Bidding in depth

Law of Total Tricks

The total number of tricks on a deal is about equal to the total number of trumps both sides hold in their best suits.

Total trumps equal total tricks

The Law is a rough guide for competitive auctions. The tricks are counted for each side in its own best trump suit.

For one side at the table, the practical rule that falls out of it is simple: bid to the level of your trumps. With a nine-card fit it is safe to compete to the three level; with a ten-card fit, to the four level.

Why it is safe to bid on

Extra trumps take extra tricks — through ruffing and sheer length — so with a big fit even a weak hand can bid higher without disaster. And on the rare deal where you have overbid, the opponents almost certainly had a making contract of their own, so pushing them up (or being pushed) costs little. The Law tells you how high to contest; it does not promise you can make what you bid.

Where BidMaestro uses it

BidMaestro leans on the Law to judge when to compete one more level in a contested auction. After a fit has been raised, an extra trump — a sixth card in your suit — is the length that justifies bidding on rather than selling out. It is a competitive tool, applied in those specific spots, not a blanket instruction to bid to the limit on every hand.

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