Archive for January 21, 2024

Bridge basics: points

There are total 40 points in a deck: A K Q J, the high card point.

  • HCP:
    • Ace = 4 points
    • King = 3
    • Queen = 2
    • Jack = 1
  • long suit:
    1.  = 5-card suit
    2. = 6-card suit
    3. = 7-card suit
  • short suit:
    1. = doubleton
    2. = singleton
    3. = void

Just so you know, the maximum points a hand can have – mathematically proven – is 37 HCP because each hand has only 13 cards.

♠️ A K Q J
♥️ A K Q
♦️ A K Q
♣️ A K Q

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Slam bidding 满贯叫牌

Bidding starts bridge game. It communicates between two partners, as  what kind of hand you’ve. It often needs various conventions to nail down the contract, but it’s NOT convention.

A few slams that are bid & won

  1. 6N, 32 total hcp
  2. 2025 21 hcp, 32 total
  3. my first small slam bid & made, 2023

A few unbid slams 

  1. grand slam, 34 total hcp, bid 4♥️
  2. grand slam fm 5D, 30 hcp & void
  3. bid 3NT won a grand slam
  4. won my 2nd slam on the first hand
  5. won my 2nd grand slam bid 2NT asking for aces
  6. won my 1st grand slam bid 4♥️
  7. Won my first slam
  8. my first slam

Blackwood convention: at 4NT bid, you’re asking your partner for Aces; the response of:

  • 5 ♣️ = none of all 4 aces
  • 5♦️ = 1 ace
  • 5 ♥️ = 2 aces
  • 5 ♠️ = 3 aces

At 5N, P response with the following:

  • 6 ♣️ = none of all 4 aces
  • 6♦️ = 1 ace
  • 6 ♥️ = 2 aces
  • 6 ♠️ = 3 aces

HCP needed in a slams and the bonus when it comes to scoring:

  hcp needed   not vulnerable   vulnerable     
 6 level   33   500   750
 7 level   37   1000   1500

… the hcp needed to win a slam, really depends. The following hand, we’ve 30 hcp but our hands fit perfectly, and won a grand slam.

Bidding slam with a void:

My hand: 19 hcp, with a void.
My partner: 11 hcp, 6 diamonds

I opened it with 1N, which is wrong. (Control bid or cue bid?)

~ p, 1N, p, 2♦️
~ p, 3♦️, p, 4♦️
~ p, 5♦️, ppp

I didn’t ask for A or K … because I wanted to be the dummy to watch the Australian Open … unfortunately, Coco Gauff didn’t do well, defeat by Paula Badosa (7-5, 6-4), out of Aussie Open in the quarter final.

 

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