Play better bridge
Hand Evaluation
How can you tell if your bridge hand is worth opening the bid or not? This little write up will give you good ideas.
Background
The Point Count. Virtually all bridge game authorities agree on the 4-3-2-1 count for high card points (HCP).The Ace is valued at 4 points and downwards to the jack at 1 point. The ten, however, although an important card and sometimes play a significant role in the game, especially when coupled with the J and 9, is not counted in the point count…A good player takes notice of the tens in the hand.
And...
With a total of 40 points in the pack of cards, each hand is expected to contain an average of 10 points. Any hand, containing more than 10 points, is considered as an above average hand...And the higher the points count, the better the hand is and the more above average it is... However, hands that may contain the same points, can have varying potential as playing hands, by the nature of their distribution...Therefore, hands such as these:-
A) ª K J 10 6 5 © A K 7 4 ¨A § 10 7 2 …15 points… Can open 1S.
B) ª K J 8 © A K 7 4 ¨A 6 5 § 10 7 2 ; …15 points… Can open 1H.
C) ª K J 10 8 7 2 © A K 7 4 ¨A 10 5 ; …..15 points… Can open 1S or ?
All the hands contain fifteen points, and a player can open the bidding with any one of them…The question is, “Are these hands equal in their playing strength and trick taking potentials”…Are they good to play as declarer hands or are they better to play as defensive hands?
Think about it for a while….
The distributional Count
Many methods of a bridge hand evaluation have been generated to cater for the shape or distribution of the hand. The ways to give value for the distribution vary. I studied this area in depth by examining over 20,000 hands, when I had time on my hands... (Get it...on my hands). I, finally, discovered the most accurate hand evaluation one can make. I called it the “New Code” method of hand evaluation. I hope I can convince you, eventually, to adopt it and bid accurately, by using it and increase your average percentage result in the game.
First, let us briefly examine the mostly followed four ways to evaluate the distributional strength of a hand. Assume you are deciding whether to open in first or second seat you evaluate your hand according to;
1- The Long-suit Method
A widely used method is to count the cards in each suit. The rule is to count your high card points add one point for each card over four in any suit. Hence a five-card suit is worth an extra one point, a six-card suit two points, etc. An opening bid, generally, requires 12 or more points. No points are added for singletons or voids, since the lengths in the other suits cater for the shortage in the remaining suits. And a little bridge game sense...
2- The Short-suit Method
40 years ago, Charles Goren made this method popular; it counts points for short suits. The rule is to add one point for a doubleton, two for a singleton, and three for a void. One point is deducted if an honour is unprotected; that means a singleton king or a doubleton queen are counted as 2 and 1 respectively. A no point is given to the jack with two other cards in a suit... Again, an opening bid, generally, requires 12 or more points. And a little bridge game sense...
3- The Rule of 20 Method
More recently, a popular method suggested by Marty Bergen in his book “Points Schmoints.” It is to add your HCP to the length of your two longest suits. If the total is 20 or more, you should open the bidding at the one level. If you are a gambling player, you may consider 19.A more conservative player would consider 21...Notice there is no overall HCP value mentioned...You simply open the hand when the rule of 20 is satisfied bid your longest suit...You may have a hand like this:-
D) ª K 10 8 6 5 © A K 7 4 3 ¨2 § 10 7 … Bid 1ª
E) ª K 10 8 6 5 © A Q 7 4 3 2 § 10 7 …Bid 1H…
4- Pavlicek Method
This is based on the short suit method, but includes a better adjustment for wasted honours: A wasted Honour is an honour card unprotected; A singleton King or a doubleton Queen. If a short suit has a wasted honour, you may count its HCP or its shortness (i.e. one point for a doubleton, two for a singleton), whichever is greater, but not both.
Pavlicek also introduced the idea that the 10s and the Aces are undervalued in counting the HCPs. We all know that, don’t we? Experts agree that aces are undervalued slightly at four points, and anyone would agree that the 4 tens must be worth something, especially when they are coupled with jacks and nines In order to increase accuracy, Pavlicek method incorporates another rule: If your hand contains the sum of “four” in aces and tens (in any combination) add one point. So if a hand contains 3 tens and an ace or two tens and two aces or 3 aces and one ten…you add one point…very interesting!!!...To open the bidding you require 12 points. It works!
Actually you need to open your mind to all of the above methods...I recommend to consider them all...Chose the one that you fancy and feel comfortable with...Compare them with various hands. One may give you a higher distributional strength than the others. Adopt it and take it under your wing, if you are a bird...!..
Let us look at the hands above and examine their distributional strength..
A) ª K J 10 6 5 © A K 7 4 ¨A § 10 7 2; …. 15 HCPs…
i) Long suit Method ; 16 points (one point added for the 5 cards suit)
ii) Short suit Method ; 17 points (two points added for the singleton Ace)
iii) Rule of 20 : 24 ; much higher than average.
iv) Pavelicek Method ; 18 points (short suit method plus one point added for the 4 aces (2) and tens (2))
B) ª K J 8 © A K 7 4 ¨A 6 5 § 10 7 2, …..15 points…
i) Long suit Method ; 15 points (No 5 cards suit)
ii) Short suit Method ; 15 points (a ballanced hand))
iii) Rule of 20 : 22
iv) Pavelicek Method ; 15 points
This is a weaker hand than A ; a NT hand
C) ª K J 10 8 7 2 © A K 7 4 ¨A 10 5 ; …… 15 High Points…
i) Long suit Method ; 17 points (Two point added for the 6 cards suit)
ii) Short suit Method ; 18 points (Three points added for the void)
iii) Rule of 20 : 25 (This hand qualifies you to open 2C, as the Rule of 25 applies)
iv) Paveleick Method ; 19 points (one point for the aces and tens)
I would open 2C…aiming for a Spades or a Hs contract.
D) ª K 10 8 6 5 © A K 7 4 3 ¨2 § 10 7 …10 HCPs
i) Long suit Method; 12 points (one point added for each of the 5 cards suits)
ii) Short suit Method ; 13 points (two points added for the singleton and one for the doubleton.)
iii) Rule of 20 : 20…It is an average hand to open
iv) Pavelicek Method ; 13 points
I would open the bidding with 1S…My second bid would be Hs.
E) ª K 10 8 6 5, © A Q 7 4 3 2, § 10 7 …
i) Long suit Method; 12 points ( 9 HCP + one point added for the 5 cards suit and 2 for the six cards suit) ; open 1H.
ii) Short suit Method ; 13 points (three points added for the void and one for the doubleton.)
iii) Rule of 20 : 20…It is an average hand to open 1H
iv) Pavelicek Method ; 13 points…Open 1H and do not mention spades unless your partner does.
Of all the above choices of evaluating the hand, I prefer the Pavelicek method...It gives you more courage to bid...as you can have one more point at hand...However, I have my own Hand evaluation Method...the “New Code” ,the fifth method of evaluation...This employs the losing trick counts and “The RULE of 4”... A new concept in hand evaluation, which was discussed well at the ”Monmouth Bridge Club” in the past.
This “New Code” method, was statistically researched, and proved to be more effective. In my opinion, it is more accurate than the four afore mentioned methods ...However, please remember we are talking statistics...
Hand Valuation
5-The “New Code” Method of opening the hand with the Rule of 4
This method utilizes the “Losing Tricks” Count and the “High Card Points” of the bridge hand.
It correlates the number of losers in the hand to the “High Card Point” Count. From that it evaluates the strength or the weakness of the hand.
You just counts the high card points (P) and the number of losers (L) in the hand...And subtract them. (P-L=N)…
Without going into the depths of the mathematical proof and the statistical analysis, all you need to know is the following:-
1. Count the points in your hand, count the number of losers in your hand and subtract them…If the number of points is P, and the number of losers is L, then P-L is the number N…If N is 4, think !!!!…the hand is a border line. If more than 4, bid your longer suit…irrespective of the points…
2. If the number is 4, observe the Jacks and the Tens in the hand and the distribution of suits…If the hand contains 5 + spades bid 1S…to pre-empt the opponents.
3. If the number N is 3 or less and the hand contains a 6 card suit, think of a Pre-empt; Weak 2s or weak 3s.
4. If the number N is 5+ bid on…The higher the number the stronger is the hand.
5. If the number N is 10+, you have a strong hand which you can reverse bid with on the next round…And note the response of you partner, you may have a slam.
6. If the number is 12+, think of a slam, and force your partner to respond with unnatural, or unusual, bids.
Examples;
1) Imagine you hold one of the following 7 loser Hands (which hand would you open the bidding with ?):
a) Zero Points; xxxxxx, xxxxxx, x
b) 10 Points; Axxxxx, Axx, Qxx, x
c) 11 Points; Axxxx, AJxx, Qxx, x
d) 11 Points, AJ109x, A10x, Q10x, x
e) 12 Points; Axxx, Axxx, Axxx, x
f) 18 Points; AQx, Axx, Axx, Axx
g) 23 Points; AKJ, AJx, AJx, AJx
2) Imagine you have one of the following hands with 8 losers (which hand would you open the bidding with?):
a) Zero Points; xxxxxx, xxxxx, xx, void.
a) 9 Points; Kxxxx, Kxx, Kxx, xx
b) 11 Points; Axx, Axxxx, QJx, xx
c) 12 Points; Axxx, Axxx, KJx, Jx
d) 13 Points (KJxxx, KJx, KJx, Jx)
e) 16 points (Axx, Axx, Axx, Axx)
f) 20 Points (AJxx, AJx, AJx, AJx).
3) Imagine you have one of the following hands with 11 Points (which hand would you open the bidding with?):
a) 9 Losers; KJx, KJx, Kxx, xxxx,.
b) 8 Losers; Kxxxx, Kxx, Kxx, Qx
c) 7 Losers; Axxx, Axxxx, QJx, x
d) 6 Losers; Axxxx, Axxx, Kxxx, void
e) 5 Losers (Kxx, KQxxx, Kxxxx,)
f) 3 Losers (Axxxxxx, AKxxxx, Void, Void.)
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