Mike's Bidding Quiz

Bid 1♠, but be ready to come alive on the next round. You intend to follow with 2♥, maybe more if partner shows extras. For instance, if opener passes and partner raises to 2♠, you know he has four spades and about 17 support points. You should give extra value to your shape and your useful high-card points and bid game. 4♠ should be a good spot.

Bid 2♣. This is about as many high-card points as you are likely to have. If you had more, you would make a stronger bid. One more jack and one more club would make this a 3♣ bid. If your partner bids again over your 2♣, you probably have a game. For instance, if your partner bids 2♥ next, you should raise to 4♥.

Bid 1♥. When you have a four-card major and a four-card minor, choose the major suit. That, more than anything, is what partner is looking for.

Bid 2♥. This hand is a ringer. The point of this bid is to introduce you to an important concept. Your six-card suit and distribution make this hand worth nearly 10 support points. With hands this good, you must make a stronger bid than a simple 1♥. More on this next week.

Bid 1♥. This is not a good hand, but it has something that you should learn to love. Your little hand with only 2 high-card points has a six-card suit, and your partner is promising support. If the auction goes quietly, you may be able to bid again. For example, if you bid 1♥, and opener rebids 2♦, you should bid 2♥ if you get the chance. For the record, this is a much better hand than:

♠ Q 7 4   ♥ 8 7 4 3   ♦ Q 8 4   ♣ Q 9 5

This hand has three times as many high-card points as hand No. 5, but the shape is horrible. The little hand with its six-card suit has promise because there are enough hearts for you to be certain that the suit will be more than adequate as trump.

Bid 2♣. Let me show you something interesting. Suppose this diagram shows your hand (South) and partner’s: