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Supporting partners suit with 4 cards

One of the main purposes for bidding in bridge is to find an eight card major suit fit to play in. The second purpose is to discover how many points the partnership has between them. Limit bids are useful bids as they can show the strength and the shape of the hand.

A quick overview – raises of partners suit

You can show your partner that you have cards and points in their suit by raising the bidding in the same suit, depending on whether you raise their bid by 1, 2 or 3 levels shows your partner your point count. This same suit raise is called a limit bid. Limit bids are useful bids as with one bid it is possible to show both the strength and the shape of your hand.
A new suit bid is not a limit bid. Limit bids are:

• No Trump bids
• Same suit bids – bidding a suit that has already been bid by either player

Bidding game directly is a pre-emptive bid designed to shut out the opponents.
It promises 6-9 HCP with either 4 trumps & a void, or 5 trumps & a singleton.
If you have more than 13 HCP, you must change suit first and then bid game.

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Remember that if you have 4-card support for the opener’s major suit, you should raise that suit immediately.

Opener Bids	Responder Bid
Major Suits
1 ♥/ ♠	2 ♥/ ♠	= 6-9 TP & 4+ cards (in openers bid suit)
	3 ♥/ ♠	= 10-12 TP & 4+ cards (in openers bid suit)
	4 ♥/ ♠	= 5-9 TP & 4/5+ cards (in openers bid suit & void or singleton)
Minor Suits
1 ♦/ ♣	2♦/ ♣	=6-9 TP & 4+ cards (in openers bid suit)
	3♦/ ♣	= 10-12 TP & 4+ cards (in openers bid suit)

Exercise: Partner opens 1♥.   What is your responding bid?

Your Hand

• ♠ 9 7 6 3
• ♥ A 4 3 2
• ♦ A Q 8
• ♣ 8 3

Answer: 3 ♥ show your 4 card heart support and your 10-12 HCP.