Introduction | Overview | Defence against Hodor | Hodor in detail

HODOR, a simple system for smart players

by Peter Ritmeester, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A. Introduction to Hodor

Hodor is a simple system that can take you a long way. The name is based on a character from the HBO series Game of Thrones. Hodor is a giant, simpleminded servant that carries one of the heroes, the paralyzed Bran Stark, whereever he wants to go. So the system is Hodor, and you will be the greatminded Bran Stark!

Opening a 5-card major with 8-11
Suppose you hold s.gif (111 bytes)852 h.gif (850 bytes)AQ1042 d.gif (845 bytes)973 c.gif (851 bytes)K6 and right hand opponent (RHO) opens 1c.gif (851 bytes). Most of us would bid 1h.gif (850 bytes). Same hand, and RHO passes. Hardly anyone would open. That is weird. Is it less save? According to Hodor certainly not, as it uses a nice little trick: it opens 1 c.gif (851 bytes) with this hand. Enabling a weak partner to bid 1d.gif (845 bytes) and pass your 1h.gif (850 bytes). Safe as safe can be!

The opening of 1c.gif (851 bytes) is weak (8-11) or strong 14+. Because these ranges are so far apart, it will be easy to tell which of the two opener has.

Not surprisingly, Hodor opens 5+s.gif (111 bytes) 8-11 or 14+ with 1d.gif (845 bytes). As a result, c.gif (851 bytes) 14+ are bid with 1h.gif (850 bytes) and d.gif (845 bytes) 14+ with 1s.gif (111 bytes). Unfortunately, there is no room for 8-11 and a minor. Maybe in our next version!

With the intermediate range 10-13, Hodor simply opens that suit at the 2-level. So 2d.gif (845 bytes) is not the multi, not weak with majors, nor anything else artificial, it is simply a natural 10-13 5+d.gif (845 bytes). There is an overlap between 1c.gif (851 bytes)d.gif (845 bytes) and 2h.gif (850 bytes)s.gif (111 bytes): a balanced 10-11 opens 1c.gif (851 bytes)d.gif (845 bytes), and an unbalanced 10-11 opens 2h.gif (850 bytes)s.gif (111 bytes).

Things still have to be tested in real life, but in theory Hodor may have the following theoretical advantages:

  • Opening safely any 5-card major with only 8-11 HCP
  • More ways to make the strong hand become declarer
  • More precise bidding by splitting point ranges three-ways , and because NT does not contain a 5-card suit
  • Always clear whether something is forcing or not
  • Strong position in contested auctions: known 5-card suits, frequent weak NT, 8-11h.gif (850 bytes)s.gif (111 bytes) and 10-13 c.gif (851 bytes)d.gif (845 bytes)h.gif (850 bytes)s.gif (111 bytes))
  • Hardly anything to memorize
  • Fun to play: players who are having fun usually play better
  • (I know, there are disadvantages as well, but let's not spoil the fun...)

Of course, this all has a lot of consequences. Making it work, surprisingly few artificial bids were needed though. What is needed most is logical thinking, not memory. No problem for a smart player like you :-)

B. Overview of the system

For clarity, Hodor uses simple HCP (High Card Points: ace=4 et cetera), but you know better of course. Evaluating your hand, using losing trick count, winning trick count and more, you may decide to upgrade or downgrade. Also, you may decide to ignore a really bad 5-card suit. Remember, you are Bran, you decide where to go!

Opening Answer
1c.gif (851 bytes): 5+h.gif (850 bytes), either 8-11 or 14+ HCP 1d.gif (845 bytes) relay, 0-9 or 14+. With 10-13 natural
1d.gif (845 bytes): 5+s.gif (111 bytes), either 8-11 or 14+ HCP 1h.gif (850 bytes) relay, 0-9 or 14+. With 10-13 natural
1h.gif (850 bytes): 5+c.gif (851 bytes) 14+ HCP or balanced 11-14, 18-19, 22+ 1s.gif (111 bytes) relay, 0-5 or 10+. With 6-9 natural
1s.gif (111 bytes): 5+d.gif (845 bytes) 14+ HCP 2c.gif (851 bytes) relay, 0-5 or 10+. With 6-9 natural
1NT: no 5+-suit, 15-17 HCP  
2c.gif (851 bytes): 5+c.gif (851 bytes), 10-13 2d.gif (845 bytes) relay 10+
2d.gif (845 bytes): 5+d.gif (845 bytes), 10-13 2h.gif (850 bytes) relay 10+
2h.gif (850 bytes): 5+h.gif (850 bytes), 10-13 2s.gif (111 bytes) relay 10+
2s.gif (111 bytes): 5+s.gif (111 bytes), 10-13 2NT relay 10+
2NT: no 5+-suit, 20-21 HCP  

3rd and 4th seat
In 3rd seat, to enable more preemptive and tactical actions, the 2-openings start at 0 HCP. The less HCP, the more distributional. So more losing trick count than counting points. As a result, partner should be able to pass, even with an 11 count. So, to make sure of not missing game, the upper limit of the 2-opening is reduced to 12 HCP, and relays are off, everything is natural. This means that the strong 1-opening in 3rd and 4th seat starts at 13 HCP.

To keep it simple, in 3rd and 4th seat we play the same system besides this 1 point correction, although of course in 3rd en 4th seat responder cannot be strong, and in 4th seat opener cannot be weak.

Not in the wrong hand
Playing 'two under' has more advantages besides safety: almost always will the right hand -- not the right person! ;-) -- become declarer. A weak responder does not bid opener's suit but 'one under' to enable opener to bid his own suit and become declarer. But when responder has a good hand with a fit, he does bid opener's suit, to become declarer.

Also, having the in-between-bid available, responder can provide more useful information about his strength, thus creating game forcing (GF) situations at a very low level, or stay very low in partscore situations.

Bidding the minors with 1h.gif (850 bytes) and 1s.gif (111 bytes)
It may seem awkward having to be bid the minors like this, thus automatically ending up at least at the 2-level. This is a blessing in disguise though. If we have a minor-fit, and the opponents a major-fit, we have to bid higher anyway. And, by opening the minor by 1h.gif (850 bytes) or 1s.gif (111 bytes) we make it more difficult for them to find their major-fit, as they could have simply followed had we opened 1c.gif (851 bytes) or 1d.gif (845 bytes).

Opening our majors with 1c.gif (851 bytes) and 1d.gif (845 bytes) does not have the same disdvantages: we already know about our major, making us ready to win the partscore battle. And after 1c.gif (851 bytes)-[1d.gif (845 bytes)] we can still bid 1h.gif (850 bytes). Should opponents bid s.gif (111 bytes), they could have done that anyway.

A new suit as first bid is always at least a 5-card suit
In traditional 2/1 there is often uncertainty about partner's length: 4 or 5? And after a rebid: 5 or 6? This can be very disruptive. Hodor keeps it simple: if our first bid is a new suit, it is at least a 5-card suit, otherwise we bid NT. So a NT hand can only be a 4333, 4432 or 4441. This applies to responder as well! (In the entire system, there is only one exception to this rule.)

Without a 5-card suit, responder usually bids NT. Should opener have a second suit, he can now bid it, and a 4-4 fit will not get lost. But if opener does not bid a second suit, the opponents do not know anything about responder's 4-card suit(s). And knowing a suit is a 5-card for sure, helps a lot.

Hands without a 5-card suit
Hands without a 5-card suit are described with a NT bid. Well that is, 1NT is 15-17, and 2NT 20-21. The other ranges -- 11-14, 18-19 and 22+ -- are added to our 1h.gif (850 bytes) opening, which we use for c.gif (851 bytes) as well. This 1h.gif (850 bytes) opening seems a bit overloaded, but thanks to our 'two under' it works out nicely. And playing a weak 11-14 is just too much fun, it would be a waste not adding it.

Responder: also weak or strong
Responder bids almost like opener: the next suit after the opening also indicates weak or strong. So 1c.gif (851 bytes)-1d.gif (845 bytes) means 0-9 or 14+. Doesn't say anything about the d.gif (845 bytes). With 10-13 responder makes a different, natural bid. Don't worry: opener's first bid and responder's first bid are about the only artificial bids in the entire system! The rest is natural and logical.

Openings at the 2-level
Hodor plays these similar to former world's #1 pair Fantoni-Nunes, aka Fantunes. A bid at the 2-level simply promises at least a 5-card in that suit and 10-13 HCP. So more natural than almost anyone else plays their 2-openings. They cheated as we know by now, but that does not mean their system was bad of course.

Why these openings? Because it is a lot of fun playing them, they occur far more often than the combined weak openings most players play, and they score lots of points!

One of the reasons these openings score a lot of points is that most opponents have their defenses taylored to either a weak opening or a strong opening, but not something in between. Often they cannot get into the bidding anymore, or when they do, they bid on, way too high. And opener's partner, knowing his partner has a solid 10-13 often has an easy penalty double then.

The opponents bid as well
The main disadvantage of a system like this, could be that after an overcall it may be difficult for responder to decide what to do as he does not know what opener has. With Hodor these problems are milder though than with other comparable systems, for two reasons:

1. Apart from the 1h.gif (850 bytes)-opening, Hodor does not combine a suit with a NT-version or a second suit. Partner knows for sure you have at least a 5-card suit and which one. So, following the law, he can support opener with a 4-card suit at the 3-level, whether opener is 8-11 or 14+. And bidding something else with 8 HCP or so is no big risk either, thanks to your 5-card suit. After a 1c.gif (851 bytes) opening by a 2/1 or Dutch Doubleton player for instance, it will be tougher for responder with a 4-card c.gif (851 bytes) to decide whether to support or not.

2. The question is whether opener has 8-11 or 14+. These margins are so wide apart, that usually it is easy for partner to tell: with 8-11 opener passes or rebids at the lowest possible level, with 14+ opener doubles, cue bids or bids at the 3-level. Also, most problems can be nicely solved by using transfers in competition.

There may still be some tough decisions, but that is bridge! And the same applies for the opponents: partner may be in doubt of opener, but the opponents are in doubt of the both of you, as responder also bids low or high! Suppose it goes 1c.gif (851 bytes)-[pas]-1d.gif (845 bytes)-[?]: RHO knows opener has 8-11 or 14+ and that responder has 0-9 or 14+: how strong should he be for an overcall? As 1d.gif (845 bytes) is forcing he may wait a round, but when it comes back to him, the both of you will know exactly which version each of you have.

Want to more? You can find Hodor in detail here.

C. Defence against Hodor

It will be a nice gesture and save time to provide your opponents a simple and ample defence against Hodor before play:

[1c.gif (851 bytes)]: DBL: 12+ HCP 1h.gif (850 bytes): takeout-dbl 2c.gif (851 bytes): natural 2h.gif (850 bytes): 5s.gif (111 bytes)-5c.gif (851 bytes)d.gif (845 bytes)
[1d.gif (845 bytes)]: DBL: 12+ HCP 1s.gif (111 bytes): takeout-dbl 2d.gif (845 bytes): natural 2s.gif (111 bytes): 5h.gif (850 bytes)-5c.gif (851 bytes)d.gif (845 bytes)
[1h.gif (850 bytes)]: DBL: 12+ HCP 2c.gif (851 bytes): takeout-dbl 2h.gif (850 bytes): natural  
[1s.gif (111 bytes)]: DBL: 12+ HCP 2d.gif (845 bytes): takeout-dbl 2s.gif (111 bytes): natural  

Also further on, bidding the suit Hodor promises is the cue-bid, for instance:

  • [1c.gif (851 bytes), Hodor]-1s.gif (111 bytes)-[pass]:
    • 2c.gif (851 bytes): natural
    • 2h.gif (850 bytes): cue, good s.gif (111 bytes)-raise
  • [1d.gif (845 bytes), Hodor]-1h.gif (850 bytes)-[2s.gif (111 bytes)]-3d.gif (845 bytes): natural!