Bop, Boop, Boom
When you're growing by the day, it can be difficult to know your own strength. Every day is an adjustment for our toddler, June. This is particularly true when it comes to petting our dog, Yeti. It's totally acceptable to bop Yeti lightly. A slightly firmer boop is okay on some dog body parts. The BOOM is never acceptable. Of course, afterwards, she repeats the mantra "No boom Yeti," and he, at least, forgives her.
With bridge, our strength can grow or decline each deal as well. Understanding whether our hand is a bop, boop, or boom is a key part of bidding.
When you pick up your hand, you are getting a first look. You should look past the high card points. For example, which hand is BETTER?
A)
Q543
Q432
Q9
Q87or
B)
AK109843232432 K10325K8732652 QJAJ3K9432KJ2?
AK109843232432I hope you chose B. The king in B is as good as an ace. The spot cards in spades are great, plus B has a five-card suit. When you pick up A you can say that it's a fairly bad 8-count. B is a great 7-count.
Consider the implications. If partner opens 1NT, many players would use Conventional response to notrump to ask about majors Stayman and then invite game with A, but not B, even though B is better! Use your evaluation to compare hands.
The other big mistake is not re-evaluating throughout the auction. Let's look at:
K10325K8732652If partner opens 1NT, this isn't enough to invite game. If partner opens 2NT, then we would use Conventional response to notrump to ask about majors Stayman and bid game. If partner opens 2 and rebids 2? This is enough to drive to slam. Picture: AQxxxx AKQ Qx Ax. That hand has lots of values in hearts (opposite our shortness) and slam is still cold. Don't get caught in the trap of thinking your strength with a particular hand is the same on Monday and Tuesday.
and rebids 2? This is enough to drive to slam. Picture: AQxxxx AKQ Qx Ax. That hand has lots of values in hearts (opposite our shortness) and slam is still cold. Don't get caught in the trap of thinking your strength with a particular hand is the same on Monday and Tuesday. Whenever you pick up your hand, start by saying "What does this feel like?" Counting points is fine, but if it feels like a hand that would open 1NT, do it!
Look at:
A) A2K109AK10981098
A2K109AK10981098 Doesn't this seem stronger than
B)
QJAJ3K9432KJ2?Again, many players open 1NT with B, and choose to show 12-14 with the stronger A.
After that initial impression, make sure you"re-evaluate: do you like your hand more or less after partner's bidding?" A singleton isn't worth anything initially, but if you find a big fit, it can be worth a bunch. Recognizing that the same hand can be a bop, boop, or boom is an important step in your bridge evolution.