Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-29
Auction Bridge
Is Spoiled by
Bidding ~Hints'
A. r. Metcalfe, Bridge Author.
i.y, Tells Proper Way TO
Bid Hand-Ssys Game
Trains Faculties.
By A. R. METcALFE.

duction, besides developing the
imagination and teaching practical
psychology.
But the ieonoelast ], never idle,
rnd the poisonous ideas that now arc
being urged would make the game
Stunned by all sclf.respecting people,
IN Europe bidding conventions arc
wholly condemned, including even
the double OF one, which is the onl
one used BY the writer. The yariodt
bids OF clubs and diamonds, meaning
everything conceivable except what
they naturally would mean. would
ill fat volume. Some OF them are
so unfair that II is remarkable that
any respectable player could hear
them without protest.
Class With Porch Climbing.
For instance, a bid OF one dia-
mond has been used to indicate that
the bidder held the ace OF diamonds
and one other ace. Certainly bid
der has no right to inform his part
ner that he has any particular card
or cards. A few years since a gem
tleman informed ME that they were
using a new bid in his club, j. e., an
original two no trumps indicated
that the bidder held 100 aces, and
he asked me what l thought Of it,
l told him they should get so
days and that bid of that sort
should be classed with porch climb
ing and second story work. Incl
dentally, a bid Of two no trunnps
from such : holding is fool bid,
never to be made when the dealer
holds strength in all four suits.
Here's I Discovery.
Some time players will learn that
no better informationmay possibly
be given than to have the bids mean
precisely what they sound like.
When you add to that the impor.
tant fact that the partner may al
ways support a natural bid. it
should be easy to see that not only
will none Of the present unnatural
bids pay. but that no phoney bid
can ever be devised which will
equal natural bidding.
Many books have been published
which claim to reduce bidding to a
fine art. Page after page Of card
combinations giving exact values for
original bids, secondary bids, and
the support of partners are pub
lished. Unfortunately, these can be
Of value only when . game is found
N which each Of the four players
IS equal in play and all bids alike :.
,nder all circumstances. And that !
aever happens.
Consider Other Players.
The main consideration in bidding
S and will ever be the characteristics
of the other players At the table.
No trump bids are the greatest
game getters. The declarer has a
listinct advantage over his adver-
'aries, because his assets are visible
he moment the dummy is exposed,
while his opponents frequently fail
o find the best suit in their combined
lands until too late to save the game.
\ player should, therefore, consider
is hand from no trump standpoint
lrst.
The minimum holdings for original
10 trump bids are as follows:
Two aces and a guarded king; an
established suit of clubs or diamonds
nd card of re-entry; hand above
he average in high card strength,
With protection in three suits.
The first Of these requires a little .
xplanatioh and covers, of course, a
10 trump on two aces and king it
not necessary for the king to be in
third suit. Do not hesitate to bid
o trump from such hand as this:
Spades--Ace. nine. five
Hearts---Acc. king, four deuce.
Cluhs-Ten, six. three.
Diamonds-Eight. five, four.
= Game Nearly Certainty.
Hands like the above are delight,
nd | have found that when the bid
I one no trump is not opposed the
anne is nearly always a certainty.
here is, OF course, possibility that
ne second player may hold an es-
ablished suit of clubs or diamonds,
nd not bid. In that case you lose,
ut you are not expected to win al
rays.
The usual formula for the second
ulc is an established suit Of clubs or
and. another ace. This no
-ump bid, according to all authori-
es. would be proper from the fol-
,wing:
spades-Ace, seven, two.
Hearts-Six, four.
Clubs-Jack five
Diamonds--Ace. king, queen. nine.
wen, two.
This is a natural no trump bid. to
rhich there is almost no risk. The
ritter goes little further in chang
,g the outside ace to a card OF re-
ltry, and would recommend the bid
ing of no trump on the above hand
18th the king Of spades instead of
le ace. Such bid is, of course,
gamble, but game when success
II.
This Is More Complicated.
The third rule seems little hardes
II ordinary players to understand.
n average hand would include one
e, one king, one queen. down to the
.uce, but since in figuring no trump
rength only the honors need be
,nsidered, hand is above average
rength when it holds anything more
IAN one of each OF the five honors
protected by small cards.
hus a hand of
Spades--Queen. jack. five, three
Hearts-Ace, foer, two
Clubs-King. Jack, seven. six.
Diamonds-Fivs. four.
ould be slightly above the average.
i'd therefore worth a bid OF one no
ump. The hand above would be
! exact average, if the ten of clubs
ere substituted for the jack.
The above arc general rules which
,ply in almost all cases. When
Iere is great disparity in playing
rength between partners, no ex-
i rules are possible
a