Opening Bids

Regular Opening Bids

In these notes an opening bid is defined to be regular if it shows a hand that has a regular opening strength, that is, a minimum strength of about 12 High Card Points (HCP). Regular opening bids are the following:

  • One in a suit
  • 1NT and 2NT
  • Two clubs

Opening bids of one in a suit

These opening bids are used for hands that have regular opening strength but cannot be opened 1NT, 2NT or 2♣ because they do not satisfy some of the additional requirements for those opening bids. In general, the opening bid for these hands is one in the longest suit; if the hand contains two (or three) suits of equal length, the highest ranking of them is chosen for the opening bid, subject to the strict conventional requirement that opening bids of 1♥ or 1♠ always show hands that contain at least 5 cards in those suits. The opening bid for hands that do not satisfy this requirement is one in the longer minor suit. If the minor suits are of equal length, the hand is opened one in the higher ranking minor (i.e. diamonds); however, if the hand contains exactly three diamonds and three clubs, it is opened 1♣ (not 1♦).

In summary, the opening bid for hands that have regular opening strength but cannot be opened 1NT, 2NT or 2♣ is chosen according to the following algorithm.

  • Select the longest suit in the hand. If the hand contains two or three suits of equal length, select the highest ranking among them.
  • Is this a 4–card major suit?
    • If no, the opening bid is 1 in that suit.
    • If yes, select the longest minor suit in the hand. If the minor suits are of equal length, select the higher ranking (i.e. diamonds), unless the length of both minors is exactly equal to three, in which case select clubs.
  • The opening bid is 1 in the selected minor suit.

1NT opening bid

The 1NT opening bid is normally reserved for hands that meet both of the following requirements:

  • The strength is between 15 and 17 HCP (inclusive).
  • The distribution is 4333, 4432 or 5332.

Some players add the requirement that, in the case of a 5332 distribution, the 5–card suit must be a minor; other players routinely bid 1NT to open hands with 5332 distributions even when the 5–card suit is a major, provided that the strength requirement is satisfied. There is no universal agreement on this point, because there are both advantages and disadvantages to either choice. In these notes it will be assumed that the 1NT opening bid is used for 5332 distributions only when the 5–card suit is a minor.

In some cases the 1NT bid can be used advantageously to open hands with distributions slightly different from those listed above. The most common case is hands with 5422 distribution, where the 5–card suit is a minor and the 4–card suit a major, and that have a strength of 15 or 16 HCP (hands with the same distribution and 17 HCP are best opened by a reverse by opener).

2NT opening bid

The 2NT opening bid is normally reserved for hands that meet both of the following requirements:

  • The strength is between 20 and 21 HCP (inclusive).
  • The distribution is 4333, 4432 or 5332.

Unlike in the case of the 1NT opening bid, hands with appropriate strength and 5332 distribution can be routinely opened with a 2NT bid even when the 5–card suit is a major.

Weak Two–Bids

Opening bids of 2♦/♥/♠ (but not 2♣) are referred to as weak two-bids because they show a relatively weak hand (normally between 5 and 10 HCP) that contains a 6–card suit of reasonably good quality.