• Major suits: Hearts and Spades
• Minor suits: Clubs and Diamonds
• Ace, King, Queen and Jack are called honour cards or honours
for short
• Count High Card Points where:
◦ each Ace has 4 points,
◦ each King has 3 points,
◦ each Queen has 2 points, and
◦ each Jack has 1 points
• Total number of points in the game is 40 (4*(1+2+3+4))
• Order of priority suits: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and No
Trump
• The bidding level determines how many tricks you have to
make and with which trump. For example:
◦ If the final bid is 2H, that mean you have to make 6+2=8
tricks with Hearts as the trump.
◦ If the final bid is 3NT means you have to make 6+3=9 tricks
with no trump
◦ If the final bid is 4S means you have to make 6+4=10 tricks
with Spades as the trump
• You need at least 25 HCP’s to make a game (be able to bid
either 3NT, 4H, 4S, 5C or 5D)
• The goal of bidding is to see if you and the partner have a
matching suit with a minimum of 8 cards together. Once you
know that suit, that can become your trump and you can try to
bid at an appropriate level with that suit
• If the partner responds at 2 levels higher than yours after the
opponents Pass, this means that the partner has high HCP or at
least 4 or 5 cards in the suit you bid in e.g. if you big 1S, and
partner bids 3 S, that means that the partner may have 3
Spades and high HCP OR 4 or more Spade with 6 or more
points
• At the least, it is essential to count the number of trumps that
have been played so far so that you know how many trumps
are still left
• It would be extremely useful if you can remember how many
cards have been played in at least one more suits if not all suits
Opening Bid rules
1. Calculate number of High Card Points (HCP)
2. if # of HCP is 22 or more, Bid 2-Club
3. If # of HCP=20 or # of HCP=21, and
3.1. No cutoff suit
3.2. No singleton (one card of any suit)
3.3. No two double-tons (two cards of a suit)
3.4. No five cards in any suite
3.5. Then bid 2-NT
4. If # of HCP is 15, 16 or 17, and
4.1. No cutoff suit
4.2. No singleton (one card of any suit)
4.3. No two double-tons (two cards of a suit)
4.4. No five cards in any suite
4.5. Then bid 1-NT
5. If HCP is 13 or more,
5.1. If have 5 Heart cards
a) Bid 1-Hearts
5.2. If have 5 Spades
a) Bid 1-Spade
5.3. If no 5 Heart cards and 5 Spade cards,
a) If # of Club cards is more than # of Diamond cards
• Bid 1-Club
b) If # of Diamond cards is more than # of Club cards
• Bid 1-Diamond
c) If same # of Club and Diamond cards,
• If # of HCP in Club more than # of HCP in Diamond
• Bid 1-Club
• If # of HCP in Diamond more than # of HCP in Club
• Bid 1-Diamond
• If # of HCP in Club is same as # of HCP in Diamond
• Bid 1-Club
2. If # of HCP more than 6
2.1. If 6 or more Heart cards and two honours in Hearts
a) Bid 2-Hearts
2.2. If 6 or more Spade cards and two honours in Spade
a) Bid 2-Spade
2.3. If 6 or more Diamond cards and two honours in Diamond
a) Bid 2-Diamond
2.4. If 7 or more Hearts cards and two honours in Hearts
a) Bid 3-Hearts
2.5. If 7 or more Spade cards and two honours in Spade
a) Bid 3-Spade
2.6. If 7 or more Diamond cards and two honours in Diamond
a) Bid 3-Diamond
Responding to a partner bid (partner has bid anything other than
Pass)
1. Count # of HCP
2. If # of HCP is 10 or more
2.1. If you have five cards in a suit other than the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid 1-level higher than the partner in that suit if possible otherwise 2-level higher than
the partner of that suit e.g. (1) your partner has bid 1-Spade, and you have 10 HCP and
5 Hearts, then bid 3-Hearts, (2) your partner has bid 1-Hearts, and you have 10 HCP
and 5 Spades, then bid 2-Spades
2.2. If you at least 3 cards in the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid two levels higher than partner’s level e.g. your partner has bid 1 Hearts, you have
10 HCP, and you have 3 Hearts, bid 3-Hearts
2.3. If you don’t have at least 3 cards in the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid NT at one level higher than partner’s level e.g. your partner has bid 1 Hearts, you
have 10 HCP, and you don’t have 3 Hearts, bid 2-NT
3. If # of HCP is 6 or more and less than 10
3.1. If you have five cards in a suit other than the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid same-level as the partner in that suit if possible otherwise 1-level higher than the
partner of that suit e.g. (1) your partner has bid 1-Spade, and have 5 Hearts, then bid 2-
Hearts, (2) your partner has bid 1-Hearts, and you have 5 Spades, then bid 1-Spades
3.2. If you at least 3 cards in the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid one level higher than partner’s level e.g. your partner has bid 1 Hearts, you have 3
Hearts, bid 2-Hearts
3.3. If you don’t have at least 3 cards in the suit your partner has bid,
a) Bid NT at same level as the partner’s level e.g. your partner has bid 1 Hearts, you you
don’t have 3 Hearts, bid 1-NT
Responding to 1NT bid from the partner:
1. If you have less than 9 HCP, bid pass
2. If you have 9 HCP or more (which means 24 HCP’s between you and partner that may be
enough for a game)
2.1. If you 5 Hearts,
a) Bid 2D (called Jacoby transfer) which one lower than Hearts and the partner should
respond with 2H
2.2. If you 5 Spades,
a) Bid 2H (called Jacoby transfer) which one lower than Spades and the partner should
respond with 2S
2.3. If you have at least 4 Hearts or 4 Spades, bid 2C. This is a signal to the partner that
you have at least 9 points and have at least 4 cards in one of Hearts or Spades. He will then
respond appropriately (covered later)
2.4. If you have 5 Clubs or 5 Diamonds
a) Bid 2S. This is a signal to the partner that you don’t have 4 H or 4S but have some
strength is C or D. The partner should respond with the 3C (if he has stronger C than D)
or 3D (if he has stronger D than C)
2.5. Otherwise bid 2NT (no 5 Hearts, no 5 Spades, no 4 Hearts, no 4 Spades, no 4 Clubs
and no 4 Diamonds)
Understanding partner’s response when you have bid 1NT
1. If your partner bids 2C, this means that the partner has 9 or more HCP and has at least 4H or
4C and is now asking you to reply with:
2.6. 2H (if you have 4H)
2.7. 2S (if you have 4S)
2.8. 2S (if you do not have 4H and do not have 4S)
2. If your partner bids 2D, this means he may have low points but has 5H and now expects you to
bid 2H.
3. If your partner bids 2H, this means he may have low points but has 5S and now expects you to
bid 2S.
4. If your partner bids 2S, this means he has 9 or more HCP but doesn’t have 4H, doesn’t have 4H
but has 5C or 5D. The partner is expecting you to bid 3C (if you have 4C) or 3D (if you have 4D)
5. If your partner bids 2NT, this means he has 9 or more HCP but doesn’t have 4H, 4S, 5C or 5D.
Responding to 2NT bid from the partner:
3. If you have 5 HCP or more (which means 25 HCP’s between you and partner that may be
enough for a game)
3.1. If you 5 Hearts,
a) Bid 3D (called Jacoby transfer) and the partner should respond with 3H
3.2. If you 5 Spades,
a) Bid 3H (called Jacoby transfer) and the partner should respond with 3S
3.3. If you have at least 4 Hearts or 4 Spades, bid 3C. This is a signal to the partner that
you have at least 9 points and have at least 4 cards in one of Hearts or Spades. He will then
respond appropriately (covered later)
3.4. If you have 5 Clubs or 5 Diamonds
a) Bid 3S. The partner should respond with the 4C (if he has stronger C than D) or 4D (if he
has stronger D than C)
3.5. Otherwise bid 3NT (no 5 Hearts, no 5 Spades, no 4 Hearts, no 4 Spades, no 4 Clubs
and no 4 Diamonds)
Responding to 2C (meaning 22 or more HCP)
1. Respond with 2D if you have 0 to 3 HCP
2. Respond with 2H if you have 4 to 6 HCP
4. Respond with 2S if you have 7 to 9 HCP
5. Respond with 2NT if you have 10 or more HCP
Deeper Responses as shown below
• Partner->1NT, You->2D, Partner->2NT => This means that the partner has less than 4 Hearts
• Partner->1NT, You->2D, Partner->2S => This means that the partner has less than 4 Hearts
• Partner->1NT, You->2H, Partner->2NT => This means that the partner has less than 4 Spades
• Partner->1NT, You->2D, Partner->2NT => This means that the partner has less than 4 Hearts
AND Spades. You can then respond by bidding your minor suit (3C or 3D)
Responding to 4NT / 5NT
After a trump suit has been established, and if one of the partners is sure that they together
have 30 or more HCP (out of a total of 40), the partner or you can bid 4NT to enter a question-answer
round of first asking for # of Aces and then asking for # of Kings
1. If partner bids 4NT,
1.1. Bid 5C if have no aces
1.2. Bid 5D if you have one ace
1.3. Bid 5H if you have two aces
1.4. Bid 5C if you have three aces
3. If partner bids 5NT,
1. Bid 5C if have no king
2. Bid 5D if you have one king
3. Bid 5H if you have two kings
4. Bid 5C if you have three kings