Home > Tutorial > Bidding > Opener's first bid > Unexciting unbalanced hands
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| Odds and Ends |
- Bidding is all about
- teamwork and
- bonding with your partner.
Opening with unbalanced hands with less than eight playing tricks or, say, less than twenty points.
If you don't understand the concept of 'playing tricks', don't worry, this will be explained in due course. If you're very keen, you can find it here. This page deals with unbalanced hands of 'normal' size ---roughly less than twenty points, although we shall see later that this is not the best way of evaluating them.
Note that hands of 4-4-4-1 shape are dealt with on a separate page.
By definition, unbalanced hands have at least one long suit and shortages. Normal considerations will apply for choice of suit to bid first. Take into account your likely rebid, which may be in the same suit or may be in a second suit. With a strongish hand ( 16+ ), aim to wake partner up with your second bid by jumping one level.
Note that you can often justify an opening bid with an unbalanced hand that is below the normal twelve points by application of the rule of nineteen (See here)
| S K | A likely auction will be 1H-1S-2D.You will pass any further bid from partner. |
| H A9632 | |
| D K9632 | |
| C J2 |
| S K | With 4 points more than the hand above, your second bid should be 3D not 2D. |
| H AQ632 | |
| D KQ963 | |
| C J2 |
| S K | If partner bids clubs, and opponents bid spades, downgrade the above hand and rebid only 2D. If opponents bid diamonds, rebid two hearts. |
| H AQ632 | |
| D KQ963 | |
| C J2 |
| S 65 | With a weak hand, you cannot afford to open 1H ( no rebid over 2D ) and must bid 1C. If partner bids diamonds you can show your hearts. |
| H K432 | |
| D Q2 | |
| C AK432 |
| S 65 | If opponents intervene with 1S after your 1C, you are not strong enough for 2H and must rebid 2C. |
| H K432 | |
| D Q2 | |
| C AK432 |
| S A5 | With an extra Ace for the two hands above, you can afford to open 1H and, if forced, rebid 3C. |
| H K432 | |
| D Q2 | |
| C AK432 |
| S 3 | With only one suit, a 1H opener followed by 2H is sensible. Intervention by opponents is unlikely to stop you bidding here. |
| H AKQ432 | |
| D K32 | |
| C 432 |
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