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Home > Bidding > Conventions > Gerber
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Gerber
This is an ace-asking bid, usually employed when the partnership is thinking of a slam. It is an alternative to Blackwood. It was designed by an American manufacturer, John Gerber, born in 1906 and a leading American player and personality.
4 clubs is the Gerber bid which asks for aces. Because this keeps the auction lower than the Blackwood 4NT, many players prefer it. For example, the problems we have with Blackwood of going too far with the wrong response or finding a way of signing off in 5NT, are unlikely to occur if you are using Gerber. However, because it is a bid which may be needed in a normal auction, it can be a source of confusion. I have gone six off in 7NT using Gerber with a strange partner---mark you, he was strange.
Responses are usually:-
- 4 diamonds---no aces or 4 aces
- 4 hearts---one ace
- 4 spades---two aces
- 4 no-trumps---three aces
5 clubs then asks for kings with the same pattern of responses. Some partnerships prefer the Roman Blackwood style of responses ie
- 4 diamonds---0 or 3
- 4 hearts---1 or 4
- 4 spades---2
You must make sure that you know which system of responses you are using!
Blackwood and Gerber can be used together if 4 clubs is restricted to a sequence only involving no-trumps ie 1NT-4C or 2NT-4C. Personally I greatly prefer this approach.
Variations in Gerber can involve 4C being ace-asking always or ace-asking unless clubs have previously been bid genuinely (ie not in a conventional way). Some players like sliding or slipping Gerber when it comes to kings ie in the sequence 4C-4H-4S, as 4S is the next bid available, it would be asking for kings unless spades is the agreed suit, in which case this would be a sign-off.
If you are new to ace-asking, my advice would be to use simple Blackwood on its own for a year or so. Then adopt Gerber only in no-trump sequences (1NT-4C or 2NT-4C ) which will allow you to adopt 1NT-4NT as quantitative (see the bottom of this page). Further variations can be adopted as you get older and wiser.
