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100: The Standard American Bidding System

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  1. General Information

    101 - Playing Against the Computer
  2. 102 - The Importance of Bidding to Game
  3. 103 - Choosing The Best Contract
  4. 104 - Part Game Contracts
  5. 105 - Vulnerability
  6. Opening the bidding at the Level of 1
    106 - Opener's First Bid
  7. 107 - Opening 1NT (No-Trump)
  8. 108 - Opening a Preferred Minor
  9. Responding to partner's opening bid
    109 - Responding to Partner's Opening Bid
  10. 110 - Responder Supports with a Suit
  11. 111 - Responder's No-Trump Bid
  12. 112 - Negative Responses to No-Trump Opening Bids
  13. 113 - Responding to 1NT with 8-9 points
  14. 114 -Responding with a Strong Hand
  15. Opening the bidding at the 2 level
    115 - Opening the Bidding with a Strong Hand
  16. 116 - Opening the Bidding 2NT
  17. 117 - Opening Weak Two's Bidding
  18. Responding to a 2 level opening bid
    118 - Negative Response to a 2C Opening Bid (0-7 points)
  19. 119 - Responding to a Weak 2 Opening Bid
  20. Openers rebid - openers second bid
    120 - Openers Suit Rebids
  21. 121 - Opener's No-Trump Rebid
  22. Responders rebid - second bid
    122 - Responding to No-Trump Rebids
  23. 123 - Responding to Openers's Suit Rebid
  24. Pre-emptive bids
    124 - Overview of Pre-Emptive Bids
  25. 125 - Weak Two Preempts
  26. 126 - Pre-Emptive 3 Level Opening Bids
  27. 127 - Pre-Emptive 4 Level Opening Bids
  28. Responding to partner's pre-emptive bid
    128 - Responding to Partner's 3 Level Opening
100: The Standard American Bidding System 125 – Weak Two Preempts
Lesson 25 of 28
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125 – Weak Two Preempts

125

Opening with a Weak Two Bid

The premise is that if you are weak the the opposition are more likely to have strength. Having a long suit ^ cards is strong but only if the contract is in your long suit. Pre-emptive bidding interferes with opponents bids, making it difficult for them to find their optimum contract at the lowest level.

Weak 2 Opening Bids

Pre-emptive Opening Bids

Weak Two Opening bids are a preemptive bid. A Weak Two bid tells your partner that you have at least a 6-card suit and 6-10 HCP with two or more high-cards in the bid suit. The only exception to this rule is a 2C bid which shows 23+ points and is usually a force to keep bidding until game is reached (a game force bid). Generally bidding Weak Two’s do not exclude a the preemptor from holding a 4 card side-suit holding for example in a Major suit.

Guidelines for Weak 2 Opening Bids

1. If the preemptive bid is a Major suit, then you are usually telling partner that you don’t have any interest in the other Major suit
2. A preempt as an overcall after the opposition open at the one level should be at least one level higher and in a higher-ranking suit than the opening bid.


Examples of Weak 2 Opening bids
2D Having 6-10 points and a 6 card diamond suit
2H Having 6-10 points and a 6 card heart suit
2S Having 6-10 points and a 6 card spade suit





Instant Progress Quiz – Check all correct answers



   False

   True


What bid would you open this hand?

Your Hand

  • ♠ A Q T 9 6 3
  • ♥ 7 3
  • ♦ J 5 3 2
  • ♣ 4
Your bid is 2♠. With only 7 HCP your hand is not strong enough to open at the 1 level, but with your 5 winning tricks and 3 tricks from your partner (not vul) you will interfere with the bidding of the opposition.

Practice This Lesson

Open a Weak Two Bid

PLAY



Extra for Experts

A different game on the same subject as this lesson, with questions for community discussion in the comments area below.

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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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