Terminology

 Throughout this blog, I will be using some terms and abbreviations. Refer back to this page to get their meanings.

Calls

We need to distinguish between a bid and a call. A call is any contribution to the auction by a player. It can be a bid, a pass, a double or redouble. Only a call of a number and a suit or no trump is considered a bid. For example, "two hearts" is a bid. "Pass" is not a bid. In fact, in some circles, players say "no bid" instead of "pass."

Meet the Players

Once the bidding is opened, the players in each seat get a name.

Opener

The opener is the first player who makes a bid other than pass.

Responder

The partner of the opener

Overcaller

The first person to make a bid on the opposing side to the opener. Beginners will often say to their partners, "but you opened..." when their partners actually made an overcall. There is only one opener at the table--the first player to bid.

Overcaller's Partner

The overcaller's partner--clever name, isn't it?

Sometimes I will refer to players by their relative position to the player whose turn it is to act.

RHO

The right-hand opponent. The player to your immediate right when it is your turn.

LHO

The left-hand opponent. The player to your immediate left when it is your turn.

A note on avoiding sexist language: I will try my best to keep my discussion gender neutral, but there are times when I need to use pronouns for the players. Rather than jumping through hoops to make the subject plural, or using he/she, I will adopt the following conventions:

The opener is female. Her partner is male.

The overcaller is female. Her partner is male.

Your RHO is female. Your LHO is male.

Bidding Terms

HCP

High-card points. These are the points you count for aces, kings, queens, and jacks