Bidding
What your hand is actually worth
You get one turn to bid and no chance to correct it. Most hands beginners lose were lost before a single domino was played, not by bad play, but by a number said too confidently.
Start here
A bid of 30 means you can afford to lose 12
There are 42 points on the table. Bid 30 and you're promising to take 30 of them, which means the other side can have twelve. That sounds generous until you notice that 35 of the 42 points sit on five dominoes. Lose the 5-5 and two ordinary tricks and you're already at twelve.
So the real question when you bid isn't "how many tricks will I win?" It's "can I control where the count goes?" Those are different questions, and the second one is harder.
The mental shortcut
One 10-count domino escaping is worth about the same as two and a half tricks. Guard the 5-5 and the 6-4 the way you'd guard an ace.
Valuing a hand
Three things to count, in this order
1. Your longest suit
Find the number you hold the most of. Four is the working minimum for a bid; five is comfortable. Three is a hand that hopes, and hoping is what gets you set.
2. Whether you have the top of it
Four trumps including the double is worth far more than five without it. The double lets you lead trumps and know you'll still be holding the lead afterwards.
3. Your boss offs
A double in a suit you're not calling is a trick you'll probably win outright, as long as your trumps last long enough to protect it. Two of those turn a marginal hand into a real one.
Then subtract for your losers
A hand full of low off-suit tiles (3-1, 2-0, 4-2) is a hand full of tricks you'll lose while somebody dumps count on you. Count them honestly before you name a number.
Three hands
What you'd say, and why
A textbook 30
Four fives with the double and the 6-5 on top of them, plus the boss six. Lead trumps twice and most of the opposition's trumps are gone; the 6-6 then takes a trick whenever you want it to. The 2-0 is a genuine loser and you should expect to eat count on it. Bid 30 and be happy.
A pass, and don't feel bad about it
No double anywhere. The longest suit is three tiles and the top of it is a 6-3. There is no number you could call that would give you control of anything. Every trick here is one you win by accident. Pass. Your partner may well have something, and this hand will help them more than your bid would.
A hand worth going after
Five of the seven sixes with the double, and the only ones missing are the 6-2 and 6-0, the two weakest. Two leads and nobody else has a trump left. Then the 5-5 and 4-4 are simply yours, and you're already holding 20 points of count in your own hand. Bid 42. Some players would push to two marks here.
A starting point, not a law
Rough guide
| What you're holding | Reasonable bid |
|---|---|
| Three of a suit, no double, nothing boss | Pass |
| Four of a suit without the double | Pass, usually |
| Four with the double, plus one boss off | 30 |
| Five with the double, plus one boss off | 31 to 34 |
| Five with the double, plus two boss offs | 35 to 40 |
| Six of a suit, or five with everything on top | 42 / 1 mark |
| Four doubles in hand | See Plunge |
Adjust downward if your side is close to winning and a set would be expensive, and upward if you're behind and need to take a swing. Position matters too: bidding last with three passes in front of you tells you a great deal about where the strength isn't.
Bidding is information
Your partner is listening
You can't signal across the table; that's table talk and it's not allowed. But the bid itself is public, and a thoughtful partner reads it.
A minimum bid
30 says: I have control of one suit and not much else. Partner should plan to feed you count on tricks you're clearly winning, and take their own tricks early rather than hoping.
A jump to 42
Says: stay out of my way. Partner's job becomes dumping count into your tricks and never, ever winning a trick you were about to win yourself.
A pass
Says nothing loudly, which is itself useful. If both opponents pass and your partner bids 30, the strength is spread thin and a set is unlikely.
A bid you can't make
Sometimes worth it anyway, to stop the other side taking a hand they'd have made. Losing one mark to deny two is arithmetic, not bravado. But it's an advanced move and it goes wrong often.