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Opener's Suit Rebid
Different strength hands need different rebids
“Bidding up the line means bidding the lowest ranked 4 card suit first.”
Overview
As the opening bidder ("opener") you have several choices, it is always a good idea to plan what your second bid will be before you make your first bid.Evaluate point count and card distribution
1. 11-14 TP show this by rebidding your opening suit but only if it has 5 or more (written as: '5+') cards2. If this is not possible (ie you only have 4 cards) and with 11-19 TP, bid another 4 card suit of a lower rank than the first suit. This is called "bidding down the line" ie. first bidding a higher ranked suit followed by rebidding a lower ranked suit .
EXCEPTION: If you have two four card suits BID THE LOWER RANKED ONE FIRST, this is how you show that the first bid suit is NOT longer
3. Otherwise if you have support (4 cards) for your partner's suit (remember partner has promised a minimum of 6 points) show support by raising their suit to the 2 level if minimum points 11-14 TP; the 3 level if you have 15-17 TP and go to 'Game' level if you have 18+ TP .
To support partners bid you need
- With 11-14 TP and a 'fit' raise parpartner'sit 1 level
- With 15-17 TP and a 'fit' jump the bidding so this is a double level jump - inviting your partner to bid game if they have higher than the minimum point count of their bid.
- With 18+ TP and a 'fit' go straight to game in the suit
| Summary of Opener Rebids |
|---|
| Support responder’s suit if you have enough of their suit |
| Show a second suit of your own rather than rebidding your first suit |
| Rebid your first suit |
| With two 5-card suits, opener bids the higher ranked suit first, then rebids the lower ranked suit bidding called 'down the line' meaning from highest to lowest ranked suit |
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With two 4 card suits opener bids the lower ranked suit first then
rebids the higher ranked suit next bidding called 'up the line' meaning from lowest to the highest ranked suit |
| Bid NoTrump (next lesson) |
Exercise: You (North) opening the bidding with 1♥ . Your partner responds with 1♠, what is your rebid? Remember responder has changed suit which is a forcing bid, so you must bid again.
You (North)
- ♠ 8 5
- ♥ K J 10 7 6
- ♦ A 6
- ♣ A Q 4 3
Answer: Open 1 ♥ and rebid 2♣. You could rebid your hearts after partner's 1♠ but then partner only knows about your 5 heart cards. Bidding 2♣ shows your hearts suit is longer than your 4♣. With two 4 card suits bid the lower ranked first
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