Okay, at long last we have produced our first segment of our analysis, commentary and illustrative Bridge hands to bid and play in response to our survey questions regarding responder rebids!

You would think bidding and responses might be challenging enough, let alone figuring out various permutations of responder rebids.  But wait, there’s more!  Yes, in this lessons we push our look and explore responder REBIDS after opener’s rebid!  Whew, that might be a tall order to fill but we will give it our best shot based, taking a look at hundreds of your survey responses and as if to prove the point, we will explore 20 hands to demonstrate various lines of bidding and play.

But fear not, in this segment we will limit our analysis to the first 10 of the 40 questions in the survey.

All audiences – Part 1 with four variations of the first hand – 24.5 minutes
Free, Premium an ULTRA audiences – Part 2, hand 2 – 19 minutes
Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, hands 3-5 – 38 minute video
Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 4a, hands 6-8 – 25 minute video
Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 4b, hands 9-10 – 19.5 minute video

[Read more…]

Greeting Bridge Friends,

Finally, it’s time to step up to the table and take our best shot at bidding and making a slam contract.  Whether you play the 2/1 system, Standard American or something else, in this lesson we will cover many of the popular slam methods and conventions to propel your partnership to bid and make the coveted 12 trick contract – or more!  In addition to cuebidding controls, we will explore Blackwood and Gerber conventions including 14-30 and 03-14 Roman Keycard Blackwood, the Jacoby 2 Notrump mild slam asking sequence, splinter bids and even discuss Exclusion Blackwood, Blackwood responses with voids, the three possible meanings of a 5 level major suit raise (depending on the context) and more.   And that’s just the beginning!  Here at BridgeHands you’ll have the opportunity to play over 15 Bridge Hands that will go beyond finesses and promotion plays, including lead-directing plays, squeeze plays, analyzing inferences, etc.

So with over 2 hours and 40 minutes of animated video material, you won’t want to miss this lesson, discuss partnership agreements you may have missed, and consider adopting some of our BridgeHands recommendations.  And as always, we have a plethora of  additional Bridge hands here at BridgeHands – we welcome you to view our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:

“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1, Bidding Theory – 29 minutes

Free, Premium an ULTRA audiences – Part 2, Review 15 Question Survey Results – 38 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3 – Serious 3 Notrump, Cuebidding Controls – 36 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 4, Jacoby 2 Notrump, Blackwood and more – 22 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 5a, Splinter Bids, Blackwood and more – 24 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 5b, Splinter Bids, Blackwood and more – 17 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – download PowerPoint slides

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Happy Trails,

BridgeHands

Greetings Bridge Friends!

We will be producing Advanced Lesson #13 on 2/1 slam bidding during the upcoming (fourth) week of October.  In the interim, we welcome your responses to the attached survey.  Good luck and happy hunting!

Click here to begin the slam bidding survey.

FYI – here’s is a copy of the survey questions and possible responses (click the above link to take the actual survey).

In our upcoming Advanced Video Lesson #13 in addition to our commentary on over 15 slam-oriented hands with animation, we will share everyone’s consolidated survey results along with our feedback.
[Read more…]

Continuing on our bidding saga using the 2/1 system, enter the world of competitive bidding.  Yes, mother told us that Bridge bidding and play would not always be easy.  Sure enough, after partner opens 1 Heart and our Right Hand Opponent overcalls 1 Spade, our hopes of using the 2/1 system has vanished!  So our 2 level bid in a new suit is no longer game forcing.  Ditto with our 1 Notrump response, suddenly changing from a forcing call to simply showing 8-10ish points, “to play” and a few stoppers in nasty RHOs suit – drat.

And should RHO make a takeout double call, like the Standard American bidding system, enter a NEW set of calls to deal with interference.  As with other systems, a redouble shows 10+ points and implies no fit, a new lower suit bid at the 2 level is “to play” (non-forcing).  And now a 2 Notrump response becomes an artificial bid showing 3+ card trump suit (4+ for some) and invitational+ values.  Wow, so much for our beloved 2/1 system in competition!

But wait, there’s more… When the opponents compete and we do not have a fit, we need methods to explore 3 Notrump contracts with stoppers, right?  And we also need methods to efficiently explore slam auctions when the opponents compete (cuebids).  And of course we will need efficient methods to explore major suit slams with 5+4 suit fits and no competition, i.e., the Jacoby 2 Notrump convention.

So with almost 100 minutes of instructional video material, you won’t want to miss this lesson and consider our BridgeHands recommendations.  Of course, bidding is only half the game and we will have lots to ponder when it comes to declarer and defender play.  So whether you play the 2/1 system or not, over the course of 12 hands as always you will definitely get your money’s worth.  And as always, we have a plethora of  additional Bridge hands here at BridgeHands – we welcome you to view our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:

“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1, lesson and 2 hands – 27 minutes

Free, Premium an ULTRA audiences – Part 1b, Bid and play 2 hands – 15 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, 2/1 competition – 35 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, 2/1 with more competition – 31 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – download PowerPoint slides

We hope you enjoy the show!

Please login or register to view this content.

Happy Trails,

BridgeHands

Now that we have covered the basics of the 2/1 system, essentials of the Forcing 1 Notrump response and associated responder rebids, we are ready to explore an assortment of agreements to consider with your various 2/1 partners.  Here is a sample of opener rebids for us to consider…

1. 1H/S – 2x; 2N  Promise a stopper?

2. 1H/S – 2C/D;  Game forcing?

3. 1H/S – 2x; 2H/S  Promise a 6 card suit?

4. 1H/S – 2D; 3C  Any special requirements

5. 1S – 2D; 2H – 3C  What does this mean?

6. When is responders 1 Notrump non-forcing?

And wouldn’t you know, the three top 2/1 Bridge authors each have different ideas on partnership agreements!   So with over 150 minutes of instructional video material, you won’t want to miss this lesson and consider our BridgeHands recommendations.  In addition to 80 minutes of “chalk talk” including illustrative hand, we will provide complete bidding and play commentary over 10 hand to demonstrate lessons learned – including much on defender play, how to read the opponents tells.  And if that isn’t enough, check out our attempt to offer a bit of humor by the “MAD HATTER!”

So as always, we have a plethora of  Bridge hands here at BridgeHands and we welcome you to view our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:
“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1, When 1 Notrump is forcing – 22 minutes

All audiences – Part 1b, Bid and play 2 hands – 22 minutes

Free, Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, 2/1 opener rebid issues – 28 minute video

Free, Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2b, Bid and play 2 hands – 18 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, Compare variances by top 2/1 teachers – 28 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3b, Bid and play 3 hands- 19 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3b2, Bid and play 3 hands- 20 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – download PowerPoint slides for Part 1-3

We hope you enjoy the show!

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Happy Trails,

BridgeHands

Due to popular demand for our aspiring duplicate and serious Bridge players, we will be covering the 2/1 Bridge system in some detail!  While the Standard American bidding system has gained a strong following for social players over the years, many competitive bidders looking to make for games and slams have turned their attention to the 2/1 system.  And why not, after opener has begun 1 Heart or 1 Spade and responder has made a 2 level response in a lower ranking suit (both unpassed hands without interference), in essence the responder is promising game-going values, typically 12+ points.  Now the partnership can carefully provide a further description of their hand without fear of partner passing out the auction before reaching game – cool!

Of course, 2/1 players need another mechanism for both weak hands worthy of a single bid as well as invitation bids with slightly less than game-going values.  Here’s where the forcing 1 Notrump response comes into play.  The forcing 1 Notrump response is very versatile, offering responder a wide range of options to describe many types of hands including a weaker hand with a 6 or good 5 card suit and weak values.  In this video series we will discuss the background and benefits of the 2/1 system, the difference between forcing and non-forcing bids and offer commentary on 30+ bidding scenarios over the next 5 lesson segments.  So as always, we have a plethora of  Bridge hands here at BridgeHands.

Of course, our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:
“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1a with theory, click here to learn the basics – 23 minutes

All audiences – Part 1b with theory, click here to learn the basics – 26 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, click here to compare 2/1 and Standard American – 26 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, click here to differentiate forcing and non-forcing bids – 20 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 4, click here to bid 11 Forcing 1 Notrump auctions – 20 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 5, click here to bid 11 more Forcing 1 Notrump auctions – 19 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – download PowerPoint slides for Part 1-5

We hope you enjoy the show!

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Happy Trails,

BridgeHands

At long last, we have finally reached the final segment of our lesson on balancing seat bids in the passout seat.   Recall that with a good 7 or 6 Losing Trick Count hand including a Semi Self-Sustaining Suit (Suit Quality of 9 or a good 8), with a partnership agreement we can jump to the 2 level in our major suit – a highly invitational bid.  So what is up with a jump to the 3 level in a lower ranking suit with respect to your Left Hand Opponent?

Here is another highly invitational game-going bid, this time looking for a 3 Notrump contract when partner has a few cover cards (primary honors, Aces and Kings) including 1-2 stoppers in the opponents bid suit.  Remember in an earlier lesson that cuebidding the Left Hand Opponent suit at the 3 level shows “one-half” of a stopper, perhaps Q-x, Q-x-x or maybe J-10-x.  So lacking a half-stopper here is the rare opportunity to jump to the 3 level in your long minor.  Obviously, your minor suit should be 7 in length, at least a Semi Self-Sustaining Suit (Suit Quality = 9+) and a 5-6 Losing Trick Count hand.     Finally, we will explore the meaning of a 3 level jump in a higher ranking suit, particularly a major suit.  This time with our 5-6 LTC hand and SQ=9+, we are looking for a major suit game when partner has at least one trump and 2-3 cover cards.

Aside from discussing this peculiar bids (which require partnership agreements) and the associated hand evaluation, when it comes to card play be sure to hang onto your seat.  We have some tough hand to play, not only from the declarer’s perspective but also for the craft defenders eager to set wayward contracts.  And as always, we have a plethora of  Bridge hands here at BridgeHands.

Of course, our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:
“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1 with theory, click here to evaluate several hands and play 3 hands – 30 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, click here to play 5 hands – 21 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, click here to play 4 hand segments – 17 minute video

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Happy Trails,

BridgeHands

In our prior Advanced lesson, we looked at the mysteries of jump bids in the passout/balancing seat, with this episode devoted solely to the scenario when we make a 2 level call in a lower ranking suit.  Really, you may wonder – an entire lesson focusing solely on such a seemingly innocent call?

Well, as it turns out when we overcall at the 2 level in a lower ranking suit than our Left Hand Opponent, it turns out this is not your “garden variety” bid and deserves extra attention to the intricacies of what happens next.  After all, just like in life when we make an action (or inaction), the wise person always has a “Plan B” fallback position up their sleeve just in case things in life don’t always follow our plans!

After covering a few ground rules, we will evaluate a handful of Bridge hands here at BridgeHands before heading to the table.  And once we take our seat (or kibitz if you prefer), it’s time to sharpen your pencil, your sharp eyes and prepare for the test conquering the bidding and play of 11 hands.  And as always, there’s lots of twists and turns during the play of the hand for both the declarer and the defenders.

Of course, our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:
“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1 with theory, click here to evaluate 4 hands and play 1 hand – 20 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, click here to play 6 hands – 23 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, click here to play 6 hand segments – 17 minute video

We hope you enjoy the show!

Please login or register to view this content. Please login or register to view this content.

Happy Trails,

BridgeHands