Remediation
If the last time you played bridge was 25+ years ago, you should know that bidding has evolved to provide much higher accuracy of the final contract.
There are a few things that everybody else is now doing much better.
Opening 1 of a minor always promises 3+ cards. Responses: Inverted raises help you get to much better contracts.
Opening 1 of a Major promises 5 cards. Responses: 2/1 with Jacoby 2NT helps you find many slams with as few as 29HCP BEFORE YOU GET TO THE 4-LEVEL!
Opening 1NT promises 15-17HCP and could have a 5-card major (if you open a 15-HCP 5/3/3/2 hand with 1♠ and partner responds 2 in a minor you would have no appropriate re-bid)
Responses to NT openings help responder escape to a suit if appropriate: Stayman, Smolen, Jacoby, and Texas transfers.
Ace-asking for slam has been augmented to pack more information into fewer bids: Roman Keycard Blackwood enables you to ask for the 4 Aces AND the King AND Queen of trumps. Add-ons such as DOP1 and ROP1 make it very unattractive for the opponents to even consider interfering!
Weak jump shifts choke up the bidding space available to the opponents.
4th-suit and New Minor force bids enable responder to clarify their hand and explore a fit at much lower levels than otherwise.
If you would like to see this newer bidding in action, search the internet for duplicate bridge, and you will find the clubs near you.
Contact the director and ask to watch (kibitz) a game. The director may be able to connect you with other players.
If you are in San Diego North County Coastal, find us here.
If you would like to learn all that new stuff, find a bridge teacher.
You can search the internet at random, or go directly to the American Bridge Teachers Association (abtahome.com)
Or you can play socially.
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