Master Point Press • Toronto
DEDICATION
To my husband Alex, who brings endless joy into my life each and every day.
And to Ray Lee, co-founder and publisher of Master Point Press, who has
been the inspiration for all of my books.
Copyright
Text © 2020 Barbara Seagram
Cover image © bsd/Shutterstock
All rights reserved. It is illegal to reproduce any portion of this material, except by spe-
cial arrangement with the publisher. Reproduction of this material without authoriza-
tion, by any duplication process whatsoever, is a violation of copyright.
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Barbara's bridge tips / Barbara Seagram.
Names: Seagram, Barbara, author.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200367722 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200367757 |
ISBN 9781771400619 (softcover) | ISBN 9781771405706 (PDF) | ISBN 9781771407168
(HTML) | ISBN 9781771407663 (Kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Contract bridge.
Classification: LCC GV1282.3 .S43 2020 | DDC 795.41/5—dc23
Editor: Ray Lee
Copy editor/interior: Sally Sparrow
Cover design: Olena S. Sullivan/New Mediatrix
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CONTENTS
Before You Begin... 5
Part One: Bidding 9
1. Hand Evaluation and Revaluing 10
2. Responding to an Opening Bid — The Right Way 14
3. Rebids by Opener 17
4. The Opening Bidder’s Options with a Minimum Hand 21
5. Raising Responder’s Major with Three Trumps 23
6. The ‘Short’ Club and the ‘Short’ Diamond 25
7. Location, Location, Location — the Splinter Bid 28
8. Drop-dead Bids (or Shutout Bids) 31
9. To Overcall or Double? 34
10. Responding to Partner’s Overcall 36
11. The Law of Total Tricks 39
12. The Balancing Act 41
13. Negative Doubles 43
14. Penalty Doubles 53
15. Redoubles 55
16. Lead-directing Doubles 59
17. Preempts — How to Upset Your Opponents 62
18. Weak Two-bids 66
19. The 4-4 Fit or the 5-3 Fit… Does It Matter? 70
20. Look Before You Leap 72
21. Quiz Time! 75
Part Two: Declarer Play 85
1. Kicking the Habit — the First Step to Improving 87
2. Planning the Play of the Hand 89
3. Long-suit Establishment 92
4. To Pull or Not to Pull? 94
5. The Crossruff 97
6. Planning at Trick 1 99
7. The Hold-up Play 101
8. Safe Hand, Danger Hand 104
9. The Bridge Detective — Who’s Got the Queen? 106
10. Don’t Get Divorced from Dummy! 110
11. Locating Your Opponents’ Honor Cards 113
12. Detective School Lesson Two 117
13. Eight Ever, Nine Never 123
14. Is 50% good enough? (Advanced) 127
15. Declarer Play Quiz 130
Part Three: Defense 135
1. Being At the Table 137
2. Your Lead. Now What? 139
3. Leading Trumps 142
4. The Rule of Eleven 144
5. Using Those Spot Cards 149
6. Show Some Attitude! 152
7. The Count Signal 153
8. Suit Preference 156
9. Counting Tricks 158
10. Defending Against Notrump 160
11. Trump Promotion 164
12. Squander the Queen 167
13. Shortening Declarer’s Trumps 171
14. To Cover or Not to Cover? 175
15. Creative Defense 177
16. Defense Quiz 179
BEFORE YOU BEGIN...
COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID
Most of this book is technical — it’s about how to bid, how to play and how
to defend. But before we go there, let’s talk about some general things that
we all do at the bridge table — but shouldn’t.
What distinguishes experts from good players and good players from
average players? The frequency of their mistakes. Bridge is a game of mis-
takes. The players who make the fewest mistakes win. But take heart… when
you make a mistake and it is pointed out to you, you often remember not to
repeat that same error.
Here’s a quote from Alan Sontag, a multiple World Champion: It is not
the handling of difficult hands that makes the winning player. There aren’t
enough of them. It is the ability to avoid messing up the easy ones.
Here are some of the more common errors we all make — and how you
can avoid them.
Playing Too Fast
Slow down. Yes, duplicate bridge is a ‘timed event’, but take the time to
make a plan at the start of the hand and stop playing instinctively and by
rote. Stop and think. As declarer, count your winners in notrump contracts
or your losers in suit contracts. As a defender, calculate how many high-card
points declarer and dummy have in the combined hands (the bidding will
give you a good idea of that), then count your points and subtract that total
from 40. There are 40 HCP in the deck, so your partner has the leftover
points. If you know that partner can only have 5 points and she has already
led a king, you know she has the king and the queen in that suit (by infer-
ence) and can have nothing more. All of this is done at Trick 1, before you
play a card.
Before you Begin... | 5 |
Cashing Tricks Too Early On in the Game
Aces were put on this earth to capture kings and queens. Kings have a job to
do too — they capture queens and jacks.
If dummy is on your left and has KJ72 and you have A63, think ahead.
Be prepared, so that when declarer leads a small card from her hand toward
that suit in the dummy you will play low smoothly and not hesitate. You are
going to hope that declarer will play the jack — it’s possible partner will be
able to win the trick with the queen. That’s where the expression ‘second
hand low’ comes from.
Another situation. Let’s say hearts are trumps, and you have the ♠A54
and the ♦KQJ. If your opening lead is the ♦K, you have established tricks
for your side. When you win a trick with the ♠A, you may now be able to cash
one or even two diamond winners. But if instead you choose the ♠A as your
opening lead, your diamonds have not been established. Besides which, you
may now have set up declarer’s king (and maybe queen) of spades.
On opening lead, do not lead an ace unless you also have the king (or
partner has bid the suit). So, from A54, which card do you lead? The correct
answer usually is, ‘Another suit.’
To Draw Trumps or Not?
Sometimes you may be reluctant to draw trumps because your trumps are
poor quality, e.g. 5432 opposite 9876. That should not make you nervous. If
you have lots of good tricks (high cards) and lousy trumps, you simply have
to draw those trumps, otherwise the opponents will ruff your good tricks in
the side suits.
Sometimes you may err by playing too many rounds of trumps or draw-
ing trumps when you cannot afford to do so. If, for example, you have to ruff
some losers in dummy, then you must leave some trumps in dummy with
which to do it.
Sometimes you need to keep some trumps in dummy as entries to win-
ners in a side suit.
Sometimes you have quick losers and no ace of trumps. Don’t draw
trumps just yet; try to discard one of your quick losers on an extra winner
before letting the opponents have the lead.
Bidding Errors
Bidding is a language. Make sure you know what bids mean. For example,
think about the simple sequence 1♠ – 2♠. Bidding 2♠ in response to part-
| 6 | Barbara's Bridge Tips
ner’s 1♠ opening says you have 6-9 points. If you make the same bid with 12
points, partner will have no idea what you have. Memorize standard bids.
Pay attention to the opponents’ bidding so you can use the clues to help you
figure out who has what.
Too many people agree to play a convention but, when the situation
arises, discover that they only know page one of the convention. They do not
know the follow-up responses. The sequence 1♠ – 2NT is a good example.
Most people play this as being a convention called Jacoby 2NT, a forcing
raise in the major. There are four or five choices of subsequent bids by open-
er, and they all have specific meanings. It is no good just knowing the first
part.
Have You Already Told Your Story?
You have this hand as dealer:
♠4 ♥KQJ9863 ♦532 ♣K6
You open with 3♥ and the next two players pass. Now your RHO overcalls
3♠. What will you do?
You must pass. Too many players feel they should bid again, as they
don’t want to ‘sell out’ to a spade contract. But you have already told partner
that you have a weak hand and a good-quality seven-card suit. You cannot
tell the same story twice (unless you happen to look down and find an ace
on the floor). You may not now bid 4♥. If partner wishes to bid, she can, but
you may not.
Another example. You are dealer again with:
♠A5 ♥KJ4 ♦AQ63 ♣Q632
You open 1NT, and after two passes, RHO bids 2♥. Now what?
Once again, you have told your story. You may not bid again. Leave it up
to your partner. You still have a balanced hand with 15-17 HCP, no more, no
less. Partner has already heard that. Partner can bid now if she wishes.
Silly Errors
Don’t be in such a rush. When we rush, we forget to notice whose bid it is
and bid out of turn. We don’t pay attention to the auction so far and make
insufficient bids. Take your time and look to see what RHO has already bid.
It is easy to miss doubles by partner or the opponents. These can be such ex-
Before you Begin... | 7 |
pensive mistakes. Also, make sure it is your lead before facing a card. Do not
lead out of turn — another expensive error. Always make your opening lead
face down, just in case. And last but not least, do not revoke. Those things
keep you awake at night.
Do not arrive at the last minute before the start of a game. Come early
to discuss your agreements with partner so that you are both on the same
page. Also, give yourself time to settle down and focus and not be distracted.
As soon as a deal is over, you must erase it from your memory, especially
if you did make a mistake. It is impossible to change the result, so get over
it. If you dwell on a bad result, the next deal will also be a disaster, and now
you have two bad boards to fret about.
| 8 | Barbara's Bridge Tips
PART ONE
BIDDING
1. HAND EVALUATION AND REVALUING
Many students have great difficulty with the concept of hand evaluation. I
believe that it is right to count distribution even as an opening bidder. Most
people now count long suits (1 point for fifth card in long suit, 1 extra point
for sixth, etc). That is counting distribution. Let’s call your points including
distribution total points.
You need 13 total points to open the bidding in first or second seat. Some
books say 12 only but then they are not including distribution. You need to
know the Rule of 20 for when you are in first or second seat and only have
11 or 12 points. If you find yourself close to an opening bid but feel you don’t
have enough points to open, use the Rule of 20. Count your HCP and then
add the length of the two longest suits. If this totals 20, then you have per-
mission to open the bidding.
e.g. If you have:
♠A832 ♥A653 ♦A764 ♣5
Your 12 HCP plus two four-card suits = 20. You have permission to open the
bidding.
Note: You should not use the Rule of 20 to give you permission to open
the bidding in first or second seat when you have a hand such as this:
♠QJ ♥QJ6 ♦QJ74 ♣QJ42
This assortment of junk will tally 20 with the Rule of 20 but doubleton
queens or jacks are a sorry sight and do not deserve much respect. We call
queens and jacks, ‘quacks’! This hand is not an opening bid.
Here’s what you really have to remember: the value of your hand is in a
constant state of flux. Once partner starts bidding, your hand is like a flower
— it either blossoms and grows or it wilts and dies. If you have a short suit in
your hand and partner bids that suit, you are depressed. Your hand has wilt-
ed. It is never good to have a shortage in partner’s suit. We are constantly
searching for fits, not misfits. If partner bids spades and you have a shortage
of spades in your hand (2 or fewer), adjust your point count as follows:
• if you have a void in partner’s suit, deduct up to 3 length points from
your hand.
• if you have a singleton in partner’s suit, deduct up to 2 length points
from the value of your hand.
| 10 | Barbara's Bridge Tips
• if you have a doubleton in partner’s suit, deduct up to 1 length point
from your hand.
If you had not added any length points because you had no long suit, you will
not subtract at all. But you need to realize that your hand has gone downhill.
It is devalued.
Declarer Points
♠3 ♥AJ65432 ♦AK4 ♣76
Counting total points on this hand, it comes to 15. But if we open with 1♥
and partner bids 1♠, this hand has now dropped in value and we only have
13 (subtracting 2 length points for the singleton spade). We should choose
2♥ as our rebid as this is now a minimum hand.
But, if instead (see hand above again) partner has bid 2♥ after our 1♥
opener, then our hand now grows up. We must add 1 extra point for the
fifth card in the suit that has been supported and 2 extra points for each
remaining card. (Yes, in addition to the length points you already counted.
You may call it double-dipping!) Your hand has increased in value, now that
you know you are going to be declarer. If you do not do this, then you re-
main with the same old 15 points and will have to pass partner’s 2♥ bid that
showed 6-9 points. How can this be right?
This idea was the invention of Charles Goren, many years ago, and will
never fail you in getting you to games and slams. I truly believe it is the best
hand revaluing method. In the above example, we now have 20 points (after
adding the extra 5 points). Partner has raised us to 2♥ (showing 6-9 points),
and we should now bid 4♥.
If the opponents have bid a suit in which you have a singleton king or
queen, or even a doubleton queen or jack, count nothing for these cards:
they are most unlikely to win any tricks.
Dummy Points
When you are going to become dummy (because you have three-card or
better support for partner’s major suit or five or more of partner’s minor
suit), then long-suit points go away and short-suit points come in.
When you are going to become dummy, if you have three-card support
for partner, then use the 3-2-1 dummy points method. Short-suit points will
be counted as 3-2-1 (3 for a void, 2 for a singleton and 1 for a doubleton).
Part One: Bidding | 11 |
When you are going to become dummy, if you have four-card support
(or more) for partner, then use the 5-3-1 dummy points method. Short-suit
points will be counted as 5-3-1 (5 for a void, 3 for a singleton and 1 for a
doubleton).
Always remember to revalue your hand — up or down — as the bidding
proceeds.
A misfit? Quit!
The ideas in this section are so important that they are worth emphasizing
again. Less experienced players sometimes pick up their hand, count their
points, find they have 13 points and no matter what happens during the en-
tire auction, they continue to believe they have 13 points. That’s very rarely
true. A bridge hand is like a living, breathing thing, and its value changes
during the auction. We must learn how to evaluate our hand at all times and
bid accordingly. Take the following scenario:
♠ K J 10 9 7 5 3
♥ 7
♦ K632
♣ 3
♠ Q 4 2 ♠ A8
♥ K 8 4 N ♥ J532
♦ A J 4 W E ♦ 10 9 8 5
S
♣ K 10 9 4 ♣ Q82
♠ 6
♥ A Q 10 9 6
♦ Q7
♣ AJ765
West North East South
1♥ ♥
pass 1♠ pass 2♣
pass 2♠ pass 3♣
pass 3♠ pass 4♣
pass 4♠ dbl all pass
This wasn’t an auction, it was a fight! Indeed, without the use of bidding
boxes, the auction would get louder and louder as each player insisted on
the right to play in their choice of trump suit! (Tip to the opponents: always
penalty double such an auction!) On any reasonable line of defense, declarer
will go down two in 4♠.
| 12 | Barbara's Bridge Tips
What went wrong? Whose fault was this? Who should have quit first?
The first person to recognize that there is a misfit should quit once they have
adequately described their hand. In this case, South correctly bid hearts first
and then bid her clubs next. She could have passed 2♠, but rebidding clubs
isn’t terrible. However, after that, enough’s enough. Let partner play this
hand in 2♠ or 3♠.
Now let’s look at a much rosier situation, where the players still went
wrong.
A fit? It’s a hit!
♠ K987
♥ K7
♦ 8543
♣ 765
♠ 2 ♠ Q 10
♥ A 10 8 4 N ♥ 9632
♦ Q 10 9 2 W E ♦ AKJ
S
♣ Q432 ♣ J 10 9 8
♠ AJ6543
♥ QJ5
♦ 76
♣ AK
West North East South
1♠
pass 2♠ pass 3♠
all pass
This hand always makes 4♠. What happened? Back to hand evaluation.
Adding two points for the fifth and sixth card in the spade suit, South has 17
points. But the minute partner supports your long suit, you should be glow-
ing. Gone are the feelings of despair that you experienced on the last ‘misfit’
hand! Your hand has increased in value.
Whenever partner supports your long suit, remember to add 1 extra point
for the fifth card in the suit that has been supported and 2 extra points for
each remaining card in that long suit. Yes, this is in addition to all the points
you started with. Now this hand is worth 20 points. Partner promised you at
least 6 points. Add this together and away you go! Knowing her side has 26
points, South should have bid 4♠, instead of inviting partner with 3♠.
Part One: Bidding | 13 |
Also Available by Barbara Seagram
Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand
978-1-897106-51-8
Barbara Seagram and David Bird
Planning the Play: The Next Level
978-1-77140-039-8
Barbara Seagram and David Bird
Planning the Defense
978-1-77140-053-4
Barbara Seagram and David Bird
Planning the Defense: The Next Level
978-1-77140-054-1
Barbara Seagram and David Bird
NEWCOMER/INTERMEDIATE
Whether you have been playing for a while
or you’re not very experienced, this book
will help you to move your game up to the
next level. The tips cover all aspects of bridge
— bidding, play and defense. Advice and
examples are drawn from material Barbara
Seagram has developed for her students over
the last twenty years — it’s like having your
own personal bridge coach sitting beside you!
BARBARA SEAGRAM (Toronto,
Canada) travels the world teaching
bridge. She is the author or co-
author of dozens of well-known
books, the most popular being
25 Bridge Conventions You Should
Know (with Marc Smith).
MASTER POINT PRESS
978-1-77140-061-9