Yellow Card Bidding System Mantra ● First, determine which suit to play - then determine the contract level to play. ● Try to play a contract in the following priority:
1) Play a MAJOR suit contract.
2) Play a NO TRUMP contract.
3) Play a MINOR suit contract as a last resort.
The 1 ♥ opening bid has two requirments:
1) Points: 12-21 HCPs (no distribution points). The suit location of the HCPs is NOT important.
2) Suit length: 5+hearts, with more hearts than spades. Lengths of the other suits are not important.
Opening Bids in Hearts
Length of Heart Suit
Opener's HCPs and Bid
0 to 7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22+
Pass
Weak Hand (Weak Openings)
Minimum Hand
Medium Hand
Strong Hand
Max
5 Hearts
PASS
PASS
1 ♥
1 ♥ or 2 ♣ Equivalent
2 ♣
exactly 6 Hearts *
2 ♥ * (Weak 2's)
exactly 7 Hearts *
3 ♥ * (Preempt 3)
8+ Hearts *
4 ♥ * (Weak 4's)
* Special Condition - must have at least 5 HCPs in the heart suit
The opener's hand will be in one of the following four HCP ranges:
● 0-7 HCPs - Bid PASS. There are not enough points to open this hand.
● 8-11 HCPs (Weak Opening) - With less than 12 HCPs and a long hearts suit (6 or more cards long), it might be possible to open with hearts at the 2, 3, or 4-levels. See the Weak Opening Web Page for more details.
● 12-21 HCPs - Bid 1 ♥ . The location of the HCPs does not matter. This is the most common opening bid in hearts.
● 22+ HCPs - Bid 2 ♣ . See the 2 ♣ Opening Web Page for more details.