SAYC
× Introduction:
  1. Introduction
  2. Evaluate an Opening Hand
  3. Bidding Process / Hierarchy Chart
  4. Bidding Strategy

  SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card)
  Statistics
× Opening Bids
       Opening Bid Options
Open 1 Level
   Open  1 ♠ 
   Open  1 ♥ 
       Open  1 NT 
           Open Better Minor
           Open  1 ♦ 
           Open  1 ♣ 
Weak Opening Bids
 •          2 ♦   2 ♥   2 ♠  (6-card suit)
 •  3 ♣   3 ♦   3 ♥   3 ♠  (7-card suit)
 •                  4 ♥   4 ♠  (8-card suit)
Strong Opening Bids
      • Open  2 ♣ 
      • Open  2 NT 
      • Open  3 NT 
Opening vs Table Position
× Bid 2: Respond to Suit Openings
   Guidelines for Responses
         1-over-1 Restriction
         Distribution Points
   Respond to  1 ♠ 
   Respond to  1 ♥ 
         (Jacoby  2 NT )
   Respond to  1 ♦ 
   Respond to  1 ♣ 
Bid 3: Opener's Next Bid
   Responder Supports the Bid Suit
       (Response to Jacoby  2 NT )
   Responder Proposes a New Suit
Respond to Weak Openings
  • Respond to  2 ♠   2 ♥   2 ♦ 
  • Respond to  3 ♠   3 ♥   3 ♦   3 ♣ 
  • Respond to  4 ♠   4 ♥ 
Respond to Strong Openings
  • Respond to  2 ♣  using:
      • 2-Diamond Waiting
      • 3-Point Step
      • 2-Diamond Bust
  • Respond to Strong 2
× Respond to NT Openings
Respond to  1 NT 
    Transfers (1NT)
       Stayman (1NT)
          No 4-card Major (1NT)
Respond to  2 NT 
    Transfers (2NT)
       Stayman (2NT)
          4-card Major (2NT)
Respond to  3 NT 
    Transfers (3NT)
       Stayman (3NT)
          No 4-card Major (3NT)
× Other Bids:
 • Slam (Blackwood & Gerber)
 • Overcalls
 • Doubles
 • Balancing
× Practice Bidding:
   • Open 1 Level
   • Responses to 1 Suit Openings
   • Open 1 NT & 14 Responses
   • Open 1 NT & 16 Responses
   • Responses to 2 Club Opening
   • Overcalls
Practice Websites:
   • SAYC Bidding Practice
   • Trickster
× Taking Tricks:
• Leads on Defense
• Leads on Offense
    • Finessing a Tenace
× Keeping Score:
1. Contract Points Scoring
2. Match Points Scoring
× Downloads:
• SAYC Summary
• Open 1-Level
• Responses to 1-Suit Opening Bids
• 1 NT Openings & Responses
• Responses to Weak Openings
• Responses to 2 Club Openings

3. Bidding Process & Hierarchy Chart

The purpose of the bidding process is for partners to exchange information about their hands. "Standard American Yellow Card" is a bidding language developed especially for bridge. The bidding is a series of coded messages (or artificial bids) that reveal information about the player's hand. Each message has a certain meaning, and this website explains the meaning for each coded message, or bid.

There are 37 coded phrases that all players must use. Ordinary language cannot be used. The Hierarchy Chart displays 35 code phrases. Each coded phrase is comprised of a number from 1 to 7, and one of five STRAINs (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades or NT - abbreviation for No Trump). The 36th and 37th coded phrases (not included in the chart) are “PASS” and "DOUBLE". Any other form of verbal communication or gesture is considered “table talk”, and is not permitted.

The bidding process determines which of the 5 strains will be used.
  • If the players select a suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades), that suit becomes the "TRUMP" suit. During the trick taking process, the trump suit is a "wild card" suit, that is, it will be higher then the other three suits and will win.
  • If the players do not select a suit as a trump suit, the players will use the fifth strain, No Trump. During the trick taking process, the highest value suit card will win, because there is no "wild card" to beat it.

35 coded phrases, or bids, have a hierarchy. The hierarchy, as displayed in the Hierarchy Chart, progresses from bottom-to-top and from left-to-right.
  • Hierarchy begins with clubs, and increases to diamonds, then hearts, then spades, and is topped by No Trump (NT).
  • The number one is lowest in hierarchy and increases to seven, the top hierarchy.
Heirarchy Chart The lowest ranking bid is  1 ♣ , and the highest ranking bid is  7 NT . (The bids of PASS and DOUBLE have no hierarchy and do not upset the hierarchy.)

The dealer begins the bidding process by stating one of the 35 coded phrases (a number/strain code) or PASS. The next player to bid is to the left of the dealer, and states one of the 35 code phrases that has a higher rank, or PASS. The bidding process progresses around the table in a clockwise direction, where each bid must have a higher hierarchy than the previous bid. PASS can be used anytime without affecting the bidding hierarchy.

Once one of the code phrases (bid) is used, every subsequent bid must be a higher ranking bid. For example, once a player states 2 hearts, no one else can state 2 hearts or go backwards and bid 2 diamonds, or any other lower ranking bid. The bid “PASS” can be used by any player whenever it is turn for that player to bid. The bid PASS does not interfere with the hierarchy of the other 35 bids. After three players in succession bid PASS, the bidding process is over.

Bids are Coded Messages that CHANGE !

As the bidding process advances, the meaning of a bid (and what information is transmitted) changes depending upon the bid that preceded it. This web site explains the meaning of the coded messages as they change as the bidding process progresses.

Final Bid is the CONTRACT

The bidding process is like a normal auction, that is the various participants making ever increasing bids on an item. The highest bidder wins the item. In this case the bidders vie for a "CONTRACT", hence the name of this card game, Contract Bridge. The contract is the commitment by the partnership to take a certain amount of the 13 tricks using one of the 5 strains.

During the auction, after 3 players in succession bid PASS, the bidding session is finished. The last bid (before the 3 successive passes) becomes the “CONTRACT”. This last bid states how many tricks are to be taken and which suit will be trump (or No Trump). For example, if the final bid is:
    •  1 ♣  means the partnership will take 7 of 13 tricks using clubs as the trump suit. The number 1 is the level of the contract. The first 6 tricks are referred to as a “book”, and the number 1 is how many tricks in addition to the book the partnership will attempt to win (1 plus 6 = 7).
    •  4 ♥  means the partnership will take 10 of 13 tricks using hearts as the trump suit. The number 4 is the level of the contract. The first 6 tricks are referred to as a “book”, and the number 4 is how many tricks in addition to the book the partnership will attempt to win (4 plus 6 = 10).
    •  7 NT  means the partnership will take 13 of 13 tricks without using any suit as the trump suit (hence – no trump). The number 7 is the level of the contract. The first 6 tricks are referred to as a “book”, and the number 7 is how many tricks in addition to the book the partnership will attempt to win (7 plus 6 = 13).

Points are awarded to the partnership if they take the specified number of tricks (or more) in the contract. Points are awarded to the opposition if they prevent the other partnership from taking the number of tricks they promised. The partnership at the end of playing sessions with the most points is the winner.

Goto the web page for the 4. Bidding Strategy.
7/29/2024
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