How to Raise in a Bridge Game

There are traditionally two decks of cards present in a bridge game, though players use only one at a time. One is shuffled, while the other is dealt.

When a hand in a bridge game starts, the dealer will bid first, then each player has a turn. When your partner opens, or makes the first bid, you then have the opportunity to raise. Many times in the course of a game only one set of partners will bid at a time, while the other pair will pass. Different bidding strategies have minor technical differences, so you should always be aware of what strategy your partner uses before the game begins. The strategy featured here is Kaplan. The game features four players and two decks of cards. You can keep score on a piece of paper.

Instructions

1. 

   There are five honors in every suit, as seen here. Aces are worth 4 points, kings 3, queens 2, and jacks 1. Tens are not worth points.

   Count your points. Before you are able to bid or raise you must know how many points you have in your hand. In addition to the points that honor cards give you (aces are worth 4 points, kings 3, queens 2, and jacks 1), short suits give an extra point for any card less than three, and long suits give an extra point for any card greater than five. However, you may wish not to count your short suit points until after your partner bids, since if he bids your short suit, those points no longer apply.

2. Decide what your partner told you about his hand. Before you raise, you must understand what your partner's bid meant. When a player opens, he must have at least 13 points and at least four cards in whatever suit he bids. This means if your partner bids one of any suit, you know these things are true.

   Occasionally your partner might have exceptionally high points. If this is true, he will have bid either two of a suit, if he has a long suit, or two or three no trump. Your partner may instead bid one no trump. This bid gives you the most specific information about his hand: He has between 16 and 18 points and that each suit in his hand has three or four cards.

3. Determine what your response should be. If you have fewer than six points you must pass. However, if you have six to nine points and you have at least four cards in your partner's suit, you may bid two of that suit. If you do not have four cards in your partner's suit, but you have another biddable suit, you may bid that suit. If neither of these options applies, you must bid one no trump.

   If you have more than 10 points, you should bid two of a new suit regardless of whether you have four cards in your partner's suit. If you have between 13 and 16 points you have two additional options: If you think you can take at least one trick in every suit that has not been bid, you may bid two No Trump. If this is not true but you have support for your partner's suit, you can jump raise. For example, if your partner bids one heart, and you have 16 points and support (at least four hearts), you should bid three hearts.

   Rarely you may find you have 17 or more points. If this happens you should jump shift. This means, for example, if your partner bids one spade, you should bid three of your best suit.

4. Evaluate whether you have a fit. Your partner's response to your raise should tell you whether you have a fit. If your partner passes once you raise, or if you have no more than nine points, you will have to pass regardless of fit. Each step in the bidding process tells your partner, and your opponents, more information about your hand. The number of times you can bid a suit depends on how many cards you have in that suit. For example, if you have only four cards in hearts, hearts should be bid only once. If you have six spades, spades can be bid three times.

Tips & Warnings

• You need 26 points between you and your partner to make game in a major suit (spades, hearts) and 29 in a minor (diamonds, clubs). Always assess how many points you and your partner have between you when deciding to raise.

• Be careful when you raise. The purpose of bidding, and raising, is to find a good fit between hands. Remember you must take six tricks on top of whatever you bid. So when bidding gets high you are less likely to make your contract, or the tricks that you have bid.

• Do not deviate from the bidding rules. At times, it may seem a different bid is more logical than the one outlined. However, you should think of the strategy as a language. Each bid tells your partner something about your hand. If you bid contrary to the proscribed rules, you may tell your partner misinformation and thus hurt your chances to win the hand. This is also why it is important to know which strategy is being used.

References

• "Winning Contract Bridge"; Edgar Kaplan; 1964