Balancing Is Bidding on What the Opponents Didn't Bid

BALANCING

When opponents try to stop bidding at the 2-level, there's an equality of HCP and other values in both pairs. Think about it:If they want to stop at 2♦, they have about 20 or so HCP, so what does your side have? About the same HCP, and, most importantly, maybe a fit in a major.

If you have about the same HCP as your opponents, don’t let them play the hand at the 2-level in their 8-card fit. If they have such a fit, you also have a fit. Compete!

What Is Balancing? An opportunity to balance occurs when your opponents try to stop lower than 2or 2NT.

N E S W

1P 1P

2P P 2

A “Balancing”2bid by West, butwhy didn’t she overcall 1♠ on her first call?

We see that North/South have about 13 points in the North and 6 or so in the South - about half the 40 HCP, and an 8-card Heart fit. East/West also must have about half the HCP, and West apparently has some Spades.

One or both opponents must have made limited bids before balancing makes sense.

2by North and P by South are limited bids in the auction above.

Question: Why didn’t West bid 1 on her first round?
Answer: She doesn’t have good Spades, but she has 5+ of them and some HCP.

Here’s what West should have to overcall 1 with 1 on round 1:
(AQJ76 92 J987 98) An overcall promises a good 5+ card suit.

Here’s what West could have to balance with 2 when N/S tried to quit bidding:
(Q9876 9 KJ97  K98) An openingor balancingbid doesn’t promise
HCP strength in the suit – just length.

But the bidding in the above auction might not be over yet . . .

N E S W

1♣ P 1 P

2P P 2

P P 3 ...... South "takes the push" to 3 Hearts.

What's a "Push"? The "Push" is the competitive idea behind balancing. 'Taking the push' occurs when one side bids higher than they wanted to as a result of a balancing call by opponents. To be competitive at duplicate you must pushyour opponents to the 3-level.Competitive Motto: “The 3-level and 5-level belong to the opponents”.

In the above example, N/S must now try 3 or chance a bad result. They may score minus 100 for down one vulnerable rather than +110 for making 2. If they make 3 for +140, they were going to make it anyhowplaying 2, so nothing is lost by West’s 2 bid. If South passes West’s 2 “push”, West may go down, but N/S won’t score 110 – maybe 50 or 100, but not 110. That 10 points is a big difference at matchpoints.

Balancing Suit Bids

N E S W

1P 2 P

P 3 . . . . East’s balancing bid. His Diamonds weren’t good enough to overcall 1 but he can later balance because North and South are both limited hands.

Balancing Double

Balancing Doubles are a form of Takeout Double, most often made by a passed hand. Any HCP holding is acceptable. Balancing Double strength and distribution depends on the prior bidding and on the vulnerability. They always show suits not bid and they guarantee 4 of any unbid majors.

NESW

1P2P

PDbl <--- East has 4 Spades, HCP and minors, like(Q987 9 KJ97 KT98)

Responses to Passed Hand Balancing Doubles

Responses are all to play. Simply bid the best of the suits shown by the doubler, keeping the level as low as possible. You mighteven bid a 3-card major suit, hoping opponents 'take the push' as a result of your balancing sequence.

Think Tricks -- Not Points. High cards will take tricks regardless of what suit is trump, but low cards, if named trump, can also become trick takers. So don't bid a suit because of it’s high cards -- bid the longest suit you can at the lowest level you can, with strong preference for the majors. Bid a 3-card major at the 2-level in preference to a 4-card minor at the 3- level, especially if you are vulnerable or very weak.

In this auction,

NESW

1P2PWhat does West bid with these hands when East “pushes”?

PDblP???

A. (T432 973 KQJ6 52) ___2♠____
B. (K43 97 QJT65 Q32) __2♠_____
C. (K4 AT73 QJT65 J2) __3♦_____

NESW

1P 1NTPWhat should East bid, if anything?

P???

D. (84 K732 532 KQJ6) Vul_D___ Not Vul _D___

E. (K43 973 KQJ65 32) Vul_2♦___ Not Vul _2♦___

F. (K4 AJT7 JT965 Q2) Vul_2♥___ Not Vul _2♥___♠
Note in F, East’s ♠K is behind the Spade bidder – North – so it’s safe?

Mistakes to avoid in Balancing Auctions

1. Raising partner’s balancing bid. [P – 1 – P – 2 P – P – 2 – P 3 ?! …] NO!

2. Balancing when opponent’s have no fit: [1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – P – 2…]

3. Ignoring vulnerability: don’t take a chance on going down 200 trying to save 140.

4. Not waiting for opponents to limit their hands: [1 – P – 1 – 2 …]
This 2 isn’t a balance; it’s a full value 2-level overcall –opening strength
and good hearts. Both opponents have unlimited hands so far in this auction.

Rules for Balancing

Rule 1. Do it often- - whenever opponents try to stop at the 1 or 2 level with a fit.

Rule 2. Do it especially when you are White vs. Red: Not Vulnerable vs. Vulnerable.

Rule 3. Don't do it when the opponents are in a bad contract.

[1 – P – P – ???]Pass with a minimum. No onewins muchdeclaring 1.

Rule 4. Avoid The Death Number: minus 200. When you balance, you are inviting a penalty double. Don't hand your opponents a sure top by going down 200, when you could have passed and lost 110 or 140. 200 is more than any partial opponents can score; thus “The Death Number” name. However, doubling for penalty below the
3-level is quite rare: if partner doubles a limited 2-bid, bid something. If opponents are not limited, partner is making a real opening hand strength takeout double.

Rule 5. Don’t punish partner. When your partner balances with a suit bid - - not a double - - pass. Don't punish her for balancing; pass, no matter what support you have for her. She is pushing the opponents – not you!

Rule 6. Balancing calls are not the starting point for bidding exchanges; they are one-shot bids for competing – “pushing” - , based on what the opponents have not bid. They are finesse bids, not strength bids. With any real length/strength, the balancing player would have bid earlier.

Rule 7. You must always be aware of the bidding so far. If your partner passed the first time around, she may not have much, but the opponents may have bid her suit so she couldn’t bid on the first round. She could have the best hand at the table!

Rule 8. Count all the points you know about; yours, LHO and RHO. The rest of them are in your partner's hand. Your opponents would have bid more if they had more. This is also why, when partner balances, she has counted the points you see in your hand as part of her bid, so pass her balancing call unless it’s a double.

1 NT – the Balancing Special Case

1 NT is a very special bid at duplicate: often the first side to bid 1NT wins.

In a competitive auction where your opponents bid 1NT, it’s usually a tough contract to double and set, and letting them make it doubled is a sure bottom board for you. You may not be able to take more than 4 tricks in your best suit, and you need three more to beat 1NT. And even if you beat them, you may only score 50 or 100, when you might have made 110 or more in your suit. Also, you must go to the two-level to declare and that may be riskyif vulnerable. Because of this special bid, there are several balancing sequences that come up often in low-level competitive bidding:

Bidding 1NT first may be the best competitive move when you sense that opponents are going to bid it. [1 – P – 1 – P 1 – 1NT]. . . . . bidding it first, even as a passed hand.

When you sense that opponents are going to bid 1NT, you can also make an “advance balance” call, which prevents them from making a 1NT bid. You need a 5+ card suit to do this. [1 – P – 1 – P 1 – 2 . . .]. 2nd hand passed on the first round but found an advance balance 2call before opponents could bid 1NT: now they must bid 2NT or pass, unless they have a Spade or Diamond fit.

If opponent’s bid – not open - 1NT, balance with minimum values when you’re not vulnerable.Bid 5+ card suits; double for takeout when flat., etc. It should be an automatic tactic by your partnership when not vulnerable.

The “Sandwich” Notrump. When opponents have bid 2 suits, a 1NT call can be treated as a kind of takeout double, one that prevents them from bidding 1NT. Alertable.Not Bob’s standard. A Partnership Agreement.

NESW

1P11NT* West shows Diamonds and Spades, usually with
5 – 5 or 5 – 4 shape. It’s a weak bid. With (KJxx xx QJxxx xx.) East must pick one or the other, not pass 1NT. With a stronger hand, West would double for takeout rather than bid 1NT. [1 – P – 1 – Dbl …]

Balancing is a basic part of all good bridge players’ arsenal.

Here’s Why: Because you will balance in all but the most dangerous situations, it means you don’t have to open bad 11 HCP hands or overcall with cheesy suits, because you can come in later,knowing partner won’t push you too high if opponents try to quit at a low level.

Open or balance with bad suits, but don’t overcall with them: wait until opponents quit low, then bid them as a balancer.

If you pass instead of overcalling with bad suits and the opponents get the contract at a relatively high level, they won’t know where the missing values are. If you overcall with poor HCP in your suit, partner will lead your suit and declarer will know about missing points and distribution . . .why give her any more advantage than she has already? Passing can be good defense.