Opening Bids: How to Start the Bridge Auction
Your opening bid is the first thing you tell partner — a single move that shows your strength and your shape. Get it right and the rest of the auction almost bids itself.
What an Opening Bid Tells Partner
The opening bid is the first call in the auction that isn’t a pass. It does two jobs at once: it announces that you hold a hand worth bidding, and it begins to describe that hand’s strength and shape. Everything partner does next is an answer to the picture you start painting here.
Because the opener speaks first, the bid is a promise. A one-of-a-suit opening promises an opening hand and at least a normal-length suit; a 1NT opening promises a balanced hand inside a narrow point range. Learn these promises and partner can trust every word you say.
Counting Your Hand
Before you can open, you value your hand. The standard method is the high-card point (HCP) count — the same scale used everywhere in bridge bidding.
High-Card Point Values
Roughly 12–13 high-card points is enough to open at the one level. Long suits add playing strength, so on shapely hands many players use the Rule of 20: open if your high-card points plus the lengths of your two longest suits add up to 20 or more.
The One-Level Suit Openings
With an opening hand that is not balanced enough for 1NT, you bid a suit. Open your longest suit first; with two five-card suits open the higher-ranking one, and with two four-card suits open the lower.
One-Level Suit Openings (12–21 points)
Opening 1NT and 2NT
A no-trump opening is the most descriptive bid in the game because it nails down both strength and shape in one move. A 1NT opening shows a balanced hand — no void, no singleton, at most one doubleton — with 15–17 high-card points. A 2NT opening shows the same balanced shape with a bigger 20–21 points.
Because the range is so tight, partner can take charge immediately. The full response structure — including Stayman and transfers — lives in our guide to responding to 1NT.
Strong and Weak Two-Level Openings
Opening at the two level says something special. The 2♣ opening is the strong, artificial bid — it shows a powerhouse of about 22+ points (or a hand within a trick or two of game) and forces partner to respond. It is the one opening that is never a contract proposal; it simply says "we may be heading for game or slam."
By contrast, 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠ are usually played as weak two-bids: a good six-card suit with only 6–10 points, designed to take up the opponents’ bidding room. Pre-emptive openings at the three and four level push the same idea further — see preemptive bidding.
A Worked Example
You pick up the hand below as dealer. What do you open?
Count first: two aces (8), one king (3), one queen-jack heart holding and a spade queen and club queen — 16 high-card points in total. The shape is 3-3-4-3, perfectly balanced. With 15–17 and no five-card major, this is a textbook 1NT opening. You describe the whole hand in one bid and hand the steering wheel to partner.
When to Open — and When to Pass
✓ Open the bidding when
- You have 12–13+ high-card points
- A shapely 11-count passes the Rule of 20
- You hold a good six-card suit for a weak two
✗ Pass instead when
- You have a flat 11 points or fewer
- Your points are soft — quacks (queens and jacks) with no aces
- Opening would leave you with no sensible rebid
Common Opening-Bid Mistakes
- Opening 1NT with a five-card major. Most partnerships open the major instead, so a five-card spade or heart suit isn’t lost in a no-trump opening.
- Overvaluing a flat 11-count. Without long suits the Rule of 20 fails — pass and wait for a better hand or a chance to compete later.
- Opening the wrong suit. Bid your longest suit first; opening a short suit out of order makes your rebid awkward and misleads partner about your shape.
- Forgetting 2♣ is artificial. A 2♣ opening says "huge hand," not "I have clubs." Reserve it for the genuine powerhouses.
Key Takeaways
- Open with about 12–13+ HCP, or a shapely hand that passes the Rule of 20.
- Bid your longest suit at the one level; open 1NT with a balanced 15–17.
- 2♣ is the strong, forcing opening; 2♦/2♥/2♠ are weak, pre-emptive.
- Always have a rebid ready before you open a suit.
- Soft, aceless 11-counts are usually a pass.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
About 12–13 high-card points opens at the one level. On shapely hands the Rule of 20 lets you open an 11-count if your points plus your two longest suit lengths reach 20.
Add your high-card points to the number of cards in your two longest suits. If the total is 20 or more, you have enough shape to open the bidding even with fewer than 12 points.
Open your longest suit first. With two five-card suits, open the higher-ranking one; with two four-card suits, open the lower-ranking one.
Open 1NT with a balanced hand — no void or singleton and at most one doubleton — and 15–17 high-card points. With 20–21 balanced, open 2NT instead.
A 2♣ opening is strong and artificial, showing roughly 22+ points or a hand close to game on its own. It says nothing about clubs and forces partner to respond.
Usually no. Without a long suit an 11-count fails the Rule of 20, and soft points such as queens and jacks play poorly. Pass and look to compete later.