Bridge Bidding Cheat Sheet: The Complete Quick Reference

You’ve played 500 hands and you still Google “how many points to open 1NT.” This bridge bidding cheat sheet fixes that.

Most reference material online is either too basic (here’s what a spade is) or locked behind an email signup. This page is meant to be bookmarked and used. It covers opening ranges, response decisions, key convention triggers, rebid meanings, and slam zones in one place. No fluff, no gate.

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Opening Bid Ranges: The Bridge Bidding Chart

The first decision in any auction. Before you touch a card, you need to know whether your hand qualifies to open, and at what level.

One-of-a-suit openings

Hand Type	HCP Range	Requirements
1♣, 1♦, 1♥, 1♠	12–21 HCP	4+ cards in suit (1♣/1♦: can be 3-card ♣ in some systems)
Strong 2♣	22+ HCP	Artificial, game-forcing; OR 9+ playing tricks
Weak 2♦, 2♥, 2♠	6–11 HCP	6-card suit, good internal quality

On borderline 12-count hands: Count distribution. A 12-HCP hand with a 6-card suit is an opener. A 12-HCP hand with 4-3-3-3 distribution is borderline. The Rule of 20 (HCP + length of two longest suits ≥ 20) helps you decide.

1NT opening

Bid	HCP Range	Shape
1NT	15–17 HCP	Balanced: 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2
2NT	20–21 HCP	Balanced
3NT	25–27 HCP	Balanced (rare, usually bid via 2♣)

No singletons. No voids. If your hand has a singleton, open a suit instead.

See 1NT Opening for full treatment of 1NT decisions, including when a five-card major changes things.

Preemptive openings

Bid	HCP Range	Suit Requirements
Weak 2 (2♦/2♥/2♠)	6–11 HCP	Good 6-card suit
3-level preempt	5–10 HCP	7-card suit
4-level preempt	4–9 HCP	8-card suit

The goal is to make life hard for the opponents, not to show a particular HCP range. Suit quality matters more than point count when preempting.

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For a complete introduction to the bidding process, see our guide to bridge bidding for beginners.

Response Decision Tree

You’ve heard partner open. Now what? Your first job is to figure out which zone you’re in.

Point zones for responder

Responder’s HCP	Zone	General Direction
0–5	Trash	Pass, or signal weakness
6–9	Minimum	Single raise or 1-level response
10–12	Invitational	Two raises, 2NT, or invite to game
13+	Game-forcing	Drive to game
16+	Slam interest	Consider slam investigation

After partner opens 1-of-a-major (1♥ or 1♠)

• 6–9 HCP, 3-card support: Single raise (1♥ – 2♥)
• 10–12 HCP, 3-card support: Limit raise (1♥ – 3♥, invitational)
• 13+ HCP, 3+ card support: Jacoby 2NT (game-forcing raise)
• 6+ HCP, no fit: Bid a new suit at the 1-level (forcing) or 2-level (game-forcing in 2/1)
• 6–9 HCP, balanced, no fit: 1NT response (not forcing over 1♥; forcing over 1♠ in some systems)

After partner opens 1NT

This is where Stayman and transfers live. See the Conventions section below.

After partner opens 1♣ or 1♦

• 6+ HCP: Bid up the line (1♦ → 1♥ → 1♠ by priority)
• 13+ HCP: Force to game; a 2/1 response commits to game
• Balanced 8–9 HCP: Raise to 2NT (invitational)
• Balanced 10–12 HCP: Raise to 3NT (but check for major fits first)

The key principle: when in doubt, bid your suits in order. The auction will sort out the fit.

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Key Convention Triggers

Conventions aren’t just tools to memorize. They’re questions you ask when specific situations arise. Here are the four you’ll need at every club session.

Stayman: “Do you have a 4-card major?”

When to use it: Partner opens 1NT. You have 8+ HCP and at least one 4-card major (hearts or spades).

The bid: 2♣ (artificial, asking)

Responses:

Opener’s Reply	Meaning
2♦	No 4-card major
2♥	4+ hearts
2♠	4+ spades (no 4-card heart suit, or equal majors)

Stayman requires 8+ HCP. Using Stayman with 5 points hoping to escape to 2♠ is a trap. You might end up in 2♠ on a 4-3 fit, which is usually worse than 1NT. See Stayman convention for the full picture.

Jacoby 2NT: game-forcing major raise

When to use it: Partner opens 1♥ or 1♠. You have 4+ card support and a game-forcing hand (13+ HCP, or a good 12 with distribution).

The bid: 2NT (after 1♥ or 1♠)

What it shows: Game force with trump support. You’re not asking a question. You’re telling opener you have a fit and enough for game. The auction continues to describe hand strength and shape.

See Jacoby 2NT for opener’s rebids after the 2NT response.

Blackwood: “How many aces do you hold?”

When to use it: You’re in a forcing auction and want to check for aces before bidding slam. Typically bid at the 4NT level.

The bid: 4NT (after suit agreement)

Responses (standard Blackwood, not RKCB):

Response	Meaning
5♣	0 or 4 aces
5♦	1 ace
5♥	2 aces
5♠	3 aces

Don’t use Blackwood when: you have a void, you’re missing two aces and will have to stop at the 5-level, or the trump suit hasn’t been agreed. Bidding 4NT without a clear trump suit is messy.

Gerber: “How many aces after a notrump opening?”

When to use it: Partner opens 1NT or 2NT and you want to check aces directly.

The bid: 4♣ (in response to a notrump bid)

Responses: Same structure as Blackwood, but shifted: 4♦ = 0/4, 4♥ = 1, 4♠ = 2, 4NT = 3.

Gerber is for notrump auctions. Blackwood is for suit auctions. Don’t use them interchangeably.

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Common Rebid Meanings

Opener’s second bid tells responder where the hand sits after learning more about the partnership.

After 1♥ – 1♠ (responder bid a new suit at the 1-level)

Opener’s Rebid	Meaning
2♥	Minimum (12–15 HCP), 6+ hearts
2♠	4-card spade support, any opener strength
1NT	12–14 HCP, balanced, no spade fit
2NT	18–19 HCP, balanced
3♥	Invitational (15–17 HCP), 6+ hearts
2♣ or 2♦	New suit, 4+ cards, forcing
Reverse (2♠ after 1♦ – 2♣, etc.)	16+ HCP, forcing

After 1NT – 2♣ (Stayman) – 2♦ (no major)

If responder now bids 2♥ or 2♠, that’s invitational (showing a 5-card suit). Opener with a fit and max accepts; otherwise passes or bids 2NT.

The “reverse” warning

A reverse is when opener bids a higher-ranking suit at the 2-level than the suit opened (for example: 1♦ – pass – 1♠ – pass – 2♥). This shows 16+ HCP and is forcing. Responder cannot pass.

See Opener’s Rebid for the full table.

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Quick-Reference Slam Zones

Slam bidding is where a lot of points get left on the table. Or where you go down in an unmakeable 6NT because you didn’t count.

HCP thresholds for slam

Contract	Typical Combined HCP	Notes
3NT	~25 HCP	Game in notrump
4♥ / 4♠	~26 HCP	Game in a major
5♣ / 5♦	~29 HCP	Game in a minor (often skip to slam)
6NT / 6♥ / 6♠	~33 HCP	Small slam
7NT / 7♥ / 7♠	~37 HCP	Grand slam

These are partnership totals, not your hand alone. A 16-point opener and a 17-point responder have 33 combined: small slam territory.

Before you bid slam, check:

1. Aces: Can they cash two aces against you? Use Blackwood (suit) or Gerber (notrump) to check
2. Trump quality: If you’re in a suit slam, do you have enough trumps? A 7-card fit in a poor suit can fail on bad breaks
3. Controls in short suits: Singletons and voids can be assets. Bare queens in opponents’ suits are liabilities.

The 5-level rule: If you’re missing two aces, don’t use Blackwood. You’ll find out you’re missing two aces and have to stop at the 5-level, which may be higher than game. Figure out the aces situation before you commit to the 5-level.

For deeper reading: Bidding Slams.

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Want to Test Your Bidding Decisions?

A cheat sheet tells you the rules. Knowing when to break them, or how to apply them when your hand doesn’t fit the table neatly, takes practice.

Want personalized feedback on your bidding decisions? Practice hands with Brian, Bridgetastic’s AI coach, and get instant analysis. No partner required. Brian walks through the reasoning behind each bid: why it works, where the judgment calls are, and what experienced players do differently.

Practice with Brian →

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📚 Further Reading:

• Bridge Bidding for Beginners, Full guide to bidding fundamentals
• Bridge Bidding 101, The essentials every beginner needs
• How to Respond to a 1NT Opening, Stayman, transfers, and raises
• Bridge Bidding Conventions Cheat Sheet, Quick reference for Stayman, Jacoby, and more