2007-11-11 04:32
Hand Evaluation - Purpose of Bidding ( Patterns )
PITBULLS:
The purpose of bidding is to describe one of
the 39 hand patterns
that exist along with your HCP strength to partner. Partner ,
now with your input , contracts for a partial , game or slam in the appropriate
strain. You may also double the opponents , XX or
just pass. You make bids with a purpose to achieve these goals & remain
disciplined so that bidding works properly.
Beginning
players have difficulty with the basic idea of bidding. They bid when they
should be passing & they pass when they should be bidding. They bid when
they should be doubling for penalty & double
for penalty when they should be bidding. They paint a wrong picture of their hand
pattern & strength due to lack of bidding
discipline so end up in the wrong contract at the wrong level. They
do not recognize what the opponents are doing
so wander into misfit auctions. They bid with defensive hands when the opponents own the auction. They do
not recognize when they own the auction or when they have the balance of power.
The language & purpose of bidding confuses them.
Bridge teachers know that
beginning players have no hand
evaluation skills & no Bridge judgment developed yet. Therefore , they translate
their own hand evaluation skills & judgment into HCP’s & systems. Beginners are taught rote rules with HCP’s to substitute for their lack of judgment
& hand evaluation skills.
Beginners
play a system but do not use it properly
when it is appropriate. Like a golf club in a bag ,
they choose the wrong club for
the particular bid so the shot ends up in the water or the sand trap. There are
billions of Bridge hands , so it is impossible to memorize 1 billion rules to handle each &
every hand. The answer to this Bridge dilemma is Bridge logic.
Bridge
logic is based on hand evaluation , judgment & plain
deductive reasoning. We use hand patterns
& the fact that there are only 40 HCP’s
in the deck to assist our Bridge
logic. We use the logic that all HCP’s
are not created equal. Controls are better cards than queens
& jacks. Some hand patterns
are better than others. Distributional hands have far better trick taking
potential than balanced hands. Quality & length of suits should be
emphasized. Bridge logic is based on playing the vulnerability or
if partner is a passed hand. Discipline is needed
to eliminate ambiguity to allow Bridge logic to take place.
We
take care of millions of Bridge hands by the Bridge logic of describing balanced hands with some number of NT. This is an excellent starting point. We
can show many patterns with a good single suit by jumping the bidding. We can show distribution by jumping or
very long suits by starting the auction at the 4 level. We play 5 card majors to have a
good starting point with the length of those suits. We have systemic bids to show 6 , 7 or 8 card suits.
Again this brings partner into the picture immediately. Rote rules fall by the wayside & hand evaluation skills & Bridge judgment
takes over. Rote rules with HCP’s fade into
memory or are used as a guide only.
Before
you make a bid be sure you have a
purpose
for the bid. You have ♠Axx ♥KJ ♦K10xxx
♣AQx , you are in 3rd
seat vul. All good Bridge players would evaluate this
hand as too strong to open 1NT as you are all controls with a 5 card suit.
Accordingly you decide to promote this hand to a 2NT rebid & open 1♦. Partner has a
passed hand responds 1♥ so as planned you
bid 2NT & partner bids 3♣ as a checkback.
You now have a choice of bids to describe your hand to partner. Say you have a
super maximum with a nice 5 card diamond suit ♠Axx ♥Kx ♦AJ109x ♣AQx instead of bidding 3NT to describe your doubleton heart & minimum for a 2NT bid ,
you bid 3♦. Why 3♦ ? You do not describe
your hand to a passed hand partner
& the opponents if you have just game in
mind. Bidding 3♦ with a minimum just helps the opponents & could get partners slam juices
flowing. Your 3♦ bid must have a purpose not just making a meaningless noise.
Setting
partner up for failure is another beginner tactic. ♠J987x ♥xxx ♦Kxx ♦xx
everybody vul LHO opens 1♠ , partner overcalls 2♥ & RHO bids 3♥ limit raise or
better in spades. Bidding 4♥ here is folly
although partner knows you do not have many HCP’s on the auction
, how can she read you for 5 cards in their suit. Partner decides that
tactical action is called for & bids 5♥ which goes
down. Now see what happens when you
pass. You RHO shows a minimum by biding 3♠ &
partner bids 4♣. You bid 4♥ & if the
opponents bid 4♠ , you are captain of
the auction as partner has described her hand. 4♠X goes for +500
depending on declarer play.
A Tormentee lost sight
what she was trying to accomplish in this auction
which cost her about a 24 IMP swing. She held ♠Ax
♥Axxxx ♦K10xx ♣Ax & her vul partner opened 1♣ & her nv
RHO ( Chris Buchannan ) bid 2♣ Michaels. The Tormentee
made the correct bid of double as she wants to force , double the opponents if they
bid hearts & invite partner to double spades if warranted. She has no
significant club fit so a double
is an
excellent bid. I leap to 4♠ so her partner freely vul bid 5♣
which sets the trump suit. The Tormentee now made another excellent bid. She Q bid 5♥ which forces the
hand to 6♣ & invites 7♣.
Since she bypassed diamonds , she advised partner that
she lacked the diamond Ace. All
well & good , so partner declines the grand slam invite
& signs off in 6♣. Now the bidding takes a startling turn for the
worse. The Tormentee bids 6♦ ! The Tormentee was still bidding her red suits naturally
groping for a contract oblivious to the fact that clubs were the trump suit. This contract was passed &
went 3 down vul , when 6♣ was lay down. Not everybody was getting to
6♣ so she would have won 7 IMPs instead she lost 17 IMPS for a needless
24 IMP swing !
She had lost sight of the purpose of bidding
as partner had described
her pattern to her already.
Think in patterns
for all your Bridge decisions . $#^&&%$