Hoyle Classic uses a semi-modern bidding system that features:
- 15-17 HCP 1NT opening bids
- 5 card majors with convenient minors
- 20-22 HCP 2NT opening bids
- take-out doubles over 1 and 2 bids
- cue bids strong and forcing
- negative doubles
- strong jump shifts
- preemptive jump overcalls
- limit raises
- strong artificial 2 club opening bids with 2 diamonds the negative response and cheapest minor the second negative response
- other 2 of a suit openings are weak showing 6-11 points and a 6 card suit with 2NT response by partner asking for a side ace or king
- Stayman
- Blackwood
- Gerber over NT openings or if a 2 clubs opener rebids 2NT.
Explanations of Conventions
Bridge is a complex game. If you are a beginner, it is recommended that you get an introductory Bridge book from your library or bookstore or that you take lessons.
- Major suits are hearts and spades.
- Minor suits are diamonds or clubs.
- NT is short for no-trump.
- HCP is short for high card points and uses the formula: 4 for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen, and 1 for a jack.
- No-trump Openers: 1NT and 2NT opening bids will be balanced hands with no singletons, voids, or 6+ card suits. 2NT opening bids will have all suits stopped. 3NT opening bids will be based more on tricks than HCP's and will usually have a long minor suit.
- Opening bids of 1 of a major will almost always have 5 cards or more in that suit.
- Without a 5 card major suit and with a hand that cannot open 1NT the computer will bid 1 of the longest minor suit.
- Limit raises show about 10-12 points with primary support of opener's suit.
Primary support is 3 cards to the queen (or higher) or any 4 cards if the suit is a major, and 4 cards to an honor or any 5 cards if the suit is a minor.
- A jump to 2NT after partner opened 1 of a suit shows 13-15 HCP and denies primary support of opener's suit. A jump to 3NT after 1 of a suit shows 16-17 HCP and all other suits stopped and no support.
- A takeout double of an opponent's suit shows support for the unbid suits, especially the unbid majors, and at least an opening hand. Some "strength" doubles will be made with less support but more strength (for example, 16 HCP but not having 4 cards in both unbid majors).
- A cue bid is a direct bid of opponent's suit. For example, if your right hand opponent opened 1 spade, your cue bid of 2 spades shows an extremely good hand, generally with 20+ HCP. Cue bids also show good hands when responding to partner's takeout double.
- A negative double occurs after partner has opened the bidding and your right hand opponent has overcalled. It shows good values, generally at least 8 HCP for a 1 level double, 10+ HCP for a 2+ level double, and promises at least 4 cards in any unbid majors.
- A strong jump shift (1C by partner, 2S by you) shows a good hand that is forcing to at least game. It generally also shows a good suit (5+ cards) but might be shorter if you have support for partner's first suit and want to create the game force first thing.
- A preemptive jump overcall shows at least a 6 card suit with a hand too weak to have much interest in any other suit as trumps. It is more used to hinder opponent's bidding than to help your own bidding.
2 clubs is the strongest bid in Hoyle Classic: Bridge. 2NT by responder shows 8+ HCP and no 5 card suit. Any suit bid shows a 5 card suit with 6+ HCP. 2D shows a hand weaker than those.
If the 2C opener jump shifts (2C-2D-3S) he is creating a game force; responder must raise that suit with any kind of support. The cheaper minor is the 2nd negative. After 2C-2D-2S, 3C by responder would show a hand with 0-3 HCP and no 5 cards suit.
Opening bids of 2D, 2H, or 2S show 6 card suits with 6-11 HCP. A 2NT response asks opener to bid the suit if any that has a side ace or king. If there are none he rebids the suit. These bids are both preemptive and constructive. Opening bids of 3 or more of a suit are purely preemptive, promising 7 or more cards in that suit and plenty of tricks if that suit is trump. Hoyle Classic preempts are quite disciplined.
Stayman, Blackwood, and Gerber are all standard conventions. Stayman and Gerber are used only after no-trump. A bid of 2C after 1NT or 3C after 2NT asks the no-trump bidder to bid diamonds cheaply if he doesn't have a 4 card major, or to bid the 4 card major if he has one. A jump to 4C after 1NT or 2NT (or 2C-2x-2NT-4C) asks opener how many aces.
He would bid 4D with 0 aces, 4H with 1, 4S with 2, and 4NT with 3. Blackwood is the more widely used ace asking bid. A jump to 4NT pretty much at any time during the auction except after no-trump opening bids asks how many aces partner has. 5C shows 0 or 4 aces, 5D shows 1 ace, 5H shows 2 aces, and 5S shows 3 aces.
Note: The foregoing conventions can be found in ASCII text form in the file "hlpconv.txt".
Objective
The objective of Bridge (stated simply) is to win at least as many tricks as you bid if you won the bidding auction, or to prevent your opponents from making their bid if they won the bidding auction. Bridge is a partnership game. There are two major stages to Bridge:
1) the auction, and
2) the play of the hand.
Beginning with the dealer, each player in turn may make one of the following three types of calls: bid, pass, or double, redouble.
- BID: When you make a bid, you agree to take 6 tricks plus the number of the bid if that bid becomes the contract. All bids must be higher than the most recent bid. Suits are ranked as follows (from lowest to highest): clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, no trump. Thus, a bid of one heart is higher than a bid of one club. A bid of the two clubs is higher than a bid of one heart.
- PASS: When you do not want to bid, you may pass. The auction continues until there are three consecutive passes unless no bid has been made in the auction in which case the fourth player gets a chance to bid. If the fourth player passes, the hand folds. The highest bid after three consecutive passes is the contract.
- DOUBLE, REDOUBLE: A player may double an opponent's bid which means he doesn't contest his opponent's bid, but wishes that scoring be doubled if that bid wins the auction. You may not double your partner. If the last call was double and an opponent made the call, you may redouble your opponent's double. Redoubled bids quadruple the scoring of the last bid if it becomes the contract. Doubling and redoubling do not affect the ranking of the bids.
- THE PLAY OF THE HAND - The declarer is the first member of a partnership to bid the suit (or no trump) that wins the auction. The declarer plays both his own hand and his partner's hand (known as the dummy). The player on the declarer's left leads the first card. Thereafter, the winner of a trick leads the first card of the next trick.
- After the first card is led to the first trick, all of the dummy's cards are turned face up for all players to see. Each hand plays one card to the trick. Players must follow suit if possible. The highest trump card on a trick wins the trick. If there is not a trump card on the trick then the highest card of the suit led wins the trick.
Options
DUMMY BUTTON: Never Dummy: Play declarer hand when partner is declarer. Can Be Dummy: Partner plays as declarer. Double Dummy: Play all hands.
RANDOM/PRE-SAVED BUTTON: If set to "Pre-Saved Hands" you will be asked at the beginning of each hand if you would like to play a saved hand.
Rebidding of the hand will take place after the trick is complete.
REBID HAND BUTTON: You may rebid the same hand. Note: If selected during the play of the hand, it will take effect only after a trick is completed.
A redeal will take place after the current trick is complete. It is too soon to redeal. Try again after the bidding begins.
REDEAL BUTTON: You may deal a new hand. The score will be unchanged. Note: This option will take effect at the end of a trick if chosen in the middle of a trick.
Replaying of the hand will take place after the trick is completed.
REPLAY HAND BUTTON: You may play the same contract over again. Note: This option will take effect at the end of a trick if in the middle of a trick.
Bidding can be reviewed after the bidding is complete.
REVIEW BIDDING BUTTON: You may review the current hand's bidding after the bidding is complete but before the end of the hand.
SAVE BUTTON: You may save a hand for later retrieval. To restore a hand, the "Pre-Saved Hand" Button must be on. Hands are restored at the start of a hand.
SORT BUTTON: Ascending By Suit: Cards are arranged from lowest on left to highest. Descending By Suit: Cards are arranged from highest on left to lowest.
Scoring
Scoring for Bridge is fairly complicated and it is recommended that you refer to the Hoyle Classic Card Games documentation for a complete discussion of the scoring. Generally, teams try to score 100 game points per game to win the game. After either team wins two games, the rubber (a Bridge match) is over. In addition to winning game points, there are various other bonuses that players can earn. The winner of the rubber is the team that has the most total points after the rubber ends.
