Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:34 AM

Hand Evaluation – Openers ( Quick Trick Exception )

PITBULLS:

One of the meanings of an opening bid , is that you announce suitable defense for partner or yourself to make penalty doubles . Another purpose of the opening bid is to announce controls for offensive purposes so you can compete , bid game or slam. The fact that you open at the one level rather than the 2 , 3 , or 4 level , is you are announcing a hand with defensive capabilities or transferable values for offense. This defense , measured in quick tricks define an opening bid. Without at least 2 quick tricks , means in most cases you do not have an opening bid , you have a pre-empt or a pass. Partner has conditioned herself & her bidding judgment over time by expecting quick tricks for an opener. These expected controls are important for competing , game & slam bidding and of course penalty situations. Opening bids are not solely designed for offense but have two purposes. An opening bid should announce defense as well. A scattered collection of queens & jacks are not defense. This is simply due to the Bridge scoring system which rewards penalty doubles substantially. Ignoring the defense criteria in favour of just offense is a huge Bridge mistake , in my opinion. Playing the hand is not always the Bridge goal as the Bridge scoring system highly rewards penalties.

Solo artists who do not need a partner want to believe that myth , though. They follow some misguided doctrine mostly advocated by forcing club players. They feel the forcing club system allows them the right to make semi-psyches with the other suits. They use an opening bid as a tactic to “make the opponents guess “ at the expense of partner. Standard players should avoid that doctrine as that system does not have a built in failsafe ( below a 1♣ range ) for missing games & slams , though. Using an opening bid for a tactical purpose demeans the opening bid as a semi-psyche.

Some modern bidders have bought into the notion that an opening bid is merely an offensive tool or worse still a competitive tool , so disregard quick tricks in favour of losers to evaluate a Bridge hand. I also play the losing trick count concept but as an exception not the rule for opening bids. The losing trick count was invented for & applies only when you have found a trump fit. An opening bid needs a defensive standard & disregarding defense & controls as a standard is just too great a sacrifice which cause a strain on the partnership. This horrible practice erodes partnership discipline & trust. When some other Bridge feature “jumps out at you” , you open on the basis despite not having the required quick tricks because getting the first shot in is a great tactical advantage. Do not be rigid in the game of Bridge & emphasizing quick tricks too much at the expense of everything else .. Ron Klingers “losing trick count” criteria is also good but quick tricks & trick count are usually equivalent to some degree. However , if not , making an opening bid based on losers is also acceptable. However , do not go overboard on losing trick count either at the expense of quick tricks . Passing 3 defensive tricks just because of too many losers is silly , bordering on the pathetic ex ♠AKx ♥Axxx ♦Jxxx ♣xxx is a clear opener on any vul. Sorry , but just totaling HCP’s as the sole criteria for an opening bid simply does not work for proper hand evaluation. HCP’s are not to be worshiped , they are merely a guide.

Rules are made to be broken though. Garazzo says “Bridge is a game of suits” . A good suit is the ultimate in the game of Bridge. Passing good suits not only deprives you of firing the first shot which is a tactical advantage but good suits are excellent “prevent defense” . We have all been victims of games or slams making because partner did not make the right lead. When you pass a good suit , you risk the auction go 1NT-P 3NT so partner misses your good suit with her opening lead. When you have a good solid or semi-solid suit , you do not need quick tricks for the opening bid. You do not play gambling 3NT , you have ♠xxx ♥x ♦AKQJ10xx ♣xx is this an opening bid ? Yes , this is , because you have the suit requirement for an opening bid with a built in “fail safe” for partners penalty doubles. You simply pull her penalty double to the safety of your suit & you have further described your opening. Open this hand 1♦ , keep rebidding diamonds until partner gets the message you hold nothing else. Partner right sides the 3NT & you have 7 tricks for her.

When you “play the vulnerability’ , a tactic is getting your suit in for a lead at any excuse. On this terrorist vulnerability , a lead directing suit equates to an opening bid. Nv vrs vul ♠xxxx ♥xx ♦Jx ♣AKQ10x equates to an opening bid in any seat . This hand is passed with all 3 other vulnerabilities. Terrorists who do not respect vulnerability would open this hand in all vulnerabilities. This gets mostly partner in the long run as you do not have the defense for an opening bid.& your suit is not long enough for safety purposes. Playing the vulnerability is just that , as partner has conditioned herself on the terrorist vul for this type of terrorism. Leeway is “built into” the system for that one vulnerability.

Evaluating your hand via quick tricks is way more than opening bids. Quick tricks are also used for deciding whether to make t/o dbls , balancing doubles , whether or not to pre-empt & converting partners doubles. Quick tricks come up in forcing pass decisions , penalty doubles & all bidding decisions. Totalling HCP’s simply do not . Get away from just counting your beans. Look at your HCP’s & evaluate your quick tricks. Train yourself to hone in on the quick trick combinations held for most of your Bridge decisions starting with the opening bid.

Remember that quick tricks define an opening bid but rules are made to be broken when the hand or vulnerability calls for it. A good suit can override quick trick requirements for an opening bid as well as the number of losers. When you have a balanced 12 count with little or no quick tricks , you pass. This is to keep partner’s blood pressure at the normal levels. You cannot make game unless partner has an opening bid anyway so what is the hurry ? Keep your urge to single handedly con the opponents in check & have enough discipline to pass. Do not use the opening bid as a competitive tool for partials. Competing and balanced hands with queens & jacks do not mix ! Bid 2NT as a passed hand when partner opens & partner knows that you have soft values with a bad opener. Modernists have this misguided notion that you need to open the bidding to get to tight games. Passed hands are allowed to bid game also , you just miss out on the Meckwell games ( caused by a non opening bid in the traditional sense ) where you need a lot of luck & skill to make the game. When you are out to con the opponents & take partner with you , open a soft 12 HCP vul with no defense & give the opponents options to gain a penalty & mislead partner at the same time. Trust me , that attitude is 100 % fool proof for bad results. Opening garbage is simply a psyche not some clever modern strategy designed to fool the opponents. Leave that for sleazy pros in week fields.