A Q J 7 31-level Opening Suit Bids
Valuation of your hand is key to determining whether or not to open at the 1 level with a 12 or 13 point hand. If you have a hand full of Quick Tricks, you should open with 12 or 13 points. If, on the other hand, your hand has 12 or 13 points with several unguarded honor cards, you should pass the bidding in the 1st and 2nd seat, and open in the 3rd or 4th seat.
If you and your partner have decided to play 5 card major bids, it is absolutely necessary to convey any 5 card major suits with 13 or more points in your hand.
With the following hand:
A Q J 7 3
Q 3 2
9 8 3
K 7
An opening bid of 1 is appropriate. You have 14 points, 13 in HCP, and 1 for the 5 card spade suit. Your hand is close to a minimum opener, so keeping the bidding low is important.
With a hand like this:
J 10 9 7 3
2
9 3
A K Q J 9
You may be tempted to bid 1 here, but that is inappropriate for you and your partner's agreement. A 1 bid tells your partner you have a 5 card spade suit, even though you have a more powerful club suit. As the bidding progresses, you can rebid your clubs to convey the notion that you have as good a club suit as spade suit. This information may eventually lead to game in either spades, clubs, or notrump, if your partner has stoppers in the unbid suits.
In general, if you have 2 seperate 5-card suits, always bid the stronger of the two first. An exception to this rule is if you have 17-22 points and 2 5-card suits. In this situation, it is better to bid the lower ranking of the 2 suits, and then rebid the higher ranking suit on your next bid. Example:
A K 10 5 3
A K J 10 6
J 2
10
This hand is valued at 18 points, including 2 for each 5 card suit. In this case, you should bid 1 first. After your partner bids, you should rebid 2. This is called a reverse bid, and is covered in more detail in the section on opener rebids.
If you have a 6-card suit and a 5-card suit in your hand, the same holds true as having two 5-card suits. Always bid the higher ranking suit first with less than 17 pts, and bid the 5-card suit with 17 or more points. Note: The only exception to this rule is specifically if you have 6 clubs and 5 spades. In this case, bid the 6-card club suit first.
If you don't have a 5-card major suit, you can bid the longer of your two minor suits at the 1-level with 13 or more points. Bidding a minor suit at the 1-level does not imply a 5-card minor suit. It simply denies possession of a 5-card major suit to your partner. Example:
K 10 5 3
A J 6
Q J 2
K 10 8
This hand is not powerful enough to bid 1NT for an opener. However, there isn't a 5 card suit to be found either. If you bid 1 here, you would be incorrectly telling your partner you have a 5-card major suit. So, bidding the better of the 2 minor suits, in this case 1 is the best choice. Note that the 1 bid over the 1 bid is the preferred method here. It closes out the 1 level bidding of the minor suits, and lets your partner notify you of at least a 4-card major suit, without the possibility of an intervening minor suit bid.
3rd and 4th Seat Opening Bids
If, in the 3rd or 4th seat of the auction, the bidding has been passed to you, you may open the bidding with 11 or 12 pts. In the third seat, the real reason to open the bidding light is to cut the losses that may occur if your opponents are left with a clean slate to work with. A 3rd seat opening bid may hinder their ability to communicate their intentions at a low level, and force them into a contract at a higher value than they can attain. In the 4th seat, the decision is all up to you: You have a clean slate, and should only bid if you believe you can make a part score in a contract. If you do not have the cards that you think it will take to make a part score, simply pass out and everyone breaks even. See Spade Theory in the Terms and Definitions for more information on whether or not to open in the 4th seat.