Responding with FIVE card suits

Here is your hand:
♠73
♥T
♦KQ986
♣AKQ73

Your Partner is Dealer and opens the bidding 1♥.

What is your bid? You are playing match points.

Show Answer

Hope everyone responded 2♦!

You have two lovely five card suits. Which one to bid first?

You might think you bid the suit with the most values in it. No. With two five card suits ALWAYS bid the HIGHER RANKING suit first.

Why?

Because later on you get to bid your lower ranking suit.

What happened at the table is this hand bid 2♣. Partner then responds 2♥.

Now what?

Now you have to bid again. So you bid 3♦.

But now if Partner likes your better ♣ than your ♦ they have to bid 4♣. You will have gone by 3NT. Plus now you show LONGER ♣ than ♦. You have the same length.

If you first respond 2♦ watch what happens. Partner will respond 2♥. But now you can rebid 3♣. Now Partner can bid 3♦ to show a fit PLUS you will NOT have gone by 3NT which is probably the best spot to play in.