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- Point Count System:
- Ace = 4 Void = 3
- King = 3 Singleton = 2
- Queen = 2 Doubleton = 1
- Jack = 1
- Opening Point Ranges (based on total points):
- Points Suit Length # To Bid
- <12 6 2
- <12 7+ 3+
- 12+ 5+ of major 1
- 12+ 3+ of minor 1
- 16-18 balanced 1NT
- 22-24 balanced 2NT
- 25-28 balanced 3NT
- 22+ 5+ 2C
- 100 Honors - holding AKQJ of the trump suit earns 100 points above the line.
- 1-Over-1 Bid - example: bidding 1S over partner's opening of 1H.
- 2-Over-1 Bid - example: bidding 2D over parther's opening of 1H.
- "3 to the King" - a holding of Kxx. "4 to the Ace"=Axxx. Etc.
- Above the Line - where points are recorded that can't go Below the Line.
- Ace-Asking Cue Bid - see Cue Bid.
- Balanced Distribution - a hand with no singletons or voids.
- Below the Line - where points for tricks bid and made are recorded.
- Blackwood Convention - a method of finding out how many Aces/Kings partner has.
- Blocked Suit - when one partner cannot get the lead to a partner with a long
- suit because the cards in the hand with the short suit are all higher
- than those in the hand with the long suit and no other entries exist.
- Book - the first six tricks taken by the team that won the bid.
- Bust - a very bad hand. See "Yarborough".
- Cover - to play a higher card than the one led.
- Crossruff - when partners alternately ruff different suits. Eg: East ruffs
- West's Club and leads back a Heart which West ruffs and leads another Club.
- Cue Bid - (1) a bid of the opponent's suit to show strength;
- (2) a bid of a suit to show an Ace or King after trumps are agreed upon.
- Declarer - the first partner to bid the trump suit (or notrump) of the contract.
- Deep Finesse - a finesse on a small card, such as an 8 or 9.
- Discard - a non-trump card played when the player cannot follow suit.
- Distributional Hand - a hand with voids or singletons.
- Distributional Points - for bidding purposes: Void=3. Singleton=2. Doubleton=1.
- Double - a bid that doubles the value of a contract made or set.
- Also see: Negative Double, Optional Double, Penalty Double, Takeout Double
- Also see: Redouble, S.O.S. Redouble
- Double Fit - partnership has two suits with 8+ cards each between them.
- Doubleton - being dealt two in a suit. See "Singleton" and "Void".
- Down - to Go Down is the same as to Go Set.
- Draw Trumps - to lead trumps, usually until all are in.
- Duck - play low on a trick where you could have played high.
- Entry - a high card in a hand that lets that hand get the lead.
- Establish a Suit - force high cards out of the opponents' hands.
- Finesse - to follow suit with a non-top card when the previous opponent plays
- low. This wins the trick when that opponent was holding back a higher
- card, whereas simply leading the non-top card loses no matter which
- opponent holds the higher card. (eg: Lead low to the AQ and play the Q.)
- First Chair - the dealer; first person to bid or pass.
- Fit - a suit in which a partnership has 8 or more cards between them.
- Flat Hand - see "Balanced Hand".
- Forcing Bid - a bid which by partnership agreement forces partner to bid again.
- Free Bid - a bid made when not forced. See "New Suit Forcing".
- Game - when 100+ points have been scored for tricks bid and made.
- Go Set - to make fewer tricks than bid. Also see "Down".
- HCP - High Card Points. Ace=4. King=3. Queen=2. Jack=1. (For bidding purposes.)
- Honor - an ace or face card.
- Jump Overcall - an overcall made at other than the minimum level.
- Jump Shift - responding to partner in a new suit at other than minimum level.
- Lay-Down - when declarer can lay his cards down and say how he will play the
- cards to win the tricks and the opponents cannot prevent it.
- Leaving a Bid In - not bidding over the last non-passing bid made.
- Leg - points for tricks bid and made short of game to which more can be added.
- Major Suits - Spades and Suits
- Minimum Opening - to open with the minimum number of points required.
- Minimum Response - to respond with the minimum number of points required.
- Minor Suits - Diamonds and Clubs
- Misfit - when partners are short in each other's suits.
- Negative Double - a Takeout double for two unbid suits.
- New Suit Forcing - a requirement to bid again as long as partner bids a new suit
- NoTrump - a deal played without a trump suit; high card on a trick wins.
- Opening Bid - the first bid made other than passes.
- Optional Double - partner can treat it as a Penalty Double or Takeout Double.
- Overcall - a bid made after an opponent has opened. Also see "Jump Overcall".
- Overruff - to play a higher trump than one already played (on a non-trump lead).
- Overtake - to take the lead by playing a higher card than partner has played.
- Overtricks - tricks won in excess of the number bid.
- Part-Score - fewer points than are required for game.
- Penalty Double - a double made to collect points for setting the opponents.
- Phantom Sacrifice - to sacrifice when opponents couldn't have made their bid.
- Preemptive Bid - a bid designed to rob opponents of bidding space.
- Preference Bid - bidding one of partner's two suits.
- Quick Trick - a card holding assured of winning a trick. Eg: A or KQ.
- Redouble - quadruples the value of tricks made or set. See "Double".
- Responding - making a bid in response to partner's opening bid.
- Rubber - the end of a playing session, when one side wins two games.
- Rubber Bonus - bonus points for winning two games in a rubber.
- Ruff - to trump a trick. Also see Crossruff.
- Ruff-Sluff - to trump in one hand and discard a loser from the other.
- Ruffing Finesse - to lead a non-top card with the intention of ruffing if
- the opponent covers it and otherwise discarding a loser.
- Sacrifice - to overbid in order to keep opponents from bidding game or slam.
- Safety Play - to play so as to give up an overtrick to assure making the bid.
- Set A Contract - to keep opponents from making the number of tricks bid.
- Sign Off - to stop a bidding sequence by bidding the trump suit again.
- Singleton - being dealt one in a suit. See "Doubleton" and "Void".
- Slam - bidding and making 12 (Small Slam) or 13 (Grand Slam) tricks.
- Small - a low card. Eg: a holding of K and 2 would be called "king-small".
- S.O.S. Redouble - tells partner your bid is in trouble & to bid his best suit.
- Splinter Bid - a jump shift which shows trump support and a singleton or void
- in the suit bid.
- Split - the division of a suit between partners.
- Stayman - a 2C response to 1NT asking partner to bid a 4-card major.
- Stiff [honor] - holding a single honor. Eg: a "stiff king".
- Suit Rankings - from high to low: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.
- Takeout Double - a double which asks partner to bid his best suit.
- Tenace - a high and lower card with one or more cards missing in between.
- Transportation - the ability to shift the lead from one partner's hand to the
- other. Also see "Entry".
- Trick - a round of play of one card from each hand.
- Trump - the suit named in the final bid made, unless NoTrump was bid.
- Two-Suiter - a hand with two long suits. Eg: xx-xxxxx-xxxxx-x
- Unusual Notrump - a special bid for showing a two-suited hand.
- Void - being dealt no cards in a suit. See "Singleton" and "Doubleton".
- Vulnerable - when a side has won a game towards the rubber. When a side is
- vulnerable, they lose more points for going set.
- Weak Two Bid - a bid showing 6-12 HCP and a good 6-card suit.
- Yarborough - a hand with no cards higher than a 9.
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