9 D 7 C 109873 Your partner is the dealer in the following bidding sequences. What is your bid? 1S-2D-2S-3D P-P-? 3S -- You have a known nine card fit, so you should be comfortable playing at the 3 level. 1S-2H-2S-3H P-P-? I would bid 3S, again because you have a known nine card fit. My tendency is to declare whenever possible. However, pass would not be unreasonable because of your heart cards. 1H-1S-2H-2S- P-P-? Pass. You have spade length and only a known 8 card fit. If you should be in 3 hearts, then partner (with known spade shortness) should have bid it. 1H-2D-2H-3D- P-P-? This is close. You probably have only an 8 card fit (partner would likely bid 3H with 6 hearts). However, your singleton diamond makes you want to declare rather than defend. I would pass, hoping partner has some diamond length and strength. However, 3H is not unreasonable. P-1D-P-2D P-P-? Double (for takeout), asking partner to bid his/her best suit. Since opponents points are limited to 23 at most, partner must have some points. Since the opponents have a diamond fit (at least 8 cards and possibly nine cards, given your singleton), your side should have a fit as well; let partner tell you what it is. By the way, bidding in the pass out seat over a low level contract is known as "balancing". Partner should not punish you by assuming you have a lot of points, but should realize you are merely trying to compete. P-1H-P-2H P-P-? This is a little tougher than last hand. You can't make a balancing takeout double, since partner may bid diamonds. I don't like to sell out at the 2 level, so I would bid 3 clubs, hoping (praying?) that I found our best fit. However, pass would not be unreasonable. P-P-P-1D 2C-2D-3C-3D P-P-? I would bid 4 clubs. We have a known 10 card fit, so you should be comfortable playing at the 4 level. P-P-P-1S 2C-2S-3C-3S P-P-? I would bid 4 clubs, just as in the previous hand. I am comfortable defending 4 spades, since I have four trumps. In fact, if I was playing in a tournament, I would double 4 spades, hoping for a top board. P-P-P-1H 2C-2H-3C-3H P-P-? It would not be unreasonable to bid 4 clubs, just as in the previous 2 hands. However, here there are some strategic considerations. I am not as comfortable defending 4 hearts as 4 spades. Although I have high hearts, I only have 3 of them, making it more likely the opponents have heart length. Therefore, I would pass 3H, feeling that the risk of pushing them into a makable 4H out weighs the possible gains. I have a simple rule on these hands. If they have a major suit fit and we have a minor suit fit, I will not bid 4 of our suit unless I am willing to double them in 4 of their suit. Note that this rule does not apply to the hand where they have a diamond fit, since 4D is not game. 2S-P-? 4S. We have a known 10 card fit, so you should be comfortable playing at the 4 level. 2H-P-? 3H. We have a known 9 card fit, so you should be comfortable playing at the 3 level.