September 2024 - 53

Newer Players
Ask Jerry
BY JERRY HELMS
askjerry@jerryhelms.com
jerryhelms.com
Dear Jerry,
I actively teach newer and intermediate
bridge players.
Most teaching materials suggest
inviting game after a 15-17
notrump with 8-9 HCP. I would
prefer my students to exercise a
little judgment on this issue but
need help explaining why.
Hazel
Hi Hazel,
Several years ago I was playing in a
sectional with a student who later
became a frequent tournament partner.
She opened 1NT (15-17) and I
passed, holding a 4-3-3-3, 8-point
hand. When I tabled dummy, as an
experienced player and teacher, her
flutter and look of concern strongly
suggested two things to me immediately.
Likely she had a 17-point
maximum and would have accepted
any invitation. Equally probable to
me was the likelihood that we had
missed a spade fit, which was unsettling
to her. Bingo! I was right on
both counts. The defense was friendly,
and she ended up taking eight
tricks for an excellent matchpoint
result. Later, when we were going
over the hands, she asked if I had
taken the low road due to her relative
lack of experience. I told her that if I
played with Jeff Meckstroth and held
those cards I would pass!
Fact: When two balanced hands
face one another, point count is an
incredibly accurate predictor of the
number of tricks likely to be available.
With both hands flat, even 25
total HCP does not make you a favorite
to make a game. Complicating
this, when you invite with 8 HCP,
partner will accept on all 17s, most
16s, and occasionally a great 15!
Tend to be conservative with balanced
hands. The worst possible
distribution for taking tricks is
4-3-3-3 because you have only
one suit that might take four tricks.
4-4-3-2 is better because you now
have two potential sources of tricks.
5-3-3-2 even better for the obvious
reason.
On a related note, when preempting,
shapely hands should be
bid more aggressively than semibalanced
hands. With a good suit,
6-4-2-1 shape is better than
6-3-2-2. 7-2-2-2, not as good as
7-3-2-1.
Jerry-ism: Just like real life - the
better your shape, the more you get
by with!
There are other factors. The point
count system we use undervalues
aces and kings, and overvalues
queens and jacks. In addition, 10s
and 9s, which augment trick-taking
possibilities, are not assigned any
value. Connected honor cards are
more valuable than scattered honors.
With an 8-point, 4-4-3-2 hand,
like:
s7 2 hA K 7 3 dJ 10 6 c8 6 3 2,
clearly a Stayman inquiry about a
possible heart fit would be suggested
despite holding " only " 8 HCP. Your
prime values in hearts, the dJ 10,
and a small doubleton spade, a potential
ruffing values, would provide an
excellent dummy if a heart fit were
discovered. If, however, you held:
sJ 2 hK 8 7 3 dQ 6 4 cQ 6 3 2,
you should not even think about taking
a bid.
For truly newer players, there may
be another consideration: A local
teacher once asked their students
why they did not bid more? Simple
answer: " We don't bid much because
we don't play too good! " 2
You Play, We Pay
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S IG N U P
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September 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
53
http://www.jerryhelms.com http://www.hellogrouper.com/acbl
September 2024

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