IMP and MP Bidding

Scoring

The partial game score is always fifty, and each trick score is 20 for a minor - 30 for a major and 30 for notrump, but 40 for the first trick in notrump. You get bonus points for any game bid and made and further bonuses for any slam bid and made.

Pyramid of Bids

The top of the pyramid is ANY SEVEN BID.
NEXT DOWN IS THE BID OF SIX NOTRUMP
Next down is the bid of six of any suit
Next down is the bid of THREE NOTRUMP
NEXT DOWN IS THE BID OF FOUR OF A MAJOR
Next down is the bid of five of a minor
NEXT DOWN IS THE BID OF A PARTIAL IN NOTRUMP, preferably 1 NT
NEXT DOWN IS A PARTIAL IN A MAJOR
AND LAST IN THE PYRAMID IS THE BID OF A PARTIAL IN A MINOR

Matchpoint

IN MATCHPOINT PLAY, you must follow this PYRAMID. Matchpoint means that YOU AND SAY NINE OTHER PAIRS ARE ALL PLAYING THE SAME BOARDS THE SAME WAY. IN OTHER WORDS THERE WILL BE 10 RESULTS. Let’s say that on Board One, ALL 10 PAIRS BID FOUR SPADES, AND ONLY YOU MAKE FIVE. THE OTHER NINE PAIRS BID AND MAKE 10, BUT YOU MAKE 11 TRICKS. YOU HAVE JUST MADE A TOP BOARD SINCE ALL SCORES WILL BE THE SAME EXCEPT YOURS WHICH WILL BE ONLY 30 POINTS HIGHER. FOR THAT OVERTRICK, you will score a bid of nine…meaning you beat nine out of nine teams which translates to 100 percent since you beat all the other pairs. This is matchpoint scoring. It simply means how you did in relation to the other pairs…with a straight comparison of scores. You COULD HAVE BEAT ALL THE OTHER PAIRS BY 1000 POINTS AND STILL ONLY RECEIVE THE SAME 100 PERCENT

INSTEAD OF BIDDING FOUR AND MAKING FIVE, YOU COULD HAVE BID SEVEN AND MADE SEVEN, FOR AT LEAST A 1200 POINT BETTER SCORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. BUT ONE MORE POINT IS JUST AS GOOD AS 1200 MORE POINTS IN Matchpoints. EVERY LITTLE OVERTRICK IS IMPORTANT since every little extra point is important in MATCHPOINTS. For that reason, it should be obvious to you that the PYRAMID IS VERY IMPORTANT.

IMPS

In Imps... it is just the opposite to a certain extent, since in IMP scoring, t is the AMOUNT OF YOUR POINTS THAT DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF IMPS.

EXAMPLE..

Using the same result as above, you and those nine folks all bid game in spades, and you made 11, whereas they all made 10. In that case, you would receive 1 imp for that and they would receive 0 imps. That is still a win of the board for you but only a tiny one. Let’s say instead the other nine pairs all bid three spades making four for a total of 170, but you and partner bid four making four for a total of say 620 since you were vulnerable. This is a difference of 450 that would be worth about 13 Imps.

We must look at things a BIT DIFFERENT FOR IMPS. IN IMPS, IT IS NOT THE TRICK SCORES THAT WILL MEAN MUCH, IT IS THE BONUSES FOR GAME AND FOR SLAM THAT MEAN EVERYTHING. SO... NOW WE MUST COME UP WITH A NEW PYRAMID OF CONTRACTS FOR IMPS:

THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID REMAINS THE SAME - ANY SEVEN BID
THE NEXT LEVEL IS NOW - ANY SIX BID
THE NEXT LEVEL IS NOW - ANY GAME INCLUDING NOTRUMP
THE NEXT LEVEL IS NOW - ANY PARTIAL INCLUDING NOTRUMP

THE IMPORTANT THING IN IMPS IS TO GET TO ANY BONUS LEVEL AND make your contract ANY WAY YOU CAN. Don’t bother with overtricks, just make the contract. Set the opponents if possible. If you have a choice between a safe 3 clubs and a shaky Notrump, pick the safe 3 clubs.

NOW IF YOU DO THIS, you will find yourself getting imp scores like 1 ‑2 ‑1 ‑1 -.4, but then all of a sudden you will get this score: + 12, and that one score will make up for a lot of minus ones in matchpoints. The score of 100% will not make up for a lot of 45%. In Matchpoints, every overtrick counts, every overtrick counts, every defensive trick counts. YOU SHOULD NOT RISK TWO OR THREE DEFENSIVE TRICKS TO GAMBLE ON A LONG SHOT SET OF THE OPPONENTS CONTRACT. YOU SHOULD RISK AN OCCASIONAL CONTRACT TO TRY FOR AN OVERTRICK. The wonderful thing about Disciplined Standard American or KS is that you do not have to do a lot of adjusting, BUT YOU DO HAVE TO KEEP THOSE DIFFERENCES IN THE PYRAMID IN MIND.

IF PLAYING IMPS - GET TO GAME WITH 24 OR MORE POINTS
IF PLAYING IMPS - ALWAYS PICK THE SAFE GAME CONTRACT
IF PLAYING IMPS DO ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO DO TO SET THE OPPONENTS CONTRACT
IF PLAYING MATCHPOINT...IF THE GAME IS HOPELESS...DO NOT GO DOWN ANY MORE TRICKS THAN YOU HAVE TO SINCE IT WILL ALSO BE HOPELESS FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
IF PLAYING MATCHPOINT, YOU MUST TAKE EVERY DAMN TRICK YOU CAN EVEN IF YOU ALREADY HAVE TWO OVERTRICKS....IS THERE A THIRD ONE??
IF PLAYING MATCHPOINT DON’T THROW AWAY DEFENSIVE TRICKS TRYING TO SET A CONTRACT THAT CAN NOT BE SET

Remember that vulnerability plays an even BIGGER ROLE IN IMPS THAN IN MATCHPOINTS SINCE THOSE EXTRA POINTS FOR VULNERABILITY WILL COUNT IN THE RESULT.

Are there any occasions when opener/responder makes a jump shift to show points?

In Disciplined Standard American and in Kaplan‑Sheinwold, the jump shift into a suit...a new suit is NEVER DONE TO SHOW POINTS.

Example 1: 1 heart by you.....pass...two clubs by partner...three spades by you. This jump shift into a second suit by you shows from 11‑17 HCPs and a true two suiter in hearts and spades

Example 2: 1 heart by partner...pass…TWO SPADES BY YOU. THIS JUMP SHIFT BY YOU SHOWS: 0‑7 hcps, A SINGLETON OR VOID IN HEARTS, SIX + SPADES AND NO MORE THAN 1 OF THE TOP THREE HONORS IN SPADES

EXAMPLE 3: 1 HEART BY YOU...PASS...1 SPADE BY PARTNER...PASS…TWO NOTRUMP BY YOU. THIS JUMP IN NOTRUMP SHOWS: 16‑18 hcps ASKING FOR GAME IN NOTRUMP.

EXAMPLE 4: 1 HEART BY YOU…PASS...1 SPADE BY PARTNER...PASS...THREE SPADES BY YOU. This shows 16‑18 POINTS AND GOOD SPADE SUPPORT ASKING PARTNER FOR GAME IN SPADES. THE JUMPS IN PARTNER’S SUIT AND NOTRUMP SHOW EXTRA VALUES AND ARE ASKING PARTNER IF SHE WISHES TO BID GAME

BUT JUMP SHIFTS INTO NEW SUITS ARE ALWAYS WEAKER SHAPE SHOWING BIDS.