Bidding is one of the most intricate (and yet one of the most exciting) parts of bridge.

It’s what describes your hand, and it’s what sets the bar for the rest of the game ahead. It’s an entire lexicon to bridge players – with discussions, variations and puzzles embracing the intricacy of bridge bidding every day.

A bid isn’t just the choice of a number and suit. It’s a careful calculation, and often an agreement (or huge disagreement) between partnerships.

Bids can also fall into several different categories. A bid can be natural or artificial. Some bids are weak and some bids are strong. Others force while some transfer.

Here are some different types of bridge bids briefly explained.

Opening Bid

An opening bid is the first one that occurs during the bidding session.

Bidding first feels a lot like being the first person to take the stage at an open mic night: either you’re going to be hard to follow, or you’re really going to screw up what’s about to happen next.

The bid after this is the responding bid.

Natural Bid

A natural bid is called natural because natural bids often refer to the suit mentioned.

When a natural bid of two hearts is made, the player is likely to actually mean the suit of hearts. It’s not code for anything, and it’s not calculating the presence of the other suits as much. It’s natural. It’s literal. It’s exactly what they said.

Natural bids are best used when you have a decent hand angled towards a specific suit.

Got hearts? Say it. That’s a natural bid.

Artificial Bid

Artificial bids are basically the opposite of a natural bid, and they often don’t refer to the suit that’s being mentioned.

When an artificial bid of two clubs is said, the bidder doesn’t literally mean clubs – but instead, its meaning is artificial. It’s out-of-place. It’s referring to a suit other than the one they’ve just said.

In this way, artificial bids are useful.

An artificial bid often happens as a response, telling your partner important information about your hand.

Use an artificial bid when your partner has come up with a natural bid that doesn’t fit your hand.

Simply, it’s your way of saying, “Oh, nope, don’t do that.”

Forcing Bid

A forcing bid is next.

It usually means, “Don’t pass.”

When everyone passes, the contract is accepted – and when this is something that signals disaster for your partnership, a forcing bid is used to force a different play situation (and thus bid) from your partner by making a bid they can’t refuse.

When a responder suddenly leads a new suit, that’s forcing.

When that is a slam or grand slam, that’s game forcing. (And you have to be pretty confident to opt for that one.)         

Transfer Bid

A transfer bid is meant to transfer the suit that you and your partner are talking about during the bidding process.

When your bridge partner bids a lower-ranked suit than you’ve just put on the table, it means they’re trying to transfer the suit to the one they’ve mentioned.

It’s a way of changing the topic during conversation.

It says, “Let’s talk about something else.”

Watch for transfer bids.

It’s kind of like forcing into a lower suit instead of a higher one.

Pass

Passing doesn’t mean folding – instead, passing in bridge refers to the part of the bidding process where you’ve decided that you’re (at least more or less) happy with what’s on the table and want to move forward.

It’s like raising your sign during an auction.

It says, “Okay, fine, I’ll take it.”