Respond!

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠J5
♥KJ6
♦A873
♣A732

Partner opens the bidding 1♦. Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass".

What is your call?

Show Answer

I'm good with a few bids.

3NT is an acceptable bid but I might be worried about that ♠ suit. Just because your RHO said "Pass" doesn't mean that your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) doesn't have ♠ and they will be the one leading to 3NT! However it does show your point count and you do get to a game. Both 1NT and 2NT can be passed.

Probably the best bid is 2♣. This is just a forcing bid that shows at least 10 HCP (High Card Points) and forces your Partner to bid again.

If you bid 2♣ Partner will bid 2NT and you can raise to 3NT.

If you had bid 3NT Partner does have the ♠ stopped so you will have reached the best contract.

If you bid either 1NT or 2NT Partner will "Pass" and you will have missed a game! 10 tricks are available in NT.

Opener Rebids

Playing matchpoints. You are not vulnerable and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AJ32
♥3
♦AQ965
♣K87

You are Dealer and decide to open the bidding 1♦. Partner responds 1♠. The Opponents are not bidding. What is your call over 1♠?

Show Answer

Bid 3♠. This shows a 17 or 18 points (good 16) with four ♠.

You have 14 HCP (High Card Points) and 3 DUMMY points (you will be Dummy!) so that is a NICE hand! You need to bid more than just 2♠.

What do you respond?

Playing matchpoints. Neither you nor the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AQ962
♥AQJ98
♦K
♣92

Partner opens the bidding 1♦. The Opponents are silent during the auction. What is your call?

Show Answer

1♠

With two FIVE card suits you bid the HIGHER ranking one first.

With two FOUR card suits bid them up the line. (The one next in line in the bidding ladder.)

An Overcall

Playing matchpoints. You are NOT vulnerable and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AQ7
♥986
♦AJ93
♣KT3

Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♣. Partner says "Pass" and your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass".

What is your call?

Show Answer

1NT

This shows about 12 to 14 points ONLY because you are in the BALANCING position.

If you "Pass" right now the auction is over. Your LHO didn't open with a strong 2♣ bid and your RHO could not bid at all. Your PARTNER must have some values but they just couldn't make a bid.

If you "Pass" 1♣ the Opponents will just take 7 tricks. That's 70 points for them.

If you bid 1NT you will play it there and take 8 tricks. That's 120 points for you!

Rebids by Opener

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠J9
♥AKJ3
♦AK8
♣K542

You are Dealer. You decide to open the bidding 1♣. Both Opponents are silent throughout the auction. Partner says 1♥.

What is your call?

Show Answer

4♥.

This shows about 19-21 points with four ♥.

You could also bid 2NT to show a balanced 18 or 19 point hand. But that would DENY having ♥ support. Which you have.

If Partner had responded 1♠ your bid would be 2NT.

Rebids by Opener

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠3
♥AJ53
♦AK9
♣AQ983

You are Dealer. You decide to open the bidding 1♣. Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) says "Pass", Partner says "Pass" and your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) bids 1♠.

What is your call?

Show Answer

How about "Double"?

In this auction it is still essentially the same as a "Take Out Double". It basically means "BID something Partner, because I have some stuff I haven't showed you but I don't know what to do!"

You could also make a reverse -- bid 2♥. This would show a strong, unbalanced hand -- which is what you have. But you ALSO have support for a long ♦ suit Partner might have.

Doubling gives Partner more choices. Everyone loves to be given a choice. It still shows a strong hand (with a weaker hand you would just "Pass") but now you are saying you can support anything BUT ♠. You want to play in PARTNER's longest suit.

Turns out Partner has a WEAK hand (obviously, they did "Pass" your opening bid!) with SIX ♦.

If you Double (and are aggressive enough in the bidding!) you can bid (and MAKE!) 5♦! That's game!

If you reverse, you will find your ♣ fit but you can only take 10 tricks if ♣ are trump. That's not enough for a game.

Rebids by Opener

Playing matchpoints. Neither you nor the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AJ6
♥Q53
♦AK7
♣A952

You are Dealer. You decide to open the bidding 1♣ because you are too strong to open the bidding 1NT. (You play 15 to 17 NT's.)

Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) says "Pass" and your Partner says "Pass"! Luckily your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) now bids "Double".

What is your call?

Show Answer

1NT.

This shows a BALANCED hand with 18 or 19 High Card Points. Perfect!

Now NORMALLY you would have to jump to 2NT to show a balanced hand with 18 or 19 points. That is if Partner had responded to your opening bid. You could NOT rebid 1NT since that would show a balanced, MINIMUM hand with less than 15 HCP. So you would have to jump to 2NT to show a balanced hand with 18 or 19 HCP. (Not enough to open 2NT but too much to open 1NT.)

However in THIS auction Partner passed. They do not have enough points to respond to your opening bid. That means they do not have 6 HCP or even a good 5 HCP. They've got NOTHING! So with a MINIMUM hand you would just "PASS" and stay out of trouble!

What to Open?

Playing matchpoints. You are not vulnerable and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AJT9862
♥7
♦843
♣K3

You are Dealer. What is your call?

Show Answer

3♠.

This tells Partner you have about 6 to 10 points and SEVEN ♠.

Bidding 2♠ would show the same point count with SIX ♠.

Responding to a Strong 2 Club bid

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠743
♥96
♦8432
♣9542

Partner opens the bidding 2♣. You play a STRONG 2♣. This is an artificial bid saying "I am strong Partner!" The Opponents are silent throughout the auction. You bid 2♦ which is just a waiting bid. Shows zero or more points and just asks Partner to tell you just WHY they have such a strong hand.

Partner now bids 2♥. This says "I opened 2♣ because I have SUCH a strong ♥ suit I was sure we'd miss a game if I opened it 1♥ and you didn't have enough points to respond. So since I'd HATE it if you passed, I opened 2♣ to make sure you didn't!"

What is your call?

Show Answer

If you can make a second negative bid to show Partner you have absolutely NOTHING in your hand that's a good bid. But that's a little advanced for this blog so I'm going to ignore that bid. (Unless you know it and bid it -- good job!)

So for those who don't have that second negative bid in their bidding arsenal, this is a tough one but I'd suck it up and raise ♥.

But honestly I am good with almost ANY bid but PASS. You CANNOT PASS Partner's 2♥ bid! They opened 2♣ to make sure you WOULDN'T "Pass" them when they showed their ♥ suit! If they were okay with you passing when they bid their ♥ suit they would have opened 1♥.

Since you MUST take a call over 2♥ you have limited options. You can't bid another suit. You don't have another suit.

You hate to bid 2NT because if the hand should be played in NT then you want PARTNER to be the one playing it. Besides you have no tricks in any suit and Partner does not guarantee any either. Sure they have a strong hand but they don't have to have any values in the ♠ suit for example.

So since I can't bid another suit and I don't want to bid NT I'm going to raise Partner's suit even with only two. Maybe they have six in their suit. Who knows?

P.S. On this particular hand Partner has:
♠KQT
♥AKQT3
♦AKQ5
♣7

They take 11 tricks in ♥ (even on their 5-2 fit) but only 8 tricks in NT. (The Opponents take four ♣ and the A♠.)