M J Bridge
♦
♠
♥
♣
Bidding
Beginner and above
Assessing the hand
Note that the aim of this page is to guide you in the right direction at a relatively early stage.
Various refinements will be added as you follow your way through the site.
Whether you are at the beginner stage or operating at a far higher level, the way in which you think about the potential of your hand and your choice of opening bid are crucial to all that follows.
There is nothing new in the content of this page but some readers will find something new in outlook.
When you first pick up your hand, and after you have counted it and sorted it to your own satisfaction, I want you first to determine the hand-
Hand-
The hand-
In particular I want you to note whether or not the hand contains a suit of six or more cards, or at least 5-
If your hand qualifies for some type of opening bid then it will be the hand-
Having determined the hand-
Hands with a suit of at least six cards are
(For the moment I shall include hands with 6-
Hands with at least 5-
4-
Something of a special case is the hand with
Any other hand will have
Points
If you must you can count the points as well, probably because it is already an ingrained habit, but it should not be the primary consideration as you decide what to do next -
Context -
This page last revised 1st Mar 2020
Opener |
Overcaller |
Responder |
Advancer |
Opener's rebid |
Overcaller's rebid and beyond |
Responder's rebid and beyond |
The continuing auction |