Counting High-Card Points
📋 What it is
High-card points (HCP) value honours: Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1 — the deck holds 40.
🗣️ Coach says
Before you bid, you estimate your hand's strength with a simple count: Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1. Add them up. Since there are four of each honour, the whole deck holds 40 points — so an average hand is about 10.
🧠 Memory hook
A-K-Q-J = 4-3-2-1. Whole deck = 40. Average hand ≈ 10.
😂 Giggle
Why did the dummy just sit there?
Because after the opening lead, one player's hand is laid face up for all to see!
😲 Whoa!
The 4-3-2-1 point count was popularised by Milton Work about a century ago and is still the first thing every bridge player learns — one tiny formula that runs the whole bidding.
✅ Quick check: You hold two Aces, one King, and one Queen. How many high-card points is that?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
13 — two Aces (4+4=8) + a King (3) + a Queen (2) = 13 points.
HCP counts Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1 and sums them.
🪄 Trick question: A friend counts a Jack as 2 points. Correct?
Careful — think it through, then reveal.
No — a Jack is worth 1 point (A-4, K-3, Q-2, J-1); counting it as 2 overvalues the hand.
The standard scale gives the Jack exactly 1 high-card point.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Count the HCP of a random 13-card hand. Remember the whole deck is 40, so check your four hands sum to 40.