No-trumps

A bid of One No-Trump is advised with a total of 16 to 18 points. The bid should never step outside the stipulated range, because your partner needs to rely on it for his response.

With nine points he will jump to Three No-Trumps; with seven or eight he will bid Two No-Trumps and leave it to the opener to pass with a minimum, but bid Three with maximum.

A no-trump range of 16 to 18 points is known as a strong no-trump. Some experienced online poker players favour, particularly when not vulnerable, a range of 12 to 14 points. It is known as a weak no-trump.

Whether a strong or a weak no-trump is played is a matter of personal choice, but it must be agreed between the partners before play begins, because if a weak no-trump is played partner must increase his response by four points.

In the same way, an opening bid of Two No – Trumps is advised on 20 to 22 points, leaving it to partner to raise to Three if he holds five points, and to pass with less.

Opening bids of One No-Trump and Two No-Trump postulate a balanced distribution of 4-3-3-3 or 4-4-3-2. A bid of Three No-Trumps is tactical. It shows a hand containing a solid minor suit, and altogether a hand that has a reasonable prospect of winning nine poker tricks if partner has one or two top cards in the right places.

The hand qualifies for an opening bid of Three No-Trumps. There is every prospect of making the contract; if not it will not cost a lot and there is the consolation that it has probably stopped the opponents from bidding a game that would have been a greater loss.

Weak and strong bids

An opening bid of Three of a suit is a weakness bid. It is made with a had that has little, if any, defensive strength, offers small chance of success of poker game, and with one long suit that, if trumps, is unlikely to be defeated by more than two tricks if vulnerable and three if not vulnerable.

This type of hand qualifies for an opening bid of Three Spades if only because, even if doubled and partner has no support, it cannot cost more than 500 points (two down). It is a reasonable loss if the opponents have a game in one o the other suits.

There is also a range of strong bids. The strongest of all is an opening bid of Two clubs. It is strictly conventional and may be made even if the player is void in the suit. The bid guarantees either five or more high poker cards and distributional strength, or 23 or more points and a balanced distribution. With one exception the bid is forcing to game.

Partner must respond no matter how weak his hand is, and with a weak hand he bids Two Diamonds. Any other response by him shows an Ace and a King or two King-Queen combinations or the equivalent in high cards.

The exception to the bid not being forcing to game occurs when the opener has bid Two Clubs with a balanced hand and, after the negative response of Two Diamonds, has rebid Two No-Trumps.

West, with 24 points, is too strong to open with any other bid than Two Clubs, and over East’s negative response he cannot do better than rebid Two No-Trumps. East with only two points in his poker hand does well to pass, but another point in his hand would make a big difference and with three points or more he would bid Three No-Trumps.