Lawrence on Bidding
The tips listed below are taken from Mike Lawrence's excellent Computer Program " Counting at Bridge".
1) Winning bridge is busy bridge. The more (often) you bid, the better you will do. Make all bids with an air of confidence. Keep all your concerns from your opponents.
2) Keep the vulnerability in mind when you make a risky bid. (Ed. note - notice that he does not say never make a risky bid. Winning match point strategy often entails some risk. You must be willing to suffer an occasional disaster in order to get a large number of good results. Risk must be evaluated in terms of probabilities. A bid that will fail 30% of the time will succeed 70% of the time. This is winning strategy).
3) Playing match points, bidding close games is not good strategy. Playing IMP's, bidding close games is good strategy. (Ed. note - One thing I have noticed in our local games is that many players use the IMP strategy in match point games. So, in order to stay with the field, it may sometimes be right to stretch to game - especially to 3NT).
4) When you have a weak hand with 4 cards in partner's major and a void , it is usually right to go to four regardless of the rest of your hand.
5) Immediate limit raises require 4 trumps. (Ed. note - the importance of having 4 card support rather than only 3 card can't be over stated).
6) When partner opens a weak two, if you have 4 trumps and a singleton, go immediately to the 4 level. (Ed. note - notice the 4 card support requirement).
7) A preemptive jump raise of your partner's overcall shows four card trump support, good shape (usually a singleton) and few high cards. (Ed. note - same as no. 6).
8) Opener should often raise responder's major suit response with only 3 trumps. (Ed. note - many players require 4 card support to raise. This is old fashioned thinking and often results in missing the right contract).
9) When partner opens 1C, respond 1H with 4 hearts and 4 or 5 (or 6) diamonds unless you have 12 or more points, bypassing the diamond suit. (Ed. note - Are you listening, Val?).
10) Rules for opening weak two bids:a) Do not open a weak two bid with a void.
b) Do not open a weak two bid with a side 4 card major.
c) Always have a 6-card suit in first or second position.
(Ed. note - many good players today do not adhere to these guide lines. The philosophy is that the weak two bid is almost entirely an obstructive preemptive bid, and they are willing to risk occasionally missing the best contract, which the above guide lines are intended to prevent).
11) When considering making a preemptive bid, don't be overly concerned with safety. It is too conservative to adhere to the Rule of 2 and 3 when making preemptive opening bids. If you have a good suit and less than an opening bid or an overcall, consider making a preempt.
12) When deciding between an overcall and a take-out double, overcall if you have a 5-card major suit and less than 17 HCP. Making a takeout double when you hold a biddable 5-card major suit is one of the biggest crimes in competitive bridge.
13) When partner makes an overcall, it is extremely important to raise with 3-card support or better with bare minimum strength, in order to show the fit. Partner may be able to carry on if he knows there is a fit.
14) When the opponents have bid and raised a suit, the worst holding you can have is a doubleton. Partner may also have a doubleton, making any distributional points you have worthless.
15) When an Opponent's preempt forces you to bid a game or pass, you can afford to bid aggressively. This is because you get a game bonus if you succeed. If an Opponent's preempt forces you to bid a part-score or pass, you should be cautious about bidding.
16) When your opponents have made a pre-emptive bid, the Rule of Seven says to assume that Partner has 7 average points and some kind of fit, and then bid accordingly . Make a takeout double or overcall if that seems safe, given partner's "7" points.
17) If your RHO opens with a 3 level preempt and you are thinking of bidding a minor suit at the four level, consider bidding 3NT instead (if you have a stopper in their suit).
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