← Bidding topics
Opening bids
Before you bid
A quick reminder of why bidding game matters.
The scoring plateaus
3NT · 4♥ · 4♠ · 5♣ · 5♦
These are the game contracts. Making one earns the game bonus.
Partscore
50-point bonus
Game
300 non-vul · 500 vul
That jump in value is why we stretch to game when the partnership has enough strength—about 25 combined HCP for 3NT or a major-suit game.
Session length
Standard American: five-card majors, 15–17 1NT, weak twos.