L3 – Level 1 Suit Openings

If you hold 12 to 19 HCP and are unbalanced then you open at the 1 level and in a suit. 

12-19 Bid is a Wide Ranging Bid

Obvious

The Basics

Once the cards have been dealt

  1. Count up your HCP and
  2.  Determine “the shape” of your hand – Balanced / Unbalanced
  3. Can I Open ?
  4. What suit can I Bid

Some Examples

Basic Examples

4441 Shape Examples

Adding Points for Length

As mentioned earlier, Milton Work’s HCP are best used with balanced and semi balanced hands , for opening unbalanced hands there is mechanism that can be used to assist with determining the “corrected” HCP for suit opening.

That Rule is :-

If your holding is very unbalanced, for each suit that you hold more than 4 cards in you can “add an extra point for length” , for each card over 4.

Length Examples