Skip Bids

A skip bid occurs when a player makes a bid that skips a level of bidding. Jump overcalls, for instance, are skip bids, as are double raises and splinters. The problem with skip bids, however, is that they can have an adverse effect on the opponents' tempo. For example, imagine an auction that begins:

Partner	RHO	You
1	3	?

With a bad hand you would be tempted to just pass without a second's thought. If you happen to have a good hand, though, you need some time to think about what to bid. If you finally decide to pass, you will have (unlawfully) shown some values in your hand through the slowness of your pass. Now partner, depending on whether or not you made a slow or fast pass, may decide to take another bid.

This is why, in duplicate bridge, you are required to wait 10 seconds after your right-hand opponent makes a skip bid. You must pause even if you have a lousy hand and has nothing to think about. The 10 second wait is supposed to prevent the unlawful conveyance of information.

Prior to 2018, ACBL players were required to first display the Stop card from their bidding boxes and say "Skip bid" to warn the opposition. This practice has been discontinued, presumably because it was used inconsistently and caused a fair amount of confusion.

1. When your RHO has made a skip bid, count 10 seconds off in your head, not out loud.
2. Similarly, you are expected to give the semblance of studying your hand during those 10 seconds.
3. Not all skip bids were created equal. There are some skip bid auctions where your opponents don't seriously expect you to wait 10 seconds, and there are some skip bid auctions where your opponents really will expect you to wait the full 10 seconds. Some examples of auctions where you usually can just pass quickly:

LHO	Partner	RHO	You
1NT	Pass	3NT	?

99% of uncontested game auctions end with three passes, so no one expects you to pause here before passing.

LHO	Partner	RHO	You
1	Pass	2	Pass
2	Pass	4	?

Ditto.

Some examples of auctions where you are really expected to pause:

LHO	Partner	RHO	You
Pass	Pass	2 1	?

¹ Weak.

You are always expected to wait after a preempt.

LHO	Partner	RHO	You
1	Dbl 1	3 2	?

¹ Takeout.
² Weak.

Similarly, you are always expected to pause after a weak skip bid by your RHO.