Basics with Hazel

This lesson is the first in the series to discuss slam bidding. Hazel will introduce her students to Splinter bids. She will show you how having a singleton can help you make a trump suit slam with fewer than the typical 32 high card points.

Hazel will discuss how the opponents bidding affects how we show our fit for partner. She will introduce you to the concept of cue-bidding the opponents suit to show a good hand with support for partner. She will also discuss the concept of weak jump raises in competition. This critical subject is a must learn for every bridge player. 

After opener’s rebid, responder conveys an important message of sign off, invite or game force. One of the most common mistakes in bridge happens on opener’s next call. In this class Hazel will review all of the bids leading up to opener’s 3rd bid and then discuss when opener should take a very descriptive 3rd call and when they should pass.

When opener has more than a minimum opening bid, they use their rebid to convey their strength to partner. Hazel begins by reviewing what to open with strong hands and then she breaks down the different types of rebids one by one. This lesson covers 18-19 balanced, showing a fit, strong one suited hands, strong jump shifts and reverses.

When opener is balanced, they must try to describe their point count to partner. Our point ranges are split into many point ranges: 12-14, 15-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-24. This class discusses what to open with your balanced hands and how to respond

When we are too strong to open at the one level, we use our strong, artificial and forcing 2C Opening Bid. This class discusses the hand types we open 2C, what our responses mean and how to proceed

Part of being a tough opponent is taking away your opponents bidding room. Having a good long suit gives us the safety to do so. This class discusses the requirements for opening weak two bids and 3 level preempts. Hazel talks about how to respond to weak two bids as well as when to stay out of trouble.

The takeout doubler has given a message to their partner with the initial double. This class discusses how the takeout doubler should continue at their next turn. We discuss the Power double (Super Duper Double) along with a lot of discussion about respecting partner’s range.

In this critical subject, we continue discussing how to deal with the opponents overcalls. The negative double was a way for responder to get involved in the auction, now it is opener’s responsibility to react. This class discusses what opener should do with a fit and without a fit.

Perhaps the most important and common convention in bridge. When the opponents overcall we need a good way to uncover major suit fits. Negative doubles are that tool. Every bridge player needs to play negative doubles. This class discusses what the requirements are for the negative double and how they change by level.

Unlike overcalls, takeout doubles do not have a long suit to fall back on for tricks. We need to have a full opening hand to enter the opponents auction with a takeout double. This class discusses the range and distributions required along with how to react to partner’s takeout double.

Aggressive overcalling is a big part of being a tough opponent. There is a major difference between one level overcalls and two level overcalls. This class discusses those differences along with how our reactions to overcalls differ from our reactions to opening bids.

When responder has an opening hand, they need to make sure they reach game. Fourth Suit Game Forcing is a tool which gives responder the flexibility to take the bidding slowly and find the right final contract. This class talks all about responder’s responsibilities and how opener should react to the fourth suit

When Opener rebids 1NT they are denying a 4 card fit for responder’s major and showing 12-14 points. When Responder is interested in game, they may need a way to ask opener for more information. New minor forcing is the way. This class teaches you another necessary convention to add to your convention card.

Jacoby Transfers are a partner in crime with Stayman. We use Jacoby when we have 5+ cards in a major. Transfers allow responder to escape from 1NT with a weak hand as well as show their major on their way towards game. This class talks about how to use Jacoby Transfers and how to follow up after using it.

This is our introduction to conventional bidding. Stayman is a tool we use to discover 4-4 major suit fits after NT. This class discusses how to use stayman, how to respond to stayman and how to react to opener’s response