How do you evaluate your hand? by Bobby Wolff

How do you evaluate your hand?

Do you have extra values?

Do you want to invite game or prefer to stay in a part-score?

And, of course, what do you think is the best strain?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ Q J 10
♥ 9 4 3
♦ A 3 2
♣ K 10 8 7

Q: 1 - What do you answer as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♠: Were you tempted to treat this hand as worthy of an invitation to game? Despite your fine intermediates, this hand is nothing more than a maximum raise to two spades -- and that is especially true if you play the forcing no-trump, where a simple raise is already a constructive hand. There are many ways to go minus when you should be going plus. This is one of the more common!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A K 7 5
♥ 9 8 6
♦ Q J 9 2
♣ J 10

Q: 2 - What do you bid next as South?

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

A: 4♥: Are you going to land on the head of a pin and stop in three hearts by inviting game, or are you going to drive to game and hope your partner can make it? Here, your ruffing value rates to be pulling its full weight; unless partner has queen-third or queen-doubleton of clubs, it is hard to imagine game not having a chance. So I would bid four hearts and let partner figure out how to bring it home.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 7 6 4 3
♥ A J 9 7 4
♦ 7 2
♣ A 2

Q: 3 - What do you bid next as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
1♥	Pass	1NT	Pass
?

A: 2♥: The heart intermediates argue for a two-heart rebid here. Although one time in a hundred your partner will have a singleton heart and 3-1-4-5 shape, you are more likely to find that the 5-2 or 5-3 heart fit plays better than no-trump. Terence Reese argued that a 5-4-2-2 pattern is best played in a suit, and my experience supports this theory.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 7
♥ Q J 2
♦ A Q 9
♣ K Q J 7 6

Q: 4 - What is your call as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♠
Double	Pass	2♥	Pass
?

A: Pass: A quick reality check for those who think they have extra values, so should therefore bid on for fear of missing game: Your partner heard you ask him to bid hearts if he could. He did so, and indicated he was not interested in game. You have poor shape, only three hearts, and about a queen more than a minimum double. How likely is your side to make game? Not at all, I'd say. Pass and hope to go plus.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K J 6 4 2
♥ 2
♦ K 10 5 4
♣ 8 7 5

Q: 5 - What is your call as South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Double	2♥
?

A: 3♠: This hand is worth an immediate three-spade bid, not just because of the fifth spade, but also because of the honor location and the singleton heart. You want to encourage partner to bid on over the opponents' likely call of four hearts. If four hearts is passed around to you, you will have an interesting decision, though. I'd favor bidding on, however undisciplined that might appear.

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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Overall Results

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