Point Count System: Ace = 4 Void = 3 King = 3 Singleton = 2 Queen = 2 Doubleton = 1 Jack = 1 Opening Point Ranges (based on total points): Points Suit Length # To Bid <12 6 2 <12 7+ 3+ 12+ 5+ of major 1 12+ 3+ of minor 1 16-18 balanced 1NT 22-24 balanced 2NT 25-28 balanced 3NT 22+ 5+ 2C 100 Honors - holding AKQJ of the trump suit earns 100 points above the line. 1-Over-1 Bid - example: bidding 1S over partner's opening of 1H. 2-Over-1 Bid - example: bidding 2D over parther's opening of 1H. "3 to the King" - a holding of Kxx. "4 to the Ace"=Axxx. Etc. Above the Line - where points are recorded that can't go Below the Line. Ace-Asking Cue Bid - see Cue Bid. Balanced Distribution - a hand with no singletons or voids. Below the Line - where points for tricks bid and made are recorded. Blackwood Convention - a method of finding out how many Aces/Kings partner has. Blocked Suit - when one partner cannot get the lead to a partner with a long suit because the cards in the hand with the short suit are all higher than those in the hand with the long suit and no other entries exist. Book - the first six tricks taken by the team that won the bid. Bust - a very bad hand. See "Yarborough". Cover - to play a higher card than the one led. Crossruff - when partners alternately ruff different suits. Eg: East ruffs West's Club and leads back a Heart which West ruffs and leads another Club. Cue Bid - (1) a bid of the opponent's suit to show strength; (2) a bid of a suit to show an Ace or King after trumps are agreed upon. Declarer - the first partner to bid the trump suit (or notrump) of the contract. Deep Finesse - a finesse on a small card, such as an 8 or 9. Discard - a non-trump card played when the player cannot follow suit. Distributional Hand - a hand with voids or singletons. Distributional Points - for bidding purposes: Void=3. Singleton=2. Doubleton=1. Double - a bid that doubles the value of a contract made or set. Also see: Negative Double, Optional Double, Penalty Double, Takeout Double Also see: Redouble, S.O.S. Redouble Double Fit - partnership has two suits with 8+ cards each between them. Doubleton - being dealt two in a suit. See "Singleton" and "Void". Down - to Go Down is the same as to Go Set. Draw Trumps - to lead trumps, usually until all are in. Duck - play low on a trick where you could have played high. Entry - a high card in a hand that lets that hand get the lead. Establish a Suit - force high cards out of the opponents' hands. Finesse - to follow suit with a non-top card when the previous opponent plays low. This wins the trick when that opponent was holding back a higher card, whereas simply leading the non-top card loses no matter which opponent holds the higher card. (eg: Lead low to the AQ and play the Q.) First Chair - the dealer; first person to bid or pass. Fit - a suit in which a partnership has 8 or more cards between them. Flat Hand - see "Balanced Hand". Forcing Bid - a bid which by partnership agreement forces partner to bid again. Free Bid - a bid made when not forced. See "New Suit Forcing". Game - when 100+ points have been scored for tricks bid and made. Go Set - to make fewer tricks than bid. Also see "Down". HCP - High Card Points. Ace=4. King=3. Queen=2. Jack=1. (For bidding purposes.) Honor - an ace or face card. Jump Overcall - an overcall made at other than the minimum level. Jump Shift - responding to partner in a new suit at other than minimum level. Lay-Down - when declarer can lay his cards down and say how he will play the cards to win the tricks and the opponents cannot prevent it. Leaving a Bid In - not bidding over the last non-passing bid made. Leg - points for tricks bid and made short of game to which more can be added. Major Suits - Spades and Suits Minimum Opening - to open with the minimum number of points required. Minimum Response - to respond with the minimum number of points required. Minor Suits - Diamonds and Clubs Misfit - when partners are short in each other's suits. Negative Double - a Takeout double for two unbid suits. New Suit Forcing - a requirement to bid again as long as partner bids a new suit NoTrump - a deal played without a trump suit; high card on a trick wins. Opening Bid - the first bid made other than passes. Optional Double - partner can treat it as a Penalty Double or Takeout Double. Overcall - a bid made after an opponent has opened. Also see "Jump Overcall". Overruff - to play a higher trump than one already played (on a non-trump lead). Overtake - to take the lead by playing a higher card than partner has played. Overtricks - tricks won in excess of the number bid. Part-Score - fewer points than are required for game. Penalty Double - a double made to collect points for setting the opponents. Phantom Sacrifice - to sacrifice when opponents couldn't have made their bid. Preemptive Bid - a bid designed to rob opponents of bidding space. Preference Bid - bidding one of partner's two suits. Quick Trick - a card holding assured of winning a trick. Eg: A or KQ. Redouble - quadruples the value of tricks made or set. See "Double". Responding - making a bid in response to partner's opening bid. Rubber - the end of a playing session, when one side wins two games. Rubber Bonus - bonus points for winning two games in a rubber. Ruff - to trump a trick. Also see Crossruff. Ruff-Sluff - to trump in one hand and discard a loser from the other. Ruffing Finesse - to lead a non-top card with the intention of ruffing if the opponent covers it and otherwise discarding a loser. Sacrifice - to overbid in order to keep opponents from bidding game or slam. Safety Play - to play so as to give up an overtrick to assure making the bid. Set A Contract - to keep opponents from making the number of tricks bid. Sign Off - to stop a bidding sequence by bidding the trump suit again. Singleton - being dealt one in a suit. See "Doubleton" and "Void". Slam - bidding and making 12 (Small Slam) or 13 (Grand Slam) tricks. Small - a low card. Eg: a holding of K and 2 would be called "king-small". S.O.S. Redouble - tells partner your bid is in trouble & to bid his best suit. Splinter Bid - a jump shift which shows trump support and a singleton or void in the suit bid. Split - the division of a suit between partners. Stayman - a 2C response to 1NT asking partner to bid a 4-card major. Stiff [honor] - holding a single honor. Eg: a "stiff king". Suit Rankings - from high to low: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. Takeout Double - a double which asks partner to bid his best suit. Tenace - a high and lower card with one or more cards missing in between. Transportation - the ability to shift the lead from one partner's hand to the other. Also see "Entry". Trick - a round of play of one card from each hand. Trump - the suit named in the final bid made, unless NoTrump was bid. Two-Suiter - a hand with two long suits. Eg: xx-xxxxx-xxxxx-x Unusual Notrump - a special bid for showing a two-suited hand. Void - being dealt no cards in a suit. See "Singleton" and "Doubleton". Vulnerable - when a side has won a game towards the rubber. When a side is vulnerable, they lose more points for going set. Weak Two Bid - a bid showing 6-12 HCP and a good 6-card suit. Yarborough - a hand with no cards higher than a 9.