Glossary

This page will define/explain common terms used in Bridge and our descriptions of Modern American Bridge.

High Card Points

Abbreviated as HCP. This is the Goren point count system for evaluating hands. Counting Aces as 4 points, Kings as 3, Queens as 2, and Jacks as 1 point, you can evaluate your hand. A typical opening hand is 12-14 HCP. Per Goren, when you combine your point total with partners, you determine an expected best contract. With less than combined 25 HCP, the partner is best in a part-score contract; with 25-30 HCP, you should be in game; and with more than 30 HCP, you should explore slam

Losing Trick Count

Abbreviated as LTC. This is based on Ron Klinger's books and articles. It is a calculation of a hand's missing Ace, King, and Queen control cards to determine a probable number of losers in the hand. Suits with fewer than 3 cards can have at most that many losers. The summation of your hand's LTC and your partner's, when a fit is found, gives a pretty good expectation of the total number of tricks you could take in that contract.

TRaP

TRansfer and Penalty. A system to compete against weak 1NT (those showing a max of 14 HCP). It is similar to the TRaSH system, but retains the double for penalty use instead of showing two-suited hands.

TRaSH

TRansfer and SHape. A system to compete against strong 1NT and strong 1♣ (precision) hands. It utilizes transfer to allow the overcaller to retain the captaincy of the auction to allow for overcalling very weak hands and allow rebidding with usually strong hands.