You think your family has traditions? Well, how about this. Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans is the oldest continuously family-run restaurant in the US. It started 173 years ago by two French immigrants who arrived penniless, but through hard work and talent, created an empire that is in its fifth generation. And the sixth generation is in training!
AND!! Remember, you can't make it that long unless you're doing something very right. Their food is world-class and known throughout the world.
In the bridge world, a long-standing tradition in bidding is the Limit Raise. Useful, easy.
Here's the scoop. You are responder and your Pard opened a major. You've got an intermediate hand of 10-12 points and four-card trump support. The Limit Raise enables you to tell your partner whether you are holding three card support or four.
With four-card support, we jump to three of the major: 1♥ - 3♥ says Pard, I have 10-12 points and four trump.
With three-card support, we bid another suit and then support the major fit: 1♠ - 2♣ - 2♦ (for example) - 2♠. The delayed support shows 10-12 points and THREE card support. Remember, we've already shown 10-plus points by bidding 2♣, so Pard won't think we only have 6-9.
Why is this such a nice bid? When we limit our hand to 10 - 12 points, Pard may be on the fence whether to go to game or not. Knowing there is a ninth trump may be just the information he needs.
Ready to make this bid a family tradition?
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