Calculating Support Points for Game Bidding

Count high-card points at the start of the auction. Once an eight-card or better trump fit is established, reassess your hand for ruffing values. Shortages are especially useful in the supporting hand when you have enough trumps to use them.

Support-point guidelines

One commonly used scale, most useful with four-card support for partner’s major, is:

• Void: add five points.
• Singleton: add three points.
• Doubleton: add one point.

Different partnerships and teaching methods use different scales. With only three trumps, evaluate shortages more cautiously. A combined total around 25 points is a useful game guideline, not a guarantee. Use a raise that fits your system.

A worked example: Re-evaluating seven HCP

Partner opens 1♠ in a system promising five spades.

Your hand (responder):
♠ K 10 8 4
♥ — (void)
♦ Q 8 6 5 2
♣ Q 7 4 2
Seven HCP, four spades and a heart void.

The ♠K and two queens give seven HCP. Adding five for the void gives about twelve support points on this scale. Opposite a minimum twelve-point opening, that is about 24 combined points, not a guaranteed game. Show an invitational raise using your agreed methods; partner can accept with suitable extras. Your four trumps and void improve the hand, but do not justify an automatic jump to 4♠.

Four common mistakes

• Adding shortage points before confirming a fit.
• Using shortage points to evaluate a no-trump contract.
• Double-counting the same distribution by adding both long-suit and short-suit points indiscriminately.
• Valuing a shortage equally with three trumps and with four-card support.

When the rule does not apply

Honours in short suits may be overvalued. A singleton king is not automatically worth both its full three HCP and three shortage points. Also consider whether partner’s strength is wasted opposite your shortage, and whether you have enough trumps and entries to make useful ruffs.

Key takeaways

• Re-evaluate after establishing an appropriate trump fit.
• One common scale is void = five, singleton = three, doubleton = one.
• Assess shortages more cautiously with only three trumps.
• Use points as a guide, avoid double-counting, and never use support points for no-trumps.