Lesson 16 Reverse Bids
Download as PPT, PDF1 like1,233 views
1. The document discusses reverse bids in bridge where a player opens 1 heart and their partner bids 2 clubs instead of 1 spade with a 4 card spade suit and 5 card club suit. 2. This used to commonly lead to part score contracts going down, but reverse bids were invented to prevent this. 3. A reverse bid of 2 clubs after a 1 heart opener shows 16+ points, 5+ hearts, and 4+ clubs to minimize the chances of the part score contract failing. It provides more specificity about the hand than an unassuming new suit bid.
Lesson 16 Reverse Bids
- 1. NYU Bridge and Spades Club
- 2. Reverse Bids
- 3. Imagine the following hand: S: Axxx H: KQxxx D: Kx C: xx You open 1H only to find partner bids 2C. “Darn,” you say to yourself, “Why didn’t my partner bid 1S??? Maybe I should test if he has 4 spades and 5 clubs!” You proceed to bid 2S. Partner gives you a dirty stare and bids 3H. You play in 3H and go down 1 because you lose your K diamond to a finesse. You curse your luck and wonder if this could’ve been prevented.
- 4. This is really not such a rare occurrence. Before the advent of reverse bids and up-the-line bidding, many partnerships ended up going down in part-score contracts in this exact fashion. Eventually, bridge players found out the problem with this kind of bidding – by rebidding 2Y after a 1X opener where Y>X, you are forcing a partner with no fit in Y to bid 3X when bidding his preferential bid.
- 5. Hence the invention of the reverse bid. A 2Y bid after a 1X opener (where Y>X and 2Y is not a jump) shows 16+ points, 5+ cards in X and 4+ cards in Y (this is the reverse bid). The extra points and specificity of the distribution are meant to prevent the above scenario from occurring. With 16+ points, the chances of 3X going down are minimized. Also note that in the scenario, partner with 4 spades should’ve bid 1S (even with 5+ clubs). This is because a major fit is much more important than a minor fit. Note: reverse bids are used in both SAYC and 2/1.