How to Count Bids - Rules

YOU MAY NOT GIVE ANY POINTS FOR UNSUPPORTED HONORS IF THERE HAS BEEN NO BIDDING.

Supported means that:

• an ace can stand on its own
• a king needs one more card in the suit to be supported
• a queen needs either the ace or two more cards in the suit to be supported
• a jack needs either ace, small or king , small or three small to be supported
• ace, queen is sufficient to support the queen
• a singleton king is NOT SUPPORTED, AND CAN NOT BE COUNTED, nor can a doubleton queen, or a tripleton jack
• ace queen doubleton WITHOUT ANY BIDDING IS WORTH SIX

IF YOU have an unsupported honor in a suit and YOUR PARTNER BIDS THAT SUIT, you CAN NOW COUNT THE UNSUPPORTED HONOR, AND IF YOUR PARTNER BIDS A STRONG NOTRUMP, you can COUNT ALL UNSUPPORTED HONORS IN ALL SUITS.

If you have a hand holding three or more potential points in unsupported honors

other than a singleton king, suppress only two of them for your bid. You MUST NOT USE IT TO ABUSE YOUR OPENS. This addendum does NOT APPLY TO SINGLETON KINGS. IF YOUR PARTNER DOESN'T BID THAT SUIT, THAT KING REMAINS USELESS. THE ONLY REASON WE GIVE ANY POINTS TO AN HONOR IS TO QUANTIFY ITS TRICK TAKING ABILITY.

THE ACE OF A SUIT TAKES A TRICK ABOUT 4 OUT OF FOUR TIMES, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH HAND THE ACE IS IN, SO IT GETS A FOUR. THE KING WILL TAKE A TRICK THREE OUT OF FOUR TIMES. ONE OF FOUR TIMES IT WILL BE SQUARELY IN FRONT OF THE ACE AND WILL LOSE, SO IT ONLY GETS A THREE. THE QUEEN GETS TWO, THE JACK GETS ONE. BUT WE WOULD BE SILLY TO GIVE ONE POINT FOR A SINGLETON JACK

OR A SINGLETON QUEEN, OR A SINGLETON KING SINCE IN ABOUT FOUR OUT OF FOUR TIMES..it is going to be THROUGH PROMOTION OF HONORS OR PROMOTION OF CARDS. BRIDGE IS ALL ABOUT PROMOTING SMALLER CARDS. WE TRY NEVER TO PLAY A CARD UNLESS IT WILL PROMOTE A LESSER CARD. THAT IS WHY WE DON'T JUST LEAD OUT ALL OUR ACES.

THAT IS WHY WE DON'T LEAD KINGS FROM KING NOTHING IN A SUIT

IF YOU DO THAT ...you don't promote a lessor card in your hand but YOU PROMOTE OPPONENTS LESSER CARDS! THE GOREN VALUE WE GIVE CARDS takes card promotion into account.

If your partner bids a suit you are short in, YOU MUST COUNT NEGATIVE DIST. POINTS FOR THE SHORTNESS IN PARTNERS SUIT:

• minus three for a void
• minus two for a singleton
• minus one for a doubleton

AND you MUST CONTINUE TO COUNT THESE NEGATIVE POINTS UNTIL YOU AND PARTNER FIND AT LEAST AN 8 CARD FIT IN A SUIT.

YOU MAY NOT COUNT POSITIVE DISTRIBUTION POINTS UNTIL ONE OF TWO THINGS HAPPENS:

• either OPPONENT BIDS YOUR SHORT SUIT OR
• YOU AND PARTNER FIND AN 8 CARD FIT IN A SUIT

IF YOUR PARTNERSHIP FINDS AN 8 CARD FIT, you can count:

· ALL SHORT SUIT DISTRIBUTION AS POSITIVE

• THREE FOR A VOID
• TWO FOR A SINGLETON
• ONE FOR A DOUBLETON

IF AN OPPONENT BIDS, YOU MUST COUNT YOUR HAND IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS: offensively (pretending that you are playing in your or partners long suit), AND DEFENSIVELY (pretending that you are playing in opponents bid suit). You do this SO THAT YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION: IS MY HAND AN OFFENSIVE OR A DEFENSIVE HAND?

MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL

YOU MUST RECOUNT YOUR HAND each time either an opponent or your partner BIDS! BAD HANDS CAN TURN TO SUPER HANDS, AND GOOD HANDS CAN TURN BAD.

BIDDING RULES:

RULE # 1:

• IF THERE HAS BEEN NO BIDDING DO NOT COUNT UNSUPPORTED HONORS

RULE #2:

• IF THERE HAS BEEN NO BIDDING DO NOT COUNT ANY DIST. POINTS POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
• THE ONLY EXCEPTION WOULD BE TO GIVE YOURSELF ONE POINT FOR A SUIT LONGER THAN FIVE.

RULE # 3:

• IF YOUR PARTNER BIDS A SUIT YOU ARE SHORT IN YOU MUST GIVE YOURSELF NEGATIVE DIST. POINTS FOR THAT SHORTNESS:
• MINUS THREE FOR A VOID
• MINUS TWO FOR A SINGLETON
• MINUS ONE FOR A DOUBLETON
• those negative points must remain until or unless you and partner find an 8 card or longer fit in a suit

RULE # 4:

• YOU CAN COUNT UNSUPPORTED HONORS IN ANY SUIT BID BY PARTNER.
• AND IF PARTNER BIDS A STRONG NOTRUMP YOU CAN COUNT ALL UNSUPPORTED HONORS IN ALL SUITS.

RULE # 5:

• YOU MAY COUNT POSITIVE DIST. POINTS FOR SHORTNESS IN ANY SUIT BID BY THE OPPONENT
• AND IF YOU AND PARTNER FIND A FIT, you can count positive dist. points for shortness in all the other suits

RULE # 6:

YOU MUST COUNT YOUR HAND IN TWO WAYS IF YOUR OPPONENT BIDS!!!

• you count it offensively (pretending that trump is yours or your partners long suit)
• and you count it DEFENSIVELY (pretending that trump is the suit bid by the opponent)

RULE # 7:

• YOU MUST RECOUNT YOUR HAND EACH AND EVERY TIME EITHER YOUR PARTNER OR YOUR OPPONENTS BID