Opening One

Opening One-Of-A-Suit Bids

Rev: August 21, 2001

Back to Treatments Back to Bridge Home

1. Opening a Suit in 1st and 2nd Seat

1.1 Requirements

1.1.2 Shape

Playing "Five-Card Majors" and holding a hand with opening values and lacking a major suit with five or more cards you open the bidding with a minor suit even if holding only three cards.

Holding a shape of:

	3/4/3/3.....always open 1C if not playing "Better Minor", otherwise bid the minor suit with the better cards.
	4/4/3/2.....open 1D
	4/4/2/3.....open 1C

1.1.2 Strength

Most top players are aggressive when opening with a suit.

Use the “Rule of 20” when opening:

Count your honor-card points then add to this the total number of cards in your two longest suits; if this total is at least 20 then open the bidding.

With Axxx AQxxxx xxx x.....open 1H.

With Kx QJxx AJxxx xx.....open 1D.

Discount points if holding no aces and missing 10’s and 9’s.

With Kx Kxxx Kx Kxxx.....pass.

With x KQT9 KJT QT9xx.....open 1C

Discount unguarded honors like Qx. Discount if points come from a lot of loose Queens and Jacks.

With Jx Qx Qxxxx AQxx.....pass

2. Opening a Suit in 3rd and 4th Seat

Weak hands of 10 to a “bad” 12 HCP should be opened in third or fourth seat except for fourth-seat restrictions listed below.

2.1 3rd Seat Bids:

Open all hands that qualify under the "Rule of 20" as would be opened in the 1st or 2nd seat. If the hand doesn't qualify then consider opening with a "weak" hand:

	Weak hands of 10 to a “bad” 12 HCP should open in third seat.
	You may open a 4-card major if you have 2 of the top 3 honors (don’t do this if you have a full opening hand).
	You may open a weak two-bid with a 5-card major containing 3 of the top 4 honors. Don’t do this if you have a full opening bid. [Your convention card should indicate that weak-twos in the third seat may have only five cards.]

2.2 4th Seat Bids:

Weak hands of 10 to a “bad” 12 HCP should open in fourth seat except for restrictions listed below.

The spade suit is always a consideration when determining if you should open light in the fourth seat. Spades are not a consideration when opening light in the third seat.

	Use the Pierson Count to determine if you should open with a light hand. Count your HCP and add one point for each spade in your hand. If your total is at least 15 points then open with your light hand - otherwise pass. If you don’t have to have a spade-suit opener under this situation, any biddable suit is proper if you count 15+ Pierson points.
	You may open a 4-card major if you have 2 of top 3 honors Don’t do this if you have a full opening hand. [Your convention card should indicate 4-card majors are sometimes opened in the third and fourth seat.]
	A two-bid in the fourth seat is not weak, it shows an intermediate hand (10-14 HCP) that would have opened at the one level in the first or second seat. You will usually have a 6-card suit (rarely a good 5-card suit).

2.3 Responder’s Bids to 3rd & 4th Seat opening bids of a major suit:

To determine if a 3rd or 4th seat opening bid of 1H or 1S is a full opener or weak opener the responder may use the "Reverse Drury" convention. 2C is a limit raise with 4-card support or a very good 3-card support. The "2-Way Reverse Drury" convention distinguishes between 3- and 4-card support.