OK, you need to set a contract. Preferably 3NT (9 tricks), 6NT (12 tricks), or 7NT (13 tricks) — they pay more. But imagine you have these cards in South:
Your hand in South
How do you know what to bid? You could say '3NT' for example, and then get slammed because you didn't have nearly enough to make it!
Here's the thing. Estimate your hand by assigning these points to your high cards:
Ace | 4 honor points (4 H) |
King | 3 honor points (3 H) |
Queen | 2 honor points (2 H) |
Jack | 1 honor point (1 H) |
What's with that weird name, 'honor points'?
Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks are called 'honors' in bridge. Hence 'honor points'. There you go.
How many honor points do you count?
By studying many deals, it was found that you need in your side:
- at least 25 H to make 3NT (9 tricks)
- at least 33 H to make 6NT (12 tricks)
- at least 37 H to make 7NT (13 tricks)
You have 18 H and your partner has 16 H. What's the best contract to bid?
A plan for what?
Here's my trick for making a 'play plan' at the start of a deal, that is, calculating your strategy.
- Calculate your sure tricks, suit by suit.
- Stay alert to the tricks opponents can take quickly.
- Use the techniques you'll discover along the way to get the missing tricks.
At 3NT, you count two sure tricks in Spades, three in Hearts, one in Diamonds, and none in Clubs. How many additional tricks must you build?
Go! On these deals, you see your hand (in South) and you have info about your partner's hand in North. Add up the honor points in your side, find the right contract, and make it!
Deal 1 Deal 2Your progress
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