What is the Rule of 22 for Opening Bids?
The Rule of 22 adds your high card points, the length of your two longest suits, and your defensive quick tricks to determine if a borderline hand is worth opening.
The Rule of 22 is an evaluation metric used to decide whether to open the bidding in first or second seat with a marginal hand (usually 10 to 11 High Card Points). To use the rule, add three numbers together:
1. Your total High Card Points (HCP).
2. The number of cards in your two longest suits.
3. Your number of "Quick Tricks" (Defensive winners: A-K = 2, A = 1, K-Q = 1, K = 0.5).
If the total is 22 or higher, open the bidding. If it is 21 or lower, pass.
Why the Rule of 22 works
The traditional Rule of 20 (HCP + two longest suits) is excellent for finding shape, but it fails to account for defensive strength. A hand with 10 points composed of Queens and Jacks is vastly inferior to a 10-point hand with two Aces.
The Rule of 22 requires your hand to have genuine trick-taking potential. Quick tricks dictate who wins the race to establish suits. By mandating at least 2 Quick Tricks alongside a Rule of 20 hand, you ensure your opening bid has defensive solidity and offensive bite.
A worked example: Evaluating an 11-point hand
You are in first seat and hold the following hand:
Your Hand:
♠ A Q 8 4 2
♥ A J 9 3
♦ 5 2
♣ 8 4
(11 HCP, 5-4 shape)
The Calculation:
- HCP: 11
- Two longest suits (5 Spades + 4 Hearts): 9
- Quick Tricks (♠A = 1, ♥A = 1): 2
- Total: 11 + 9 + 2 = 22.
Caption: The total hits exactly 22. Despite having only 11 HCP, the hand has excellent shape and two top Aces. You should confidently open 1♠.
Four common mistakes
- Counting unsupported Kings (e.g., K-x) as a full Quick Trick (it is only 0.5).
- Counting Queens and Jacks toward your Quick Trick total (they hold value in HCP, but are not Quick Tricks).
- Using the Rule of 22 in third seat (third seat openings can be much lighter and do not require strict Rule of 22 compliance).
- Passing a 12 HCP hand just because it fails the Rule of 22 (12 HCP hands with a 5-card suit are mandatory openings).
When the rule does not apply
Do not use the Rule of 22 in third seat. After two passes, you can open light (8-10 points) to direct partner's opening lead and disrupt the opponents, even if your hand falls short of 22.
Key takeaways
- HCP + Two Longest Suits + Quick Tricks = 22+.
- Used to evaluate marginal 10-11 point hands.
- Ensures your light openings have defensive strength.
- Quick Tricks: A-K=2, A=1, K-Q=1, K=0.5.