2/5/23 (60 min)
In the balancing seat we usually “borrow a king” from our partner. Since NT bids are precisely defined this point change to our hand dramatically affects our bidding. Here we look at our balancing NT bids and the followup bidding that partner makes.
12/5/22 (65 min)
The modern system for bidding when we have a fit for partner's minor, called inverted minors, works on improving our ability to look for game or slam in a minor suit -- which is the most common time we want to support a minor suit. Make sure you and partner have a good grasp of these methods, both for playing them and playing against them.
12/12/22 (66 min)
One of the most powerful tools we have in competitive bidding is the preemptive raise. When we have a minor suit fit the opponents will often have a major suit fit. We want to make it as difficult as possible for them to find that fit and using preemptive raises is one the best ways to make their life difficult.
12/19/22 (69 min)
There are certain minor suit hands that can play extremely well in NT contracts. If evaluated correctly these hands can be bid in a way that makes the auction relatively simple. Let's make sure that you do not torture your partner with these hands when you could keep it simple and get to the right contract.
12/27/22 (63 min)
When we have a good hand and a minor suit fit then we may want to explore a minor suit slam. Part of the art form of minor suit slam bidding is using tools to explore slam while keeping a NT contract in the picture. Here we look at how to use these tools and better judge our minor suit slam.
5/23/22 (70 min)
When we find a fit and are interested in exploring game we should do more than just guess how many to bid. We use game tries to work together with partner to make a cooperative decision and determine if they have the right cards. Here we look at how to make use of these methods.
5/31/22 (64 min)
Though Help Suit Game Tries are the "standard" method of exploring slam there are sometimes that we wish we could show shortness, not just ask for help. Here we look at how to make use of showing shortness and the complete method of Kokish Game Tries (shortness or help).
6/6/22 (61 min)
When partner opens the bidding in the 3rd seat they could have a lot of different hand types. Here we look at what partner could have and our options for responding to it. It's important not to punish partner for being creative in the 3rd seat.
6/13/22 (62 min)
Some hands are all about who "gets there first". That means the hand is a race. Here we look at both how to recognize these hands and how to win the race -- both in the bidding and the play.
6/20/22 (62 min)
Some hands are about being patient and not acting too quickly. These hands are delicate and require effectively making use of our bidding space and/or tempos in the card play. Here we look at how to recognize and handle them.
