Upgrading or Downgrading or are you a mere slave to Points? by Harold Schogger

Bridge hands are like stocks and shares,  some go up in value some go down in value according to the quality of your suits  and the context of the auction. Everybody likes to turn left when entering an aeroplane and the same needs to be applied at the bridge table.

Regarding suit quality having QJ32 and having QJ109  are completely different and one's thinking should be different when assessing this suit for the bidding. Both are three points but the later is well on the way to producing two tricks without much work. If invited with a middling amount of points you can now turn left and accept partner's invitation in a sequence as follows

whereas

Having all your points concentrated in one suit, it augurs well  than having your points scattered

whereas

Having a FIVE CARD SUIT entitles you to upgrade your hand

 Similarly when opening with a full bloodied 14 point  balanced  hand or  full bloodied 19 points

Bridge hands go up in value or down in value once the auction has started, much like stocks and shares changing from on a season to another, or in this situation from one bid to another.

Hands immediately go up in value once a fit is known to exist.

However once there is a misfit hands go down in value and you have to be extra careful.

Hands go up in value when both opponents are bidding same suit and you have no values in that suit (maybe a three card suit)  as partner is known to be short in that suit with no wasted values.

Hands go down in value if partner splinters in a suit in which you have KQ  as you now have wasted duplicate values- now it is more desirable to have  all your values in the other suits .

What about a Splinter sequence?

If however the hands are