Rules Of Bridge


First Rule of Bridge

Never play bridge with anyone more sober than you are.


First Rule Of Bidding

Never psyche a Heart when a Spade will do.


Ward Rule #2
Behave politely. Bid obnoxiously.
Comment: Sadly, many bridge players confuse these two.


Ward Rule #9

IMPs is for bad card players.
MatchPoints is for bad bidders.


Ward Rule #13

No good bid ever went unpunished.


Ward Rule #17

The only defence against a pre-empt is an overbid.


Ward Rule #18

If you think there is only one "correct" bid, take up Chess!


Ward Rule #23

Always double any auction you've never heard before.


Ward Rule #111
One psyche per hand.


Ward Rule #911
If you are going to go for a telephone number, at least keep it local!


MatchPoint Madness
No one plays 1NT at our table except us!


The Lunar Rule

1. They hold the balance of power;
2. They are vulnerable (you are not);
3. You have a good fit;

When these three conditions are in effect
( i.e. when these 3 moons are in alignment ):

BID LIKE A LUNATIC!
Comment: After 1-3-Negative Dble you hold four spades and no HCPs.  With only the opponents vulnerable, 4 is an option.  But why not sew some confusion into the auction with, say, 4 or 4?   Who knows?  
This may convince the opponents to not bid a slam.

And on a slightly more serious note...

The Leader Rule
Always play opening leader for the Queen of trumps.
Comment: Assuming you have nothing else to go on, this should increase your guessing odds to above 50%.
 Opponents may lead a trump from xx, but rarely from Qx or Qxx.


The Hurdles Rule
Always play Opener's Right Hand Opponent for any outstanding honour other than the Queen of trump.
Comment: This rule applies whenever the opponents pass throughout, as Opener and Responder bid to the final contract. Opener's LHO had a much easier task entering the auction than Opener's RHO (who heard both opponents bidding),
due to the higher level of the bidding.
Ask yourself this: if one group of 1000 people fails to clear a 1-foot hurdle, and another group of 1000 fails to negotiate a 3-foot hurdle, which group probably has the better high jumpers ?


First Rule Of Play

Play small towards BIG.


The HIGH-FIVE Rule
With 2 FIVE card suits, bid the HIGHer one first.
Exception: With a minimum (13-15 points) and 5-5 in the black suits, open 1♣, not 1♠.


The BROUGH Rule
3♠ is often more pre-emptive than 4♠.
Comment: Also known as the "Zen Rule, this paradox builds upon the difficulty in doubling 3♠ for penalty, as opposed to the ease of penalizing 4♠.
In 3rd seat, a 1 or 1♠ opening bid can often be more pre-emptive than a Weak 2-bid, in that it does not alert the opponents to our weakness.


The Einstein-Idiot Principle
On the subject of what you have in your hand, you are a genius.
The opponents and partner, however, are not nearly so prescient.
Comment: Sometimes expressed as "The cards have backs on 'em",
this simple guideline encourages you to give the opponents as many guesses as possible, to hide your holding from the opponents as much as possible, and to make things as clear as possible to partner when defending.

General Rules of
SAYC Bidding 		Fit Inspired Bids - "FIBs"
Doubles Cuebids
IMPs Versus MatchPoints Lebensohl
Hand Evaluation Defensive Signals
Jacoby Transfers Pre-Empts
Jacoby 2NT Response
to 1♥ or 1♠ 		Michaels Cuebids
3 Types of Responding Hands Percentages in Bridge
Roman Key Card Blackwood BROZEL over their 1NT
4th Suit Force Maximum Flexibility
Glossary of Terms Colin's Rules of Bridge

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