Weak Bids

Question 1

What is the primary requirement for making a weak 2 bid?

Answer 1

You should have:

• a good 6 card suit ( 3 of top 5 honours if vulnerable, slightly less if not V)
• less than 13 points.

Question 2

What constitutes a ‘good’ hand for a weak 2 bid?

Answer 2

A good ‘weak 2’ hand will have:

• 5 to 13 points
• 3 of the top 5 honours

Question 3

When should you definitely have a ‘good’ hand make a Weak 2 Opening bid?

Answer 3

If you are Vulnerable, you should have a ‘good’ hand.

A good hand means that you have 3 of the top 5 honours in your suit.

Question 4

When can you get away with having slightly less than a ‘good’ hand when making a Weak 2 Opening bid?

Answer 4

If you aren’t Vulnerable, you can have slightly less than a ‘good’ hand.

Examples might be:
K-J-9-x-x-x or
Q-J-9-x-x-x or
A-10-9-x-x-x

Question 5

What difference is there in deciding whether to make a Weak 2 bid if you’re sitting in the 3rd position?

Answer 5

You may make a Weak 2 bid when sitting in 3rd position with:

• only 5 cards in the suit
• but you have a good hand (like K-Q-J-x-x)

Question 6

When do you open with a Weak 2 bid when your sitting in the 4th position?

Answer 6

Very, very rarely. It’s better just to pass out of the hand.

Question 7

R’s Response to a Weak 2 Opening:
- R raises O’s suit to Game

What should O’s next bid be?

Answer 7

After 
- a Weak 2 Opening and
- R's response at Game level
O should:
- O is expected to Pass
- R wants to play O's suit

Question 8

• O makes a weak 2 opening bid
  
  • R responds with a new suit below game level (R is showing a 5+ card suit)

What should O’s next bid be?

Answer 8

After-

• a Weak 2 Opening and
• R’s response of a new suit bid less than Game

O should:

1) with 3 card support or doubleton honour
- O should raise R’s suit
2) with no fit
- - 2a) with Minimum Points (5 - 8) rebid original suit
- - 2b) with Maximum Points (9- 12) bid
- a new suit or
- NT

Question 9

Why would you consider raising your Opener’s Weak 2 bid even though you have insufficient points?

Answer 9

If you have several (3+) of partner’s suit and a weak hand, it might make sense to raise Opener’s Weak 2 Opening to higher level or even Game level.

Because you and opener have length in the same suit, it’s quite possible that Opps could have a Game or Slam possibility in the other suits. A preemptive Game bid might be appropriate. With 10 of the suit, you could make Game or just go down one or two tricks.

Question 10

What hand valuation method should R use when considering a response to a Weak 2 or 3 Opening?

Answer 10

R should consider the Trick Taking potential of the combined hands rather than relying on HCP counts.

Question 11

Before R responds to a Weak bid, what goal should he have in mind?

Answer 11

If R responds to a Weak 2 or 3 Opening, it should be because he thinks it will be possible to make Game with the Trick Taking potential of the partners combined hands.

Question 12

When can the partnership relax the requirements for making Weak opening bids and responses?

Answer 12

If the partnership is Not Vulnerable they can relax the strictest requirements for making Weak Bids and Responses.

Question 13

When would R consider bidding a New Suit in response to a Weak 2 or 3 Opening?

Answer 13

It is unusual for R to bid a new suit after a weak opening, but sometimes it can be appropriate.

R would need strong alternate suit of 6+ cards (plus some sort of fit with O’s opening weak suit).

Points aren’t the real consideration - you’d be thinking about the trick taking potential of the combined hands instead.

Question 14

• O opens with a Weak 2 or 3 bid.
• R responds with a New Suit.

What does that mean and what should O do?

Answer 14

It is unusual for R to bid a new suit after a Weak opening. R must have some special circumstance that makes him think they cam make Game. Therefore O should support R if possible.

R has a strong alternate suit and thinks the partnership can make game.

O should:

• with a ‘weak’ weak hand (5 - 8 pts) O should rebid his original suit
• with a ‘strong’ weak hand (9+ points) O should
  
  • with support (3 cards), rebid R’s new suit
  • with no support bid 3NT

Question 15

What type of response is a NT to a Weak 2 Opening bid?

Answer 15

Responder’s NT Response to a NT bid is a ‘Conventional’ bid. It signals the use of a convention not a natural bid.

A weak opening shows a low point count. Playing in NT is not an option.

• With a ‘weak’ weak hand (less than 9 pts) O rebids his original suit.
• With a ‘strong’ weak hand (9+ pts) O bids 3NT or a new suit (the new suit would be one with some feature such as an A or K).

Question 16

O opens with a Weak 2 bid. R responds with a 2NT bid. What does that bid by R mean?

Answer 16

A NT response to a Weak 2 opening is a Conventional response.

R is asking how strong O’s ‘weak’ hand is.

Question 17

O opens 2D, 2H or 2S: R responds 2NT.

What are O’s possible responses?

Answer 17

If O has:

• (a weak hand) 5-9 points: rebid O’s his original suit
• 9+ points and a second sjit: Bid a second suit with a feature (A or K)
• 9 + points and no 2nd sit: Bid 3NT

Question 18

What ‘Rule’ applies to considering opening with a Weak bid?

Answer 18

The Rule of 2 or 3:

A weak opening is by definition preemptive. You are trying to interfere with Opps bidding. You may well go down - but you don’t want to lose more points than if Oops had bid and made a Game contract.

Therefore, you should be able so to see how you would not loose your contract by:

• more than 3 tricks if you’re not vulnerable or
• more than 2 tricks if you are vulnerable.

Question 19

What are the 2 most usual responses R will make to O’s opening Weak bid? What is the third, much more unusual response?

Answer 19

In response to a Weak opening bid, R will usually

• Pass
• Raise O’s opening suit in expectation of either
  
  • Making Game in O’s suit or
  • Making it more difficult for Oops to overbid the O
• in rare cases, R will bid a new suit with the expectation of making Game.