Precision bidding in bridge

Return to the Bridge Burglar’s Guide to Bidding Conventions

There are several different kinds of  precision bidding systems in use around the tournament circuit, but in the best-known one, players open all 11-point hands (some people play a modified version in which they even open all 10-point hands).

They consider an average hand (10 or 11 out of the 40 high-card points in the deck) a good starting point for the auction and try to find out exactly how many points they have between them, and what the suit distribution is.

As with many modern artificial bids, players using the precision system are often trying to communicate two different things with one bid, in effect getting two for the price of one.

This in the most common form of precision bidding:

• A 1 Club opening means a hand of 16-plus high-card points (roughly equivalent to 1 No-Trump in Standard American)
• A 1 Diamond opening bid means 11-15 points with at least 3 Diamonds
• A 1 Heart or a 1 Spade opening bid means 11-15 points with a five-card major
• A 1 No-Trump opening bid means 13-15 points with no five-card major, and
• A 2 Clubs opening bid means 11-15 high-card points with at least 6 Clubs — or 5 Clubs and a 4-card major.

It is not recommended that beginners experiment with precision bidding systems until they gain more experience.

A standard joke around the circuit is that the “Precision” is often anything but.

There are several different kinds of “precision” bidding systems in use around the tournament circuit, but in the best-known one, players open all 11-point hands (some people play a modified version in which they even open all 10-point hands).

They consider an average hand (10 or 11 out of the 40 high-card points in the deck) a good starting point for the auction and try to find out exactly how many points they have between them, and what the suit distribution is.

As with many modern artificial bids, players using the precision system are often trying to communicate two different things with one bid, in effect getting two for the price of one.

This in the most common form of precision bidding:

• A 1 Club opening means a hand of 16-plus high-card points (roughly equivalent to 1 No-Trump in Standard American)
• A 1 Diamond opening bid means 11-15 points with at least 3 Diamonds
• A 1 Heart or a 1 Spade opening bid means 11-15 points with a five-card major
• A 1 No-Trump opening bid means 13-15 points with no five-card major, and
• A 2 Clubs opening bid means 11-15 high-card points with at least 6 Clubs — or 5 Clubs and a 4-card major.

It is not recommended that beginners experiment with precision bidding systems until they gain more experience.

A standard joke around the circuit is that the “Precision” is often anything but.

Return to the Bridge Burglar’s Guide to Bidding Conventions