Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 26, 2020 - Start bidding with 12 HCPs?

 

Problem: The question here is when is it acceptable to open with less than 13 HCPs? Our table was the only one that passed.  All of the other tables had South starting at 1C.

Vic: 

I teach that in 1st & 2nd seat the only time you should cheat on the 13 HCP standard is if your hand satisfies the "Rule of Twenty plus Two". 

Here is how that works:  count your HCPs - count the number of cards total in your two longest suits - count your Quick Tricks. If the combined total of the first two counts adds up to  AND you have at least 2 Quick Tricks, you should open.

 

In your hand above 12 HCPs + 8 cards in your two longest suits adds up to 20. AND you have 2.5 Quick Tricks. You should open 1C. That should result in the two of you finding a spade contract. 

Some players use the Rule of Twenty without the Plus Two. In my opinion Quick Tricks are an important part of the package & ignoring them transitions from aggressive to reckless. 

In 3rd & 4th seat the standards for "opening light" relax even more. Experienced players these days are making some pretty outrageous opening bids in 3rd seat. But that is not a topic I recommend inexperienced players delve into. In 4th seat you can use the Rule of Fifteen (count your HCPs - count your number of spades - if the two numbers add up to at least 15 you can open). I would suggest you consider Quick Tricks also using Rule of Fifteen. 

Have you heard the expression "Six & Five Come Alive"? That refers to hands with one 6-card suit & one 5-card suit which is a very powerful hand from a distributional perspective. Rule of Twenty Plus Two says you could open that hand with only 9 HCPs, providing you have at least 2.0 Quick Tricks. 

With two 5-card suits you need only 10 HCPs to reach the magical number of Twenty.