Page 159 - 2 over 1 Game Force

Chapter 9: Defensive Carding and Bridge Rules 159

Rule of 24 (Losing Trick Count)

Losing Trick Count is a method of evaluating the hand to determine the proper

bidding level. The method is most effective with unbalanced hands with an eight-card or
better trump fit when the two hands have different distributional patterns. The rule of 24 goes

as follows.
STEP 1: Count your losers and assume seven losers in your partner’s hand.

Rule: 24 - 7 - (your losers) = Number of Tricks. Reduce the number of tricks by six to

determine the level of the bid.
STEP 2: Partner will correct the bid with fewer than seven losers.

Note: Only the first three cards in each suit are considered when counting losers in each suit.
With three cards, only the A, K, and Q are not losers. With less than two cards, then AQ = ½,

Kx = ½, KQ = 1, K = 1, Q = 1, Qx = 2 represent losers.

Rule of 26

When opening one of a major, some partnerships play direct splinters or

concealed/ambiguous splinters. In either case, a splinter bid usually shows four card support
for the major suit bid and 13+ HCP (some only require three card support).

When should the opening bidder consider slam? One may apply the rule of 26.
Opener merely adds his HCP in his suits outside the known splinter suit, and if the total is

26+, you should consider slam in the major suit bid. This rule works because once the

partnership can ignore an entire suit, you can expect to make a small slam with only 26+
game points; you do not need 33+ points, which is required when you have to take into

account all the suits.

Rule of 44

When you open 2♣ (playing 2/1), should you bid 2NT or two of a major? .If you

intend to bid 2NT, you should have 22–24 HCP and notrump distribution. This is not the case
when you bid a major 2♥ or 2♠. What are critical are losers and quick tricks, not points! What

is needed? To open 2♣ and then the bid a major requires at least five cards in the major, no
more than four losers, and a minimum of four quick tricks (A = 1, K = ½, KQ = 1); the rule

of 44. Given these two requirements, open two clubs, independent of points. Let’s look at an

example: You hold the hand ♠ AKQJ2 ♥ AKQ10 ♦76 ♣ 7. You have only 19 HCP+ one
length point, or 20 starting points. But you have three losers in the minors (less than four

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