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500: Conventions

A bridge convention refers to an agreement between partners about using certain artificial bids during the auction phase of a contract bridge game. These bids convey specific information about the player's card holdings, helping partners to understand each other's hands better and make informed decisions during the game. Below are some of the more common conventions used in Bridge and what they mean. Bids may be "natural" meaning they are based on a holding of the suit bid, or a balanced distribution in the case of a notrump bid or "artificial" where the bid shows a feature unrelated to the suit that has been bid.
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Course Content

Slams

Blackwood Asking System
Gerber Asking System
Other Slam Bidding Conventions
Michaels Cue Bid
The Stayman Convention
Transfers
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  • 14 Lessons

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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.
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