Hand Valuation

Counting Card Points

Most bridge bidding systems are based around point values for the honor cards in your hand. The point values for the cards are:

    Each Ace   = 4pts
         King  = 3pts
         Queen = 2pts
         Jack  = 1pt

Based on these values, a hand that looks like this:

A K 9 7 3

Q 3 2

9 8 3

A K

Would be worth 16 pts.

Although this seems pretty simple, the modifications to hand values are where the difficulties begin. Suit length valuation can be counted 2 ways: Either by counting short suits, or by counting long suits.

Short Suit Modification

In the Goren circles, most people add points to their hand value by adding for short suits. Short suit points are counted as such:

    Each Doubleton:  Add 1 pt
         Singleton:  Add 2 pts
         Void suit:  Add 3 pts

In the above hand, you would add 1 point to the hand total for having a doubleton in clubs, making the hand total 17 pts.

Long Suit Modification

An alternate way of counting points for suit length is to count points for long suits. Long suits are suits with 5 cards or more in them. Many believe this to be a more true indicator of hand strength. To count long suit points, do the following:

    Each 5 card suit:  Add 1 pt
         6 card suit:  Add 2 pts
         7 card suit:  Add 3 pts
         etc.:         Subtract 4 from suit length and add that to hand total

Hand Revaluation

After a trump suit has been decided between you and your partner, if you are using the long suit method of hand value you can revalue your hand with short suits, provided they are not in the trump suit. Add points to your hand value exactly as described in the Short Suit Modification section. This will give you a new value for your hand, and allow you to explore other possible bidding conventions.

Quick Tricks

Quick tricks cards are those that potentially can win tricks the first or second time a suit is led. Quick tricks should be counted in certain auctions (such as after a partner's preempt bid) to evaluate whether or not a higher contract is at hand. To count quick tricks, use the following chart:

    An ace and a king in the same suit          = two quick tricks
    An ace and a queen in the same suit         = one and one-half quick tricks
    A king and a queen in the same suit         = one quick trick
    An ace                                      = one quick trick
    A king guarded by one or more smaller cards = one-half quick trick