2008-01-11 19:25

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Just Bid It )

PITBULLS:

Bridge is a game of probabilities. With the randomness of the deal , the game is not unlike poker. You sometimes must just play the odds & make your bet. If the odds are in your favour , you raise or call . Bridge bidding is not an exact science. You cannot have a perfect scientific auction especially if 7 or 8 card suits are involved. Sometimes , if it feels right , you just bid your game ! Bidding games is an IMP strategy. When in doubt bid your game should be your default. In matchpoints , when in doubt take your plus ! Do not confuse the two games & strategies !!

Recently , in one session , my partner & I missed three 5♣ games. I am not sure it is a record but is most unusual. ♠AJ ♥QJ10 ♦void ♣AJ109xxxx , the opponents open 1♥ so you overcall 2♣. They bid 2♥ & partner bids 3♣ so around to you . There is no satisfactory bid as all bids will be interpreted as NT gropes. Passing is so unilateral final. The odds favour that you can make a game in clubs so just bid it. It’s a 50 % game in that it will make or it will not J . Passing 3♣ is more swingy in IMPS than bidding the game !! Partner could have a stiff heart or ♠Qxx where the spade King in openers hand will make 6♣ !

♠void ♥Kxx ♦Axx ♣AKxxxxx , you open 1♣ & partner responds 1♠. This spade bid is not a great response for you , but you have all controls with a 7 card suit headed by the AK . A 2♣ bid just does not do justice to this hand. A 3♣ bid stands out but say you bid 2♣ which gets passed out . They balance 2♥ so you make up for lost time & try to make up for your initial underbid by bidding 2NT. Partner carries on to 3NT which gets doubled for a spade lead by the opponents who held 100 honours in spades. Luckily you have a tool for this auction. You XX saying that you have doubt that 3NT will make with a spade lead. Partner pulls to 4♣ so aided by the lack of duplication of value in spades ( evident due to the opponents X ) you bid 5♣ & if the clubs broke you would have make 6♣.

Partner opens 1♣ nv & the vul opponents X . You have ♠Q10xx ♥A ♦xxx ♣xxxxx & you make the good pre-emptive bid of 3♣ which gets passed around to the doubler who now bid 3♥. The opponents bidding your stiff has made your hand go up , but bidding 4♣ is silly as you may be pushing them into a cold vul game. Around to partner , who bids 4♣ risking pushing them into a vul game. Partner must have a very good hand to do that in light of your pre-empt. You could not have a better hand for partner with your stiff ♥A, so you bid 5♣ because the odds dictate that it should have a good chance. This game is cold & with a different red queen in partners hand , 6♣ is lay down.

IMPS is not matchpoints where you must stop on a dime with game bidding. If the odds are in your favour , you bid your game. If there is no scientific way to find out , just bid it !!