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Bridge Basic
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Double (X) & Redouble (XX): Special Bid on The Auction
There are 2 important special bids that can be made in addition of those 35 bids: Double (X) and Redouble (XX). And because it's special bids, they have special requirement and special purpose as well. -
Declarer Play: Playing Suit Contract
Theoretically, you will play a suit contract 4 times more often than NT contract. Playing a suit contract is a little bit more complicated as the highest card in a suit will not always win if a trump suit is -
Declarer Play: Playing No Trump Contract
Now the bidding is over and you have your bridge contract to play. Your LHO (left hand opponent) has select the card for opening lead and put it face down in the table, then your partner lay his card on -
The Auction or Bidding in Bridge
The first action to do after you receive your hand and assess it is to do the auction or bidding. The purpose of auction or bidding is simply to communicate the kind of hand that you have to partner and -
Playing Bridge: the Big Picture
This is an overall overview when playing a hand of bridge from start to finish as your "big picture" reference before dig in into the detail.
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General Bridge Topic
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Work Out The Percentage or Probability of (Opening) Hand Distribution During Bidding
How to use probability / statistic to give you better score in the long run -
The Advantages of Opening 1NT (No Trump): A Bridge Hidden Gem
Regardless of the flavor of 1NT opening that you and your partner chose (Weak No Trump 12-15hcp, Strong NT 16-18hcp or Mini NT 10-12hcp, with or without 5 card Major, etc), there are certain advantages that can make Opening 1 -
Bidding Alert: Not Just Courtesy, but a Requirement
With so many artificial convention that being use commonly or rarely, alerting a special bid will be more often than before. Some people might think the alert is just a courtesy and while the opponent can ask, but it's not -
“Common Sense” In Bridge: It Could Be Dangerous…
I often overheard discussion between partners that they will just continue with "common-sense" after certain bidding - in other word they actually feeling lazy to discuss the rest of the sequence. Some "common-sense" also often being asked to be used -
Where is All Of The Courtesy, Maybe It’s Hiding…
Bridge is supposed to be a gentlemen games where all the conventions and systems are disclosed to opponent, play nobly and courteously just like the Royals with just hidden smirk when you score a top on a board. But somehow,
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Bidding Reality
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Rebid: Longer Suit or Second suit?
The common problem during bidding when you have long suit (say 6+ cards) and 2nd suit (4+ cards) is whether to show the extra on the un-usually longer suit, or rebid the second suit. But what if you have the -
Bidding Problem: No Rebid after Competitive
Sometimes, after a competitive bid by opponent, you are left out with difficulty to rebid with little help from the partner. And to make it worst, wrong hand to play the contract. -
Outline for Takeout Double
One of the most importants tools for competitive bidding is takeout double. Takeout double is the opposite of the classic double which intended to penalize opponent. With takeout double, practically you communicate “Partner, please bid your cards!” while with penalty -
Bidding Problem: How Do You Stop ?
This is another checkpoint of how well your partnership system is. Analise the problem below with your partner and find some solution that you both agree. You will be thankful if it appears on your table real soon. -
Bidding Problem: Strong Hand After Opponent Preemptive
One of the must do after reading any bidding problem like this one, is to check what your partner will do. Then discuss the difference between you two. You will be gracious if such bidding problem has not been covered
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Bidding System
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Directing Lead Double: Make Defense Easier
A "double" bid in bridge is a special bid with various use. You can use it for takeout or negative (asking partner to bid longest suit, basically), to penalize opponent and continue disrupted bidding system (for example: DOPE/ROPE). On this -
Negative Double vs TakeOut Double: No more confusion
Most bridge players play both takeout double and negative double on their system. Although very similar in principle, there are quite subtle different that we all should be aware. This differences might determine whether you miss a game or not. -
5 Card Major (Heart/Spade) in 1NT Opening (Weak or Strong)?
One of the top question during establishing a bidding system is whether or not to open 1NT with 5 cards Major (Heart or Spade) 5-3-3-2. So, why or why not we should include 5 card major - balance into 1NT -
The Advantages of Opening 1NT (No Trump): A Bridge Hidden Gem
Regardless of the flavor of 1NT opening that you and your partner chose (Weak No Trump 12-15hcp, Strong NT 16-18hcp or Mini NT 10-12hcp, with or without 5 card Major, etc), there are certain advantages that can make Opening 1 -
Useful Mini Sequence after 1NT rebid of 1C/1D opening With No 4cd Support
It is quite often that you have 5 or more cards major (♥/♠)when partner open on 1 minor (1♣ or 1♦). Obviously you will respond 1H or 1S (unless you are very weak that allow you to pass)
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Bridge Reference
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Losers in 1 Suit
Theoretically, if everybody have super balance hand : 4-3-3-3 distribution, then for each suit, you will not be able to lose more than 3 tricks. Based on this, then it become a general reference that a suit will not have -
39 Type of Hand Distribution in Bridge
There are more than 600 trillion possibility of getting a set of 13 cards when you play bridge. SO, the chance is that we will never see all of them unless we play much bigger number than 600 trillion games. -
35 Kind of Contracts in Bridge
Once everybody has 13 cards on their hand, then the first battle is to win a contract. Just like the real world contract, to achieve the highest contract we will need to do an auction. And may the highest bidder -
Bridge: 52 Cards in A Deck = 4 Suits of 13 Cards
Bridge is a card games. So it needs a deck of cards to play with. The deck of card used is the "standard" playing card we see normally being played on computer or table by young or old. It consists of
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Advanced Bridge
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Work Out The Percentage or Probability of (Opening) Hand Distribution During Bidding
How to use probability / statistic to give you better score in the long run -
Splinter Cuebid: Reach Slam with Precision but Minimal HCP
Reach game with 26 HCP and small slam with 33 HCP are only good for those that just started playing bridge. For intermediate and advanced player, your partnership should be able to reach game or slam with as low point -
Bidding Problem: How Do You Stop ?
This is another checkpoint of how well your partnership system is. Analise the problem below with your partner and find some solution that you both agree. You will be thankful if it appears on your table real soon. -
ROPE/DOPE: A Must After Blackwood or Gerber Convention
If your partnership use either Blackwood Convention (4NT/5NT) or Gerber Convention (4C) for asking Aces, Key Cards or even Kings, one of the defensive bidding that you need to have is to still answer the convention even the opponent has
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Other Recent Articles
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Opening Lead Mini Course: Lead Against NT Contract – 3 of 4
Statistically in general, you will spend 25% of your game of bridge doing the opening lead. Most of the time the contract is not really sensitive to the opening lead. But with the bidding become more precise and aggressive where wrong opening lead can determine whether a slam or game is made, then to make sure the person across the table cannot whinge and to make you a more than average bridge player, for sure there are some good guideline or maybe rule of thumb when it comes to do opening lead. This is one of them…
Jul 24, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Opening Lead Mini Course: Lead Against Suit Contract – 2 of 4
Statistically in general, you will spend 25% of your game of bridge doing the opening lead. Most of the time the contract is not really sensitive to the opening lead. But with the bidding become more precise and aggressive where wrong opening lead can determine whether a slam or game is made, then to make sure the person across the table cannot whinge and to make you a more than average bridge player, for sure there are some good guideline or maybe rule of thumb when it comes to do opening lead. This is one of them…
Jul 24, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Opening Lead Mini Course: Understand What To Do – 1 of 4
Statistically in general, you will spend 25% of your game of bridge doing the opening lead. Most of the time the contract is not really sensitive to the opening lead. But with the bidding become more precise and aggressive where wrong opening lead can determine whether a slam or game is made, then to make sure the person across the table cannot whinge and to make you a more than average bridge player, for sure there are some good guideline or maybe rule of thumb when it comes to do opening lead. This is one of them…
Jul 24, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Opening Lead Mini Course: Which Card ? – 4 of 4
Statistically in general, you will spend 25% of your game of bridge doing the opening lead. After you know which suit to lead (see previous part), the final thing is to select a card from that suit that you will put on the table for the opening lead. This part is actually the easiest among all the opening lead techniques and guideline. Why? Because this is merely just the agreement with your partner. As long as you and partner has agreed, that will do.
Jul 11, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Static Bid vs Dynamic Bid: Essence of Bidding System
Bidding is about communication. One person tell the partner (and the opponent) about what kind of of hand he/she is holding. The partner then respond back with either further inquiry or also describe his/her holding. This is the essence of any bidding system. But not too many bridge player really realize that those 2 activities (making asking bid and describing hand) are in fact the one make a bidding a static bid or a dynamic one. Understanding of this basic will lead to much better partnership, guaranteed !
Feb 27, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Your Check List: What Should be Covered By Your Bidding System/Convention and Beyond
For sure, knowing only the opening bid will not be qualified as “have a bidding system” with partner. There are much more aspect that just knowing the opening bid. So, below is a starting point, a checklist to confirm that the aspect is covered. I don’t mean that below checklist is complete, but it should be something that you need to cover as minimum. Again have this checklist as starting point and expand further. You partnership will soon be above the average….
Jan 21, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Trump Coup: When Finesse is No Longer an Option
How do we draw the rest of the trump without finesse and without give up a trick? The answer is a technique called “Trump Coup”. We need this technique usually when the remaining trump is not evenly distributed, but we cannot do another finesse on a trump suit as we don’t have another card over the bridge. Put simply, this is a finesse without lead the trump itself.
Jan 12, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Partnership: Bridge Commodity That (not) Hard To Maintain
Like it or not, bridge is not individual game. You need a partner, period. Either the partner is your old buddy, colleague at office, fellow member at your local club or even your spouse, bridge partnership has been proven to be quite hard to maintain and a little bit delicate issue. Or not ?
Jan 12, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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The Bridge Country: Which Big Name is Playing?
The most prestigious title in Bridge are Bermuda Bowl (for Open Team), Venice Cup (for Woman) and Senior Bowl (for Senior).Also very important tournament was what before called “Bridge Olympiad”. That tournament now is called “World Bridge Game” and part of the 3rd Olympic event: the World Mind Sport Games (the other 2 events are winter olympic and summer Olympic). So, here is the list of the big names in bridge based on Bermuda Bowl 2009 and WBG 2008.
Jan 09, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Is Bridge a Sport ?
With the lack of significant and rigorous physical activity, together with Chess, Bridge will always be under this classic scrutiny: whether or not bridge is a sport. I can see where the confusion started: people relates sport with physical health and people wrongly assume that sport and physical activity/exercise is synonym.
Jan 06, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Assessing Your Hand: The First Bridge Ritual
When you play bridge, you will receive 13 cards for your part of the play. These 13 pieces of cards became your holding on that round. We will refer them as “your hand”. I would encourage you to develop some kind of “ritual” (something that you will repeat and always do over and over again) when you received your card. Not only this will trigger your mind to focus and “enter” the world of bridge, but also will help you during the play as we assess the entire card during this ritual.
Jan 06, 2010 | Make comment | View Post
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Opening Bid: Standard 5 Cards Major, Strong 1 NT
Standard 5 card major system with Strong 1NT is not only one of the popular one, but also one of those systems that adopt the natural and common sense approach. (Just bid based on your hand, not based on the memory: have long suit of heart, then bid heart)
Jan 06, 2010 | Make comment | View Post

