Hand quality does not only depend on high card points by Bobby Wolff

Hand quality does not only depend on high card points alone but also on distribution and where you have your points.

How strong do you evaluate these five hands and what do you decide to bid accordingly?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ Q 9 6
♥ K 9 6
♦ Q 8 6
♣ K 10 7 4

Q: 1 - What do you answer as South?

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	1♥	Pass
?

A: 2♥: Did you make a limit raise in hearts? I won't say this will never work, but I see more points thrown away by overbidding facing a major with a balanced 10-count than almost any other way. For your side to make game, partner must have enough to move over a constructive raise from one to two. Bear in mind that one of your queens is likely not pulling its full weight. Just bid two hearts here.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ Q 7 3
♥ K 10 3
♦ K Q 8 3
♣ A J 8

Q: 2 - What is your call as South?

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	1♣
?

A: Double: I don't want my readers to think I'm going soft, but facing a passed partner, I think it is reasonable to double rather than overcall one no-trump. With a marginal hand for the no-trump overcall, you can sensibly choose the safer action. Your extra values mean that if partner competes, he will not find dummy unexpectedly disappointing.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 8 6 3
♥ A K Q 10
♦ 5 4 3
♣ A 7 6

Q: 3 - What is your call as South?

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	1♣

A: 1♥: I would overcall one heart here, breaking my rule that one should never overcall on a four-card suit. While conscience makes cowards of us all, 100 honors tends to make us all brave, if not necessarily wise. Your best way to compete and get partner safely off to the right lead is to bid at once.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 5
♥ J 4 3 2
♦ A K J 6 5 3
♣ Q 5

Q: 4 - What do you bid next as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
1♦	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♦	Pass	2♥	Pass
?

A: It is sensible to play your partner's one-spade call as forcing for one round by an unpassed hand. So here, your partner surely has close to opening values and four hearts, or compensation in the form of extra strength. I would raise to three hearts, while secretly worrying that my partner is more likely to take eight tricks than 10 in hearts.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 7 5 2
♥ 9 7 2
♦ 9 4 2
♣ K J 7 6

Q: 5 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
Pass	1♦	Double	Redouble
?

A: Pass: There is no need to bid two clubs, the highest-ranking suit, since if partner wants to bid a major at the one-level, this might easily be the least-expensive resting place. There will be plenty of time to reconsider this decision, but the opponents may take you off the hook.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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