Tuesday, June-16-09
Hand Evaluation – Visualization ( Hand
patterns )
PITBULLS:
Bridge bidding can be defined as a means of describing your hand pattern to partner. There are 39 hand patterns in Bridge . Showing your hand pattern should be how
you bid with a natural bidding system . Follow that simple rule & your overall bidding will improve immediately . I was playing with a "B" player who
held this hand ♠A ♥xxx ♦KQ10x ♣AQ109x
who decided that a prepared bid of 1♦
was warranted . All well & good , so I responded 1♥ so now how do you give partner some idea of
your hand pattern ? You suppress ever showing partner your 5 card ♣ suit !! You now bid 2♥
another distortion , so partner visualises 9 or more
cards in the red suits. I love
patterning out with these hand types so partner knows I have a stiff spade with
this 5-4-3-1. You sort of get an extra
bid on these "patterning out " auctions.
Opener was not even close to describing his hand pattern .
Lose 17 IMP as 6♣ is cold & 6♥
on a 4-3 fit goes down.
A
couple of hands later you hide your distribution again from partner ♠AQx ♥x ♦xxxx ♣AJ1098 & open 1♣. They overcall 1♥ , I bid 1♠
& they bid 2♥ . Happiness you have a
bid that describes your distribution to partner. A support double shows 3 trump. But no , you want to keep your
hand pattern a secret from
partner so you bid 2♠. The vul opponents Q bid 3♠ obviously
forcing to game so partner decides to "setup a sacrifice" by bidding
a non forcing 4♣ bid. Partner would double 3♠ with
a forcing hand. You should pass as you do not
want to sacrifice with your 2 1/2 defensive tricks and only 3 trump. You do not pass but you bid 4♠
accepting the sacrifice bid & go for -1400 playing a Moysean doubled with a
bad trump break.
A
couple of hands later you have a chance to show your hand pattern again to partner . ♠void
♥AKJ109 ♦J10
♣KQJ10xx so they open 3♠
which you double & they bid 4♠. Partner doubles so now he has given you a chance to
show your two suited hand pattern by bidding 4NT . An
unusual bid like this must show a two suiter. You bid 4NT & you pull partners 5♦ bid to 5♥
to show your two suiter ( equal
level conversion ) . No , describing your hand pattern
to partner is a no no , so you show your 6-5 by passing. You leave in
penalty doubles when you hold a hand that partner can reasonably expect on the auction. This contract makes -990 & 5♥ makes your way !!
Same
event with our B partners at the other table . At our table , the opponents are lamenting they missed their cold
grand slam in diamonds . Here is our teammates
describing their hand patterns to each other. 1♣-1♦ holding ♠Axx ♥AJ10x ♦AKQxx ♣x & opener raises to 2♦. You bid 2♥ , partner bids 2♠
so you feel you can make game . Accordingly you bid 5♦
which ends the auction ! Just 18 HCP's in
controls opposite a partner who opened vul & showed 4 card support ! Partner has ♠K ♥xx
♦J1098 ♣AKQ10xx but decided to keep
his hand pattern a secret also by a silly 2♠ bid rather than bidding
clubs. Their bidding is called " guess the hand
pattern" as they stubbornly resist describing their hand patterns to each other.
One more hand by two tormentees on this same theme. Partner opens 1♦ & you have ♠10xxx ♥void ♦AQxx ♣AKQxx . This hand is built for showing your hand pattern. You also have a good
systemic structure defined for 1♦-P-2♣
auctions so there is no need to distort natural bidding. You bid 2♣
& partner bids 2NT. You now bid 3♦ so
you have 9 cards of your pattern described already .
Partner now bids 3♠ so you bid 4♠ & you have mapped out
your heart shortness ! Nice painless auction
describing your hand pattern to partner. What a bidding concept
!! The tormentee bid 2♦
going in , bid clubs after a 2NT bid &
landed in 3NT going down off the entire heart suit cold for +650 in their 4-4 ♠ fit. Hand patterns
, do not leave home to play Bridge without them