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400: The Defense - Bidding

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  1. Bidding When You Are The Defense

    401 - Defensive Bids Overcalls and Doubles
  2. 402 - Overcalling With Stronger Hands
  3. 403 - Jump Overcalls Show Weakness
  4. 404 - Intermediate Strength Jump Overcalls
  5. 405 - Responding to Partners Overcall
  6. 406 - Overcalling 1NT
  7. 407 - The Law of Total tricks
  8. 408 - Overcalling Long Suits
  9. Doubles
    410 - Takeout Doubles
  10. 411 - Penalty doubles
  11. 412 - Reopening Takeout Doubles
  12. 413 - Responding to Partners Takeout Double
  13. 414 - Balancing Doubles
  14. 415 - Responding to a Balancing Double
  15. 416 - Support Doubles
  16. 417 - Negative Doubles
  17. Signals
    620 - Suit Preference Signals
  18. 621 - Attitude signals
  19. 422 - Card Count Signals
  20. Opening Leads
    629 - Opening Leads - Overview
  21. 630 - Opening Leads Against No Trumps
  22. 631 - Opening Leads Against a Suit
  23. 632 - Choosing the Suit for The Opening Lead
  24. 633 - Choosing a Card for The Opening Lead
  25. 634 - The Rule of Eleven - Analysing The Opening Lead
  26. 635 - On Defense Leading to a New Trick
  27. Card Counting
    640 - Counting Cards as you Play
  28. 641 - Strategies to Help With Counting
  29. Discard Systems
    650 - Lavinthal Discards
  30. 651 - Roman Discard Signals
  31. 652 - Revolving Discards
  32. General Card Play Principles
    660 - Second Hand Plays Low
  33. 661 - Third Hand Plays High
  34. 662 - Lead Through Strength or Lead Up To Weakness
  35. 663 - Cover an Honor with an Honor
  36. 664 - The Hold Up and Ducking
Lesson 19 of 36
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422 – Card Count Signals

422

Card Counting Signals

Count signals may be used when either partner or declarer leads the suit. Give partner good count signals so he can count out the hand, too. Use your judgment though as some signals help declarer more than helping your partner. Sometimes right to not show a count signal if you think it will inform declarer how to play a particular suit.
A count signal indicates the number of cards that a defender holds in a given suit. Playing high-low in a suit indicates an even number of cards in that suit, while playing low-high indicates an odd number of cards


The count signal is used to show the number of cards held in a suit being led.

1. Playing following suit with a high card 7 and above, shows an even number of cards in the suit being led.On the second round of the same suit you will play a lower card (high-low sequence)
2. Playing following suit with a low card 6 and below shows an odd number of cards in a suit being led. On the second round of the same suit you will play a higher card completing the low-high sequence(low-high sequence).


Count is given by playing:

1. High-Low from two cards.
2. Low-high from three, five or seven cards.



Types of Count Signals




1. Hi-Low
As soon as you get a chance -Discarding a high card and your second discard being a lower ranked card in the same suit no matter how high or low, tells partner that you hold an even number of cards in the suit you discarded.


2. Low-Hi
Discarding a low card and then a higher card in a suit tells your partner that you have an odd number of cards in that particular suit Discarding the 2 of any suit automatically indicates to your partner that you have an odd number of cards in that suit because its not possible to make a high -low signal for your next discard in this suit.


3. Middle-Up-Down
Known as MUD. With a holding of 3 cards containing no honor cards, discard the middle card first, then the highest, and on the third lead of the suit play the lowest – partner will be able to work out where the honor cards may be lying.


Your partner can look at their own holding in that suit and dummy on the table and they often can work out declarers holding in the suit

Responses

The Acol Bidding System

*If you live in the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand Acol is the most widespread system Acol has the following characteristics:
  • It is a natural system: most opening bids, responses and rebids are made with at least 4 cards in the suit bid, and most no trump bids are made with balanced hands.
  • It is a four-card major system: only four-card suits are required to open 1 or 1, unlike Standard American and many other systems where five-card suits are typically required.
  • It makes extensive use of limit bids: limit bids describe the hand so closely, in terms of high card points (HCP) and shape, that the one who makes the limit bid is expected to pass on the next round, unless partner makes a forcing bid.
  • Understanding and correct use of limit bids and forcing bids is fundamental to applying the system: all no trump bids below the level of 4NT are limit bids, as are all suit bids that merely repeat a suit already bid by the partnership; changes of suit may be forcing or not depending on the approach bids.
  • The level of the 1NT opening bid influences other bids: the normal choice is between a “weak no trump” (12–14 HCP) and a “strong no trump” (15–17 HCP).
  • All 1 of a suit opening bids then promise at least 4 cards in the bid suit
  • Notrump follow-up conventions include Stayman, Jacoby transfers Blackwood and Gerber Convention.