DEPO bridge convention

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This is an offensive bidding convention designed to deal with interference during the process of asking for Aces with Blackwood, Gerber or Roman Key Cards (RKC) conventions. It is an acronym that stands for Double=Even, Pass=Odd.

For example: North bids 4 No-Trump to ask for Aces or Key Cards and the North-South pair appears headed for a Slam in one of the minors.  At this point East interferes with a 5 Spades bid (he has a long Spade suit and he isn’t vulnerable), preventing South from giving his normal response. If the partners are playing DEPO, a double means “I have an even number of Aces (or keycards),” and a Pass bid means “I have an odd number of Aces (or keycards).”

This is an ideal case for using DEPO (rather than DOPI) because the opponents’ suit is higher than the minor suit in which pair that opened the auction is seeking a Slam. By doubling or passing in the DEPO system, you get the option of telling your partner how many Aces you have and stay at the 5 level. You and your partner preserve all options of either bidding the Slam or collecting a huge Down score from doubling the opponents who dares stick their necks out with obviously inferior hands.

Return to the Bridge Burglar’s Guide to Bridge Bidding Conventions

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