When I first started playing bridge, my knowledge of hand evaluation was pretty much limited to the concept of distribution points (Void=3, Singleton=2, Doubleton=1). That was fine for a bare beginner, but I soon learned there were many other ways to assess playing strength -- length points, trump points, loser counts, “Rule of” gadgets and more.
Most of these involve adding and subtracting points to your high cards to come up with a number that reflects a hand’s full value. Many of the ideas are improvements on basic counting methods, but with some types of hands, the numbers can be misleading. They work best when you treat them as aids to judgment, not substitutes for it.
Whatever counting scheme you choose, it’s important to avoid becoming too dependent on the arithmetic. Many features of your hand can’t be quantified with point values and should be reconsidered, sometimes multiple times, as an auction progresses. Here are situations where good bridge judgment should sometimes overrule your counting system:
Be cautious with any method that counts length or shortness points before you find a trump fit. For opening bids, set a minimum for high-card strength (10+) or defensive tricks (at least 1.5 quick tricks) or both. If you use the Rule of 20 for opening bids, consider adding quick tricks to the equation and using the Rule of 22 (open if the length in your two longest suits + high-card points + quick tricks equals at least 22).
Don’t try to assign a point value to a freak hand. If you’re dealt an 8-card suit, base your decision on playing tricks, not length or shortness points.
Don’t be a slave to the “Law”. The Law of Total Tricks suggests that in some auctions, it’s safe or wise to bid to the trick level that equals the number of trumps your side holds. An exception is a balanced hand such as ♠J9753 ♥643 ♦KJ5 ♣Q5 when partner opens 1S. Even with a 10-card fit, this isn’t enough for a jump to 4S.
Avoid over-counting shortness. A void is never worth more points than the number of trumps you hold. If you use a method that counts a void as 5 dummy points, adjust that down to 3 points when raising with only three trumps. A singleton should be valued at no more than 2 points.
Even a 4-card raise doesn’t make a void worth 4 points when you have only an 8-card fit. Suppose you open 1D with ♠AQJ9 ♥K53 ♦Q107532 ♣Void and partner responds 1S. It’s difficult to figure the true value of the club void, but without extra trumps, it’s unlikely to be worth 5 or even 4 points. It’s probably best to count this hand as 15 support points and raise to 2S.
Visualize the play. You may be able to spot other issues by making guesses about the opening lead and how the play will develop. With the hand above, your spades might actually be too strong, as club leads could force dummy’s spade honors and create trump tricks for the opponents. Unless partner has extra values, there are also potential problems with setting up diamond tricks or finding entries for a cross-ruff.
Honor locations. We all learn early that we shouldn’t “double count” high cards and distribution for holdings such as Qx and singleton King. Their values may change, though, with the auction. You start by counting Qx as 2 points. If the opponents bid that suit, you know it’s worth less, even if you don’t mentally subtract points. If it’s in partner’s suit, it’s worth more.
The true power of long and short suits will depend on how all your hand’s honors are distributed. Ideally, you’d like to have “pure” values, where most or all of your high cards are in your long suits. It’s an attribute that can’t be measured with a point system, but should affect your valuation.
For example, after you open 1D and partner responds 1S, what’s your rebid with ♠A985 ♥K53 ♦KQ10753 ♣Void ? It’s the same point-count and distribution as the hand above, but now it has a good source of outside tricks. That change – and probably your bridge instinct – will tell you it’s worth inviting game with a jump to 3S.
© 2022 Karen Walker