Your First Bids: Opening, Responding, Intervening

Important note: The text below reflects the content of the video, but bridge theory evolves constantly. Today, most modern systems consider 12 high-card points as the minimum opening hand – not 13. For once that something goes down instead of up, enjoy it 😉!

1. Opening or passing: the 12-point rule
The dealer is always the first to speak: they decide whether to make the first bid or pass. For this very first bid of the deal – the opening bid – players use a simple guideline: you need 12 high-card points or more.
If the dealer has fewer than 12 points, they pass, and the next player applies the same rule. If all four players pass, the cards are reshuffled and redealt.
This requirement makes sense: opening the bidding means your side is aiming to win more than half the tricks, so you generally want a hand better than average.

2. Priorities for opening… then for responding
Once you know you have enough strength to open, you must decide what to bid. For opening bids, most players follow the priorities below. They are not part of the rules of bridge but part of an agreed bidding system – a shared language whose meanings are known in advance, and which may vary slightly from one country to another.

Opening priorities:

1. Absolute priority: open 1♥️ (or 1♠️) if you have at least five Hearts (or five Spades). This is why the system is called “Five-card Majors”: opening a major suit guarantees at least five cards.

2. If not, open 1NT with a balanced hand (at least two cards in each suit) and a very precise strength: 15 to 17 HCP. This gives your partner extremely accurate information.

3. If neither of the above applies, open 1♣️ or 1♦️ in your longest minor.
If you have the same number of Clubs and Diamonds, the most common convention is to open 1♦️ when holding at least four cards. In minors, length matters more than honor quality when choosing the trump suit.

Responding to partner’s opening bid:

• With fewer than 6 points, you pass – this tells partner you have a very weak hand.
• With 6 points or more, you must respond.

Your first priority is to determine whether you have a major-suit fit, meaning at least eight cards in Hearts or Spades between both hands.
You support partner’s major if you have at least three cards in that suit.
Example: if partner opens 1♠️ (promising 5+ Spades) and you hold 3 Spades, you raise Spades. You choose the level (2♠️, 3♠️… all the way to 7♠️!) according to your strength.
If partner did not open a major but you hold a long major, you bid it (example: after 1♦️, you respond 1♠️ if you have five Spades).
If you have no clear suit but a good balanced hand, you respond No-Trump (1NT, 2NT… 7NT depending on your strength).

3. Overcalling and a complete auction sequence
The last type of bid introduced here is the overcall. This is what you do when the opponents have already opened the bidding and you choose to enter the auction.
To make a standard overcall, players typically recommend around 10 or more points, and a 5-card suit in the suit you are bidding.

With this, you now have the full foundations you need to begin bidding… and begin playing bridge!