Tuesday, March 01, 2005 6:22 PM

Hand Evaluation - Opening Bids ( Quick Tricks )

PITBULLS:

One of the most important facets of hand evaluation is determining whether you have an opening bid. Again controls should be the deciding factor whether a hand should be opened not totaling HCP’s. The club series defines an opening bid as 13 HCP with 2 ½ defensive tricks. Defensive tricks are controls or combinations that can become tricks 50 % of the time. KQ or AQ combinations bring in the concept of ½ defensive tricks as they depend on the location of outstanding honours. With distribution or a nice suit, you can deviate from the strict standard of 2 ½ defensive tricks as there is a tactical advantage of “firing the first shot” & opening. However , keep defensive tricks in mind, even with those hands. ♠AKxxx ♥Kxxxx ♦xx ♣x is an opener & ♠QJxxx ♥QJxxx ♦Ax ♣x is not an opener due to a lack of defensive tricks.

Opening 11 , 12 or 13 HCP without defensive tricks is very poor Bridge. You deceive partner who has geared her Bridge judgment to the expectation that an opening bid holds the minimum requirement of controls. Game bidding , competing , slam bidding and penalty doubles are all “thrown off” when you make these semi-psyches as I call them. For an opening bid , you are not just a mere Abacus & count your beads so if they come to 11 ,12 or 13 it’s an opening bid . You must evaluate your hand & if it holds the requisite number of controls , it becomes an opening bid.

Location , location & location are the 3 most important factors in real estate. Also , opening bids follow the same location guidelines. Are you HCP’s unsupported ? Are they located in your long suits ? Are they in quick trick combinations ? This thinking is opening bid hand evaluation. ♠KJ ♥QJ ♦QJxx ♣QJxxx this hand is 13 HCP but is nowhere close to an opening bid. ½ a quick trick , values in short suits & overall barely a response , let alone an opening bid. A well known vocal local player once told me that BJ Trelford passed 13 HCP playing with him. He was incredulous ! I can only construct approx 250,000 13 HCP hands that I would not open. Yet , I would open some 10 HCP hands in a flash. HCP’s are only one of many hand evaluation indicators for an opening bid , not the only one. Do not be a slave to the HCP system for your opening bids.

Playing with a tormentee we got into trouble because of a non opening bid in 1^st seat. Contrast these two 11 HCP hands ♠xx ♥xxx ♦Axx ♣AKxxx and ♠Qx ♥xxx ♦KJx ♣AJxxx . One of these 11 HCP hands is an opening bid & the other one is not even close. Why ? One has controls with 3 defensive tricks but the other has only 1 ½ defensive tricks with an unsupported queen. There is no advantage to opening the 2^nd hand. If there is game , you will get to it as a passed hand. Otherwise by opening, you are deceiving partner & will probably cause her to make a wrong competitive decision.

Anyway a tormentee did open that hand above 1♣ in first seat , we got a 1♦ overcall . I bid 1NT with a flat 4-3-3-3 10 HCP ♠AJx ♥QJxx ♦Q109 ♣10xx , Judy Chapman bid 2♠ . Around to me again . Well partner opened the bidding , I cannot sell out at the two level with 10 HCP so I double. Now back to the non-opening semi psyche. To leave in the double , you must evaluate your hand again. Do I have what partner reasonably expects for my opening bid ? I am one defensive trick short for my opening bid , I only have 11 HCP with only 2 trump & partner showing only two or three trump with the 1NT bid & double. Do you convert the double ? This is not a close decision , so you pull to 2NT or 3♣ in a micro second. Anyway the tormentee left in the double so –470 resulted as the two spade bidder only held ♠Kxxxxx ♥AK ♦xx ♣Kxx a far superior opener to that of the tormentee & her partner who had overcalled . Of course 2♠ was a silly bid as 1NT should be doubled but her partner had made an “overcall” on ♠xx ♥xxxx ♦Axxxx ♣Qx , the magical 6 count was all she needed to make her doubled part score.

Opening non opening bids is a terrible lack of discipline which drives partners crazy. If you analyze disasters in a round , I would hazard a guess that the majority stem from a non opening bid in the first instance. Evaluate your hand paying attention to your defensive tricks before you open. A wise Bridge player once said “anybody can bray like a jackass” & open . An expert Bridge player has what she announces when she opens the bidding . Discipline in Bridge means having your opening bids ( quick tricks ) & not making the dreaded “semi-psyche” to fool partner.