Raise partner's suit when the two hands hold at least eight cards in it. Opposite a major opened in 2/1 Game Force, the bidding system these lessons use (five cards promised), you need three-card support; then raise to two with 6-10 dummy points, jump to three with 10-12 and four trumps, and with a weak hand and five trumps you may jump straight to game.
A raise is the most useful message you can send. It tells partner about the fit and your strength in one bid, and it leaves opener well placed to decide on game.
Acol players open 1♥ and 1♠ with four cards, so in Acol you normally want four-card support to raise. Three cards with a ruffing value is acceptable for a single raise.
Do You Have Support?
Count your trumps first and the points second.
- Partner opens 1♥ or 1♠ (five-card majors): three cards is support. Partner's five plus your three make eight.
- Partner opens 1♦: you want four or more diamonds, because 1♦ can be a four-card suit.
- Partner opens 1♣: you want five clubs, because 1♣ can be as short as three cards.
A four-card major comes first. Over 1♦ with four spades and four diamonds, reply 1♠: a major fit scores more, and partner can still raise diamonds later.
Counting Dummy Points
Once you know about a fit, short suits gain value: you will ruff losers there with your trumps while partner keeps the long ones. Add dummy points to your HCP for each short suit:
| Short suit | With four trumps | With three trumps |
|---|---|---|
| Void | 5 | 3 |
| Singleton | 3 | 2 |
| Doubleton | 1 | 1 |
Count dummy points only when you are supporting partner. Without a fit, a singleton in partner's suit is a weakness, not a strength.
How High to Raise
Your raise tells partner your range, and partner adds it to their own count:
| Your hand (dummy points) | Raise of 1♥ | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 6-10, three or more trumps | 2♥ | Single raise |
| 10-12, four trumps | 3♥ | Limit raise, invites game |
| Under 10 HCP, five trumps, short suit | 4♥ | Preemptive: to play, not a strong hand |
| 13 or more, four trumps | 2NT | Jacoby 2NT, forcing to game |
With three trumps and 10-12, reply 1NT first (forcing in 2/1) and jump to three of partner's major on the next turn, so partner knows the fit is eight cards and not nine. In SAYC, where 1NT is not forcing, the direct jump to 3♥ may have three or four trumps.
You can see what 2NT means in every system and what the jump to 4♥ means.
The jump to 4♥ is the bid beginners find strange: the weakest hand bids the highest. It works because you have many trumps and little defense, and the opponents probably have a good contract of their own. Make them guess at the five level.
Raising a Minor
Minor raises follow the same scale, 1♦ to 2♦ with 6-10 and 1♦ to 3♦ with about 10-12, but you raise a minor less often:
- Look for a major first. A four-card heart or spade suit comes before a diamond raise.
- Think about notrump. Game in a minor needs eleven tricks; 3NT needs nine. With a balanced hand, a notrump reply is often better.
Many partnerships swap the meanings of the minor raises: with inverted minors, 1♦ to 2♦ is the strong raise (10 or more) and 1♦ to 3♦ is weak. Agree with your partner which version you play.
Watch It in a Deal
North opens 1♥ and you are South. Count your dummy points before you raise.
You make a limit raise; partner accepts and bids game.
You hold 9 HCP and four hearts. Your singleton spade adds 3 dummy points, so you have 12: a limit raise to 3♥. Partner holds 14 HCP and five hearts, more than a minimum, and accepts with 4♥.
The play is easy to see. Declarer cashes the ♠A and ruffs both small spades in your hand. Those ruffs are the tricks your dummy points counted. Double-dummy analysis gives 4♥ eleven tricks, while 3NT takes only eight. A raise to 2♥ would have stopped short of a making game.
The Habit to Keep
Rule of ThumbCount trumps, then count dummy points, then make the one raise that shows your range. Partner decides on game from that bid, so a raise that is one level too low or too high gives partner the wrong number.
Practice: Raising Partner
Partner opens 1♠. Your bid?
Partner opens 1♠ (five or more spades). What do you bid?
Your hand:
Raises show up in almost every auction, so practice them on many hands. BridgeDummy bidding puzzles deal the hidden hands hundreds of times to fit the auction and solve every option double dummy, so you see how often a raise reaches the right contract.
Previous lesson: Lesson 14: Stayman and Transfers. Next lesson: Lesson 16: A New Suit in Reply. Full course: Bridge lessons for beginners.