Bidding in bridge is an auction: each bid names a number of tricks and a trump suit, every bid must be higher than the last, and the final bid becomes the contract. To bid well you count your high card points, open with 12 or more, respond to partner with 6 or more, and aim for game when the two hands hold about 25 between them. The outline below follows Standard American with five-card majors, the system most beginners learn first, and the ranges are the SAYC ones unless a section says otherwise. If you are new to the game as a whole, read How to Play Bridge first, and plan your first month of bridge around it. The tables below work as a one-page cheat sheet you can keep next to you at the table.
Free printable cheat sheet
Opening bids, responses, rebids and the point chart in SAYC on one page, ready to print or keep open while you play.
Bridge bidding cheat sheet (Standard American)#
Here is the whole Standard American opening structure on one card. The notrump, 2 clubs and weak two ranges come from the ACBL Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) booklet, and the 12-point minimum for a one-level opening is the usual teaching guideline. Each bid is explained further down, and the robots' SAYC card shows the full system.
| Opening bid | What it shows | Partner usually responds with |
|---|---|---|
| 1 club | 12 to 21 points, no five-card major, three or more clubs (with 3-3 in the minors, open 1 club) | 6 or more points |
| 1 diamond | 12 to 21 points, no five-card major, usually four or more diamonds (with 4-4 in the minors, open 1 diamond) | 6 or more points |
| 1 heart or 1 spade | 12 to 21 points and five or more cards in the suit | 6 or more points; raise with three-card support |
| 1 notrump | 15 to 17 points, balanced | Stayman or a transfer with a major, otherwise notrump by points |
| 2 clubs | 22 or more points, or a hand that can almost make game alone; artificial | 2 diamonds as a waiting bid with most hands |
| 2 diamonds, 2 hearts or 2 spades | Weak two: a six-card suit and 5 to 11 points | Pass or raise; 2 notrump asks with game interest |
| 2 notrump | 20 to 21 points, balanced | Stayman and transfers one level higher; 3 notrump with about 5 or more |
| 3 of a suit | A preempt: a long, strong suit in a hand too weak to open at the one level | Usually pass |
| 3 notrump | 25 to 27 points, balanced | Pass or look for slam |
| Pass | Fewer than 12 points, the Rule of 20 says pass, and no hand for a weak two or a preempt | Partner may still open the bidding |
What a bid says: level and suit#
Every bid has two parts, a level from 1 to 7 and a suit or notrump. The level plus six is the number of tricks you promise, so 1 spade means seven tricks and 4 hearts means ten. Each bid must be higher than the one before. A higher level always beats a lower one, and at the same level the strains rank clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, notrump. So 1 spade outranks 1 heart, and 2 clubs outranks 1 notrump. You may always pass, and three passes in a row end the auction.
Who bids first and how the auction moves#
The dealer makes the first call. In a home or rubber bridge game the players draw cards for the first deal, the highest card deals, and the deal then passes one seat to the left on each hand, so the opening call moves around the table too. In duplicate and online play the board or the software marks the dealer. After the dealer, the auction goes clockwise. Each player may bid, pass, double or redouble in turn, and a player who passes can still bid later in the same auction.
Step one: count your points#
The most common hand evaluation method is high card points, or HCP. Count 4 for each ace, 3 for each king, 2 for each queen and 1 for each jack. The deck holds 40 points, so an average hand has 10. Length matters too: many players add one point for each card beyond four in a long suit. When teachers say "points" they often mean total points, high card points plus length points. Once you have found a trump fit, the hand that will be dummy counts shortness instead, called dummy points, which is why SAYC quotes its raise ranges in dummy points. A fuller method, including shape and the losing trick count, is in How to Evaluate a Bridge Hand.
Try it on a real hand: spades A K 8 5 3, hearts Q 7 2, diamonds K J 4, clubs 9 6. That is 4 + 3 for the spade ace and king, 2 for the heart queen, 3 + 1 for the diamond king and jack: 13 high card points, with five spades. You have enough to open, and with a five-card major you open 1 spade. At the other extreme, a hand with no card higher than a nine is called a Yarborough.
The combined points of the two hands tell you how high to bid. These are the targets to learn first:
| Contract | Tricks needed | Combined points |
|---|---|---|
| Part score | 7 to 10 | About 20 to 24 |
| 3 notrump | 9 | About 25 |
| 4 hearts or 4 spades | 10 | About 25, with an eight-card fit |
| 5 clubs or 5 diamonds | 11 | About 28 or 29 |
| Small slam | 12 | About 33 |
| Grand slam | 13 | About 37 |
Bidding is mostly the search for the highest target your side has reached, and for a suit in which you hold eight or more cards between you.
Step two: the opening bid#
With 12 or more HCP (many teachers accept a good 11 with shape) you open the bidding. The choice of bid describes your hand:
- 1 heart or 1 spade shows at least five cards in that suit. With two five-card suits, bid the higher one first.
- 1 club or 1 diamond is the opening with no five-card major. Bid your longer minor; with three of each, bid 1 club; with four of each, bid 1 diamond.
- 1 notrump shows a balanced hand with 15 to 17 HCP. Balanced means no singleton, no void and at most one doubleton.
- 2 clubs is the strong opening, about 22 HCP or more, or a hand that can nearly make game on its own. It says nothing about clubs.
- 2 diamonds, 2 hearts or 2 spades are weak two bids: a six-card suit with roughly 5 to 11 HCP. They describe the hand and take bidding space from the opponents.
Opening bid chart#
| Your hand | Opening bid |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 12 points, the Rule of 20 says pass, no weak two or preempt | Pass |
| 12 to 21 points, five or more hearts or spades | 1 heart or 1 spade |
| 12 to 21 points, no five-card major | 1 club or 1 diamond, the longer minor |
| 15 to 17 points, balanced | 1 notrump |
| 20 to 21 points, balanced | 2 notrump |
| 22 points or more | 2 clubs, strong and artificial |
| 5 to 11 points and a six-card diamond, heart or spade suit | 2 diamonds, 2 hearts or 2 spades, a weak two |
Balanced hands by point count#
Balanced hands (no singleton or void, at most one doubleton) follow a ladder. Find your points and you know both the opening bid and the rebid. The rebid ranges assume a 15 to 17 notrump:
| Balanced points | Open | Then |
|---|---|---|
| 12 to 14 | One of a suit | Rebid 1 notrump |
| 15 to 17 | 1 notrump | Let partner place the contract |
| 18 to 19 | One of a suit | Jump to 2 notrump |
| 20 to 21 | 2 notrump | Let partner place the contract |
| 22 to 24 | 2 clubs | Rebid 2 notrump |
| 25 to 27 | 3 notrump | Let partner place the contract |
For a borderline hand in first or second seat, use the Rule of 20. Add your high card points to the number of cards in your two longest suits. With 20 or more, open at the one level. With 11 points, five spades and four hearts the total is 20, so you open 1 spade. The rule works best when most of your high cards are in your two long suits.
Step three: responding to partner#
Once partner opens, you need about 6 points to respond at all. With fewer, pass. With 6 or more, your response should either support partner's suit, show a new suit of your own, or bid notrump to say you have a balanced hand with no better bid.
- Raise partner's major with three or more cards in it. In SAYC a simple raise (1 heart to 2 hearts) shows 6 to 10 dummy points. A jump raise (1 heart to 3 hearts) is a limit raise with 10 or 11 dummy points and invites game. A jump straight to game (1 heart to 4 hearts) is a preempt: usually five or more trumps, a singleton or void, and fewer than 10 HCP.
- Bid a new suit at the one level with 6 or more points and four or more cards in it. This is forcing: partner must bid again.
- Bid a new suit at the two level with 10 or more points. For example, 1 spade then 2 clubs promises a better hand than a one-level response.
- Respond 1 notrump with 6 to 9 points and no suit you can show at the one level. It is a catch-all, not a promise of a balanced hand. In SAYC it is not forcing. In 2/1 Game Force it is forcing for one round, or semi-forcing in some partnerships.
- After a 1 notrump opening, use the conventions. Stayman and Jacoby transfers, explained in Bridge Conventions Explained, are how responder finds a major-suit fit.
Responses to 1 heart or 1 spade at a glance#
| Your points (SAYC) | Typical response | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Pass | Too weak to respond |
| 6 to 10, three or more trumps | Raise to the 2 level | Support and a minimum hand |
| 6 or more, four cards in a higher suit | New suit at the 1 level | Forcing, opener must bid again |
| 6 to 9, nothing else fits | 1 notrump | A catch-all, not forcing in SAYC |
| 10 or more, a good suit of your own | New suit at the 2 level | Forcing, a stronger hand |
| 10 or 11, three or more trumps | Raise to the 3 level | A limit raise, invites game |
| 13 or more | New suit, then keep bidding | Game is certain, so do not stop below it |
Responding to 1 notrump#
A 1 notrump opening shows 15 to 17 balanced points, so responder already knows most of the story and can often place the contract at once:
| Responder holds | Bid | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 7 points, balanced | Pass | No game opposite 15 to 17 |
| 8 or more points and a four-card major | 2 clubs | Stayman, asks for a four-card major |
| Five or more hearts, any strength | 2 diamonds | Transfer, opener bids 2 hearts |
| Five or more spades, any strength | 2 hearts | Transfer, opener bids 2 spades |
| 8 or 9 points, balanced, no four-card major | 2 notrump | Invites 3 notrump |
| 10 to 15 points, balanced, no four-card major | 3 notrump | To play |
Over 2 notrump the opener passes with a minimum and bids 3 notrump with a maximum. Stayman and transfers have their own walkthrough in Bridge Conventions Explained.
Responding to 2 clubs#
A 2 clubs opening shows 22 or more points, or a hand that can almost make game on its own, so responder must not pass, even with nothing. In SAYC the responses are:
| Responder holds | Bid | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 8 points, or a good hand that does not fit a positive response | 2 diamonds | Artificial and waiting; lets opener describe the hand |
| 8 or more points and a five-card or longer suit | 2 hearts, 2 spades, 3 clubs or 3 diamonds | Natural and forcing to game |
| A balanced 8 points | 2 notrump | Natural |
If opener rebids 2 notrump after 2 diamonds, that shows 22 to 24 balanced, and responder uses Stayman and transfers just as over a 2 notrump opening. If opener rebids a suit instead, the bidding must continue to at least three of opener's major or four of opener's minor.
Step four: the opener's rebid#
After the response, the opener's second bid completes the picture. In SAYC a minimum opener (about 13 to 15 points) rebids as cheaply as possible: a simple raise, a rebid of the first suit, or the cheapest notrump. A medium hand (16 to 18) makes a jump raise, a jump rebid of its own suit, or a reverse. A maximum hand (19 to 21) jumps in notrump, makes a double jump, or jump shifts into a new suit. From there the partnership either stops in a part score, bids a game, or explores a slam.
Which bidding system do players use?#
Most players in North America use Standard American or 2/1 Game Force, both with five-card majors and a 15 to 17 notrump. In the United Kingdom, Acol with four-card majors is the system most people learn first. The table compares the four you will hear about most.
| System | Where it is common | Majors | 1 notrump | Main idea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard American (SAYC) | North America, beginners | Five cards | 15 to 17 | Natural and simple, usually learned first |
| 2/1 Game Force | North American clubs and tournaments | Five cards | 15 to 17 | A new suit at the 2 level forces to game |
| Acol | United Kingdom | Four cards | Usually 12 to 14 | Light openings and a weak notrump |
| Precision | Experienced partnerships | Five cards | 13 to 15 | 1 club shows 16 or more points |
Pick one and stay with it. Shark Bridge Game lets you choose Standard American or 2/1 Game Force for the robots, and the Shark robot convention card page has the SAYC, Beginner SAYC and 2/1 cards, so you can check what a robot's bid was meant to show.
Two sample auctions#
First, a part score. You hold 14 points and five spades, so you open 1 spade. Partner has 8 points and three spades and raises to 2 spades. You have a minimum opening, the two hands hold about 22 points, and game is out of reach, so you pass. The contract is 2 spades and you need eight tricks.
Now a game. You open 1 notrump with 16 balanced points. Partner holds 11 points and four hearts, and bids 2 clubs, which is Stayman and asks for a four-card major. You bid 2 hearts to show four of them. Partner now knows about the heart fit and at least 26 points between the hands, and bids 4 hearts. The auction ends with three passes.
How the auction ends#
The auction is over when a bid is followed by three passes. The last bid is the contract, and the first player of that side to name the strain (the suit or notrump) becomes the declarer. If all four players pass at the start, the hand is not played. The order of the calls and the rules about doubles are in Bridge Rules for Beginners.
Practice the sequences, not the theory#
Bidding sticks when you bid a lot of hands and see the outcome. Shark Bridge Game seats you with three robots that bid SAYC or 2/1 Game Force, and the SAYC and 2/1 convention cards are published, so you can check what a bid meant after the hand. Shark Bridge Game is free to install and try on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows 11 and Android; VIP unlocks full access. Play Bridge 4 Hands explains how the solo table works. Once the bids feel natural, try a scored game, which What Is Duplicate Bridge describes. Teachers can set up bidding practice for a whole class in Teacher's Console, including polls on what everyone would bid with the same hand. For a structured class, the Recommended Teachers directory lists instructors who teach online, and our guide on how to choose an online bridge teacher helps you pick one.