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 "Road Signs" Limiting Hands by Marti Ronemus

Ever wonder why stop signs have eight sides? Back around 1900, drivers didn't need licenses, there were no defined lanes and no signs. As traffic increased, so did mayhem.

Enter a clever man (whose name has been lost to history) in the Mississippi transportation department. "What if," he suggested, "the shape of the sign denoted the danger level of the road ahead? The more sides, the more danger."

Round signs, with unlimited sides, were highest level danger (railroad crossings). Then the next most dangerous, intersections which earned eight-sided stop signs. Moving down the danger ladder, triangles for yield. And finally, rectangles for information like No Parking and street names. This made so much sense we still follow it.

And today, we're going to work on bids that show levels of caution.

Today we are going to work on identifying bids that LIMIT a hand to within 3-ish points. Also remember that once you've limited your hand, you should be VERY cautious about bidding again. Pard is in charge of initiating any more action and will have you walking on your own if you try to grab the captaincy.

Essentially there are three and a half kinds of limit bids. First, any rebid of an old suit by either partner limits the hand. Second, any bid of No-trump by anyone at any time in the auction is limiting. Third, pre-empts limit hands to usually 5-9 HCP. Finally, an initial pass is generally a limiting bid.

By the way, you won't have any hands to look at today. You'll be interpreting the bidding instead.

Ready to travel with us?

Question 1

  Your Hand
 
 
 
 
 
Q: 1 - Can you identify the first LIMIT bid?
No hand is given today, remember?
SouthWestNorthEast
--1Pass
1 No-trumpPass2Pass
PassPass


 Your choice:
A: 1 No-trump: The opening bid shows 12-21 pts. The 1 No-trump bid promises 6-9/10 pts and no interest in a major. When North then bids 2, he's showing a minimum opener and six Hearts. North could place the contract with confidence after South limits his hand.

Your result so far:
Open Question

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Question 2

  Your Hand
 
 
 
 
 
Q: 2 - Who's the first to show both a ceiling and a floor to their hand?
SouthWestNorthEast
--12
3PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: 2: You weren't fooled, were you? East's 2 bid is the first limit bid and is the same as if he preempted 2. It shows 5-9 HCP and a good six-card suit. The 3 bid also is a limiting bid, showing 10-12 HCP and no interest in a major. North has a minimum and no interest in No-trump OR a major.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 3

  Your Hand
 
 
 
 
 
Q: 3 - Can you avoid the "Lonely Street" by picking out the first limit bid?
SouthWestNorthEast
--1Pass
2Pass3Pass
4PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: 3: Rebids of old suits are limit bids, almost always showing points within 3. Our 3 bidder is showing 16-18 pts and six Hearts.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 4

  Your Hand
 
 
 
 
 
Q: 4 - How about this one? Who's the first to complete the picture of their hand?
SouthWestNorthEast
--PassPass
1Pass2Pass
PassPass


 Your choice:
A: Pass. North's first Pass defines this auction. He couldn't have more than 11 pts. When North bid 2, South knew his hand was limited to 10-11, and South elected to pass, leaving the contract in Diamonds. Remember, a new suit by a PASSED HAND is NOT forcing.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 5

  Your Hand
 
 
 
 
 
Q: 5 - Who's the first this time?
SouthWestNorthEast
--11
PassPass2Pass
PassPass


 Your choice:
A: 2: Because this bid is made after Pard's Pass, this shows an intermediate hand. You'd have to have extra to bid a new suit after Pard's pass. South continues to Pass, showing a wretched hand that likes Diamonds better.

We've done so well on this that we're walking hand in hand with Pard. What will happen when we take on a hand?

Your result so far:
Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

Overall Results

Your results:   out of    Average: 

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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