Simple Reverses

Simple Reverses?!?

Ha! There's no such thing!

Reverses are probably the toughest bid to grasp in simple Standard American.

Do you have to play Reverses? Maybe since they are so difficult you can decide NOT to play them?

Doesn't work that way. This bid is not like Stayman or Jacoby Transfers. With those bids you can say "Hey, I'm not ready to play that bid yet. Let's just keep it simple."

Nope. Can't do that. Reverses are more the equivalent to needing 10 or more HCP (High Card Points) to bid a new suit at the 2 level when Partner opens the bidding. You can decide you don't want to play that way BUT you soon come across hands that you are bidding at the 4 level before you discover you have no fit and, because you didn't follow the "10 HCP to bid a new suit at the 2 level" rule, you also do not have the high card values to fall back on.

Needing 10 or more points to bid a new suit at the 2 level keeps us safe and happy at a LOW level if we do not have the values.

It's the same for a reverse. Do NOT force Partner up to higher levels in the bidding when they might not have values and you might not have a fit. It just makes sense.

So just what is a reverse?

First you need a reminder of some basic facts about bidding. These will help you understand why reverses make sense.

Basic facts about bidding.

These are simple (relatively speaking), basic rules about bridge and if you do not know all of these then PLEASE just ignore this post. You are not ready for reverses yet! Come back to this post later. It will still be here. Waiting patiently.

Rule #1: Unbalanced hands contain either a six card suit or a five card suit and a four card suit.

You could have more than six cards in the suit for sure. You could also have a six card suit and a five card suit or a five card suit and another five card suit. But the minimum holding to be unbalanced is either a six card suit OR a five card suit and a four card suit.

Rule #2: Players will bid their five card suit before bidding their four card suit (if they can).

Sometimes you do not have the points required to bid your longest suit first. That is okay. We can ignore that.

Rule #3: Players with equal length of five or more in two suits will ALWAYS bid the HIGHER ranking suit first.

For the most part, no one cares that one suit is "better" than the other.

Rule #4: Responder with a four card major will bid that major at the 1 level before bidding 1NT.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT

Responder would have bid 1♥ if they had four ♥.

Responder would have bid 1♠ if they had four ♠.

Therefore Responder does NOT have a four card major.

Rule #5: Responder will bid four card major suits up the line.

This means that if Opener opens 1 of a minor, Responder (with two four card majors) will bid 1♥ before bidding 1♠.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1♥

In the above auction Responder is showing a four (or more) card ♥ suit. They do NOT deny having four ♠.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1♠

In the above auction Responder is showing a four (or more) card ♠ suit. They do NOT deny having four ♥ however IF they do have four ♥ then they MUST have LONGER ♠ because with four ♥ and four ♠ they would have bid their ♥ first.

Rule #6: Balanced hands with no room to bid a major at the 1 level will rebid NT.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1♠
1NT

Opener has a balanced hand with no fit for Responder's ♠ suit. Opener COULD have four ♥ but IF the partnership has a four-four ♥ fit then Responder MUST have at least five ♠. If Responder has five ♠ and four ♥ they are unbalanced and will take Opener out of the NT by bidding either 2♥ or 3♥. (Rule #8)

Rule #7: Unbalanced hands will not rebid NT.

Opener	Responder
1♥	1♠
2♦

Opener is UNBALANCED. They should have at least five ♥ and at least four ♦. They did not rebid 1NT because they are unbalanced.

Rule #8: Unbalanced hands will take Partner out of NT if they bid it.

Opener	Responder
1♠	1NT
2♥

Opener is UNBALANCED. They should have at least five ♠ and at least four ♥. They are taking Responder OUT of the NT because they are unbalanced.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1♠
1NT	2♥

Responder is UNBALANCED. They should have at least five ♠ and at least four ♥. They are taking Opener OUT of the NT because they are unbalanced.

That's quite a few rules! If all these rules make sense to you, you may be ready for reverses.

Let's look at some reverses.

Either Opener or Responder can make a reverse.

To start off simple we will look at a Reverse by Opener.

Auction 1:

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♠

Opener has just made a reverse. They should have a BIG, UNBALANCED hand.

How do I know this?

For one thing they MUST be unbalanced. Responder has bid 1NT and Opener is taking them OUT of the NT to play in a suit. Opener must be unbalanced to do that.

So if Opener is unbalanced they must have either a six card suit OR a five card suit and a four card suit. Since Opener is bidding two suits they should have at least five cards in one suit and four cards in the other. They could have more cards in both suits of course.

Opener would always bid their LONGEST suit first so if Opener had five ♠ and four ♦ they would have opened the bidding 1♠.

Since Opener bid the ♦ first they must have five ♦ and four ♠.

This all makes sense. But WHY should Opener have a BIG hand? Why can't they just have a minimum opener?

First of all listen to what Responder is saying. They didn't just say "1NT". In fact what they said was "I do NOT have four ♥ and I do NOT have four ♠. I do have about 6 to 10 HCP." Responder does NOT have any kind of ♠ fit. They don't or they would have bid 1♠. So now Responder is basically being forced to return to Opener's first suit -- ♦. To make it even worse, at what level does Responder now have to bid? The 3 level. Opener is FORCING Responder to the 3 level when Responder could have only 6 HCP.

Responder could have this hand:
♠Q94
♥842
♦K83
♣J652

Responder must return to the ♦ suit and bid 3♦ since Opener's last bid was 2♠.

The partnership is now at the THREE level and Responder only has 6 HCP. If Opener is only minimum this partnership could be in trouble. Plus the partnership did not have to get so high. Opener KNEW that Responder did not have four ♠. Why suggest that suit KNOWING Responder does not have four?

Opener MUST have a big hand for this.

I know that some readers are thinking, "But why, Heidi, why? If you are unbalanced aren't you supposed to take Partner out of the NT and bid your other suit? Aren't we forced to do this?"

Yes, we are supposed to take Partner out of NT BUT we are NOT forced to bid a suit that Partner already said they didn't want to play in. We can always just rebid our five card suit.

So if I have this hand:
♠K832
♥K3
♦AQJ74
♣76

I do something different.

I open the bidding 1♦ and when Partner responds 1NT I think. "Hmmmmm. Partner does NOT have four ♠. We do NOT have a fit there. But I am unbalanced. I'd better rebid my ♦ suit. It might be safer to play there instead of in 1NT."

Partner will now "Pass" and we are at the 2 level verses the 3 level with minimum values.

If that is not clear to you please read it over and over again until it is. This is a basic reverse and they just get tougher.

Let's look at some examples:

Opener	Responder
1♣	1NT
2♠

Here is another reverse. Responder said "I do NOT have four ♠ and I have a weak hand." For Responder to go back to Opener's original suit they would have to bid at the THREE level -- 3♣.

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♥

Here is another reverse. Responder said "I do NOT have four ♥ and I have a weak hand." For Responder to go back to Opener's original suit they would have to bid at the THREE level -- 3♦.

Let's work this in with what we already know. When Opener bids a suit that is LOWER ranking than their original opening suit at the 2 level this shows MINIMUM values. Check out this post to remind you:
Opener rebids with a FIVE and FOUR card suit

When Opener rebids their original suit at the 2 level this also shows just a minimum hand with something extra in the suit. Check out these posts to remind you:
Rebidding your original suit - Hearts
Rebidding your original suit - Spades
Rebidding your original suit - Diamonds

However when Opener bids a suit at the 2 level (without jumping) that Responder has already said they don't have in the auction and therefore FORCING Responder to go back to Opener's original suit at the 3 level this is a REVERSE showing a BIG, UNBALANCED hand.

Let's practice. That's always fun.

For the following auctions tell me just what EXACTLY Opener has. Big hand? Minimum hand? How many in each suit they mentioned. Plus IS their bid a REVERSE?

Hand 1

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♥

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♥ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 2

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♥	1NT
2♦

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♦ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 3

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♥	1NT
2♠

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♠ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 4

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♣	1NT
2♣

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♣ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 5

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♦

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♦ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 6

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♣	1NT
2♠

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♠ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 7

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♥	1NT
2♣

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♣ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 8

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♠	1NT
2♣

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♣ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 9

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♠	1NT
2♦

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♦ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 10

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♣	1NT
2♥

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♥ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 11

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♣

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♣ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 12

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♠	1NT
2♠

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♠ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 13

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♦	1NT
2♠

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♠ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 14

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♥	1NT
2♥

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♥ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?



Hand 15

This is the auction:

Opener	Responder
1♠	1NT
2♥

Is Opener’s rebid of 2♥ a reverse? Just what does Opener have?