Once you’ve learned to value the strength of your hand, a good next step is understanding no trump (NT) bids.They are confusing at first. Sometimes a NT bid indicates a strong hand. At other times, NT shows a weak hand. And it may ask a question, one that you can answer with an exact answer.
This cheat sheet includes bidding ideas and the reasoning behind the bids. Read the reasoning before and after you go to bridge club (but not during; no slow play!) to make sense of it all sooner.
Finally, this is a pretty rough trip over no trump bids. They are much more nuanced than this sheet tells you. Your partner may want you to learn Stayman right away. If so, this sheet won’t work well for you. Here are some basic ideas to get you started.
Opening bid of one NT – strong – 16 – 19 points, fairly even distribution
To respond if partner opens 1 NT and you hold:
Weak Hand (fewer than 6 points) – usually pass; if you have a very long and strong suit you may bid it once
Helping Hand (7 – 10 points) – a 5 card suit, bid the suit; if you have even distribution bid 2 NT
Opening hand (about 13 points) – with even distribution you can jump to 3 NT or bid 3 of a long, strong suit
Reasons for these responses: If you have Weak Hand that is evenly balanced, your partner can probably make one no trump, based on his or her strong hand and a trick or two he finds in your hand. Most partners want to hear about a long, strong suit, even if your total points held are small. If you have a Helping Hand you can express a preference for a suit or no trump. And if you have an opening hand, you and your partner have plenty of points for game, or possibly slam. Find the right fit and don’t be shy about working your way toward a big bid.
Response bid of one NT – weak – 6 – 8 points
Meaning – no good suit; this response bid is called a minimum rebid
When to use it – If partner opens 1 of a suit and you have minimal count with very little help in his suit, bid 1 NT
Purpose – To show a weak hand and keep the bidding open for your partner, giving him the opportunity to bid again; Typically, if you bid a minimum rebid, you do not bid again.
And if your partner bids a minimum rebid after you open 1 of a suit, your next bid will probably be the bid you play because partner is going to pass. Make it a good one!
Minimum rebidders should bid again in one situation: Here’s an example: if partner opens 1H, you bid 1NT, partner answers 2C and you hold 4 hearts and 1 club, it makes sense to bid 2H to put partner back in his first, better suit. Bid 2H
Response bid of two NT – a minimum rebid to your partner’s one no trump opening
When to use it – If your partner opens one NT, you have 7-9 points and no long, strong suit
This bid gives partner a good picture of your hand, always a bidding goal. You have a little bit of help in most suits, but no dominant suit.
Three no trump – a game bid, which is a close out bid
When to use it – if you and partner seem to have all suits stopped and about 27 points, bid 3 NT
3NT is a game bid. Game bids are close out bids; that means the bidder thinks this is it, we can make this game; stop bidding, partner. 3NT is the result of partners communicating the strengths and suits of their hands.
Four no trump – The most well know signal bid in bridge, the Blackwood Convention
When to use it – To ask for the number of aces in partner’s hand
How to respond to a 4NT bid:
5 clubs – If you have 0 or 4 aces
5 diamonds – 1 ace
5 hearts – 2 aces
5 spades – 3 aces
If you and partner have 33 points, you can probably make a small slam, taking all the tricks but one. Blackwood helps you decide how high to go. Once you and partner have agreed on a suit and decided you have an adequate point total, Blackwood tells you if you have enough aces to control the hand early.
Your response to Blackwood has nothing to do with the suits in your hand. If partner bids 4NT and you hold 2 aces, bid 5 hearts, even if you don’t hold a single heart in your hand.
Five no trump – A continutation of slam bidding in Blackwood
If you partner just asked for aces, he may then bid 5NT, which is the next step of Blackwood, asking for number of kings. You respond at the 6 level with the number of kings in your hand, using the same formula as above.This is bid very, very rarely.
