|
Compelled to bid?
Hmm, perhaps partner's sad, holding game going values
On a really bad day, this hand goes way down
Trying to hit the ball out of the park
Like Mom said, play fair |
Is there a rule that states that if the first bidder has 14 HCP they MUST
open the bidding?
No, there is nothing in the Laws of Bridge that states a player must open
the bidding (Law 18).
Of course, it would be very unusual for a player with almost one-third of
the deck's total points in one hand to Pass, but it's always their option.
Perhaps someone meant to say a basic "rule of thumb" is that a hand with 14
HCP "should" open the bidding (to ensure they have an opportunity to make a
game.
Certainly Duplicate players would never Pass with a 14 point hand. A
terrible hand might be without any controls:
Q J 2 Q J 2 K J 2 K J 2
Yet I've seen some Rubber Bridge players Pass decent hands with good
results. When Rubber Bridge partners are a considerable distance behind in
the Rubber, they might deliberately Pass a nice 14 point hands in 3rd or 4th
seat. This may be a good tactic when a lot of points are needed to catch
up, hoping the cards will allow the partners to find a big game or maybe
even a slam!
Anyway, it's always the players right to Pass any hand, provided it's done
so for ethical reasons. But it's a breach of the
Laws of Bridge to
make bids or plays that are not sportman-like (doing so to annoy opponents',
prolong play, fail to compete, etc). |
