Practice standard American opening bids below. Each hand shows your High Card Points (HCP), suit distribution, and suit lengths. Select your bid, then click Check My Bid for instant feedback.

Your Opening Bid

Score: 0 / 0

Standard American Opening Bid Guide

The Basic Decision Tree

Do you have 12+ HCP?
  NO → Pass
  YES → continue:

Is your hand balanced (no void, no singleton, not more than 1 doubleton)?
  YES + 15–17 HCP → Open 1NT
  YES + 20–21 HCP → Open 2NT
  YES + 22+ HCP  → Open 2♣

Do you have a 5-card major?
  YES (spades and hearts both 5+) → Open the higher suit (1♠)
  YES (5+ spades only) → Open 1♠
  YES (5+ hearts only) → Open 1♥

No 5-card major — open your longest minor:
  4+ diamonds (longer than clubs) → Open 1♦
  4+ clubs → Open 1♣
  3-3 in minors → Open 1♣ (the "short club")

Opening Bid Point Ranges

BidHCPShape
Pass0–11Any
1♣ or 1♦12–21No 5-card major
1♥ or 1♠12–215+ card major
1NT15–17Balanced
2♣22+Any (strong, artificial)
2NT20–21Balanced

Counting HCP

CardPoints
Ace4
King3
Queen2
Jack1
10 through 20

A standard deck contains 40 HCP. To open the bidding, you typically need at least 12 HCP. An average hand has 10 HCP.

Distribution Points

When evaluating a hand for suit openings (not notrump), you can add length points for long suits:

  • 5-card suit: +1 point
  • 6-card suit: +2 points
  • 7+ card suit: +3 points

This explains why many players open light with a 6-card major — the distributional value compensates for fewer HCP.

FAQs

What bidding system does this use?
Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) — the most common North American system. 5-card majors, 15–17 HCP 1NT, strong 2♣.

When do I open 1NT?
15–17 HCP + balanced hand (no void, no singleton, no 5-card major, at most one doubleton).

What does 2♣ mean?
An artificial strong bid (22+ HCP or game-forcing). Does not show clubs.