Five-card majors for offensive purposes. However, if the trump cards break 4-1 or 1-4, then drawing trump will result in no trumps left for offensive purposes. The value of five-card majors can be understood then on two levels: But five-card majors have several drawbacks: Both partners must agree to follow the five-card major bidding treatment on their opening bid. Opener must have at least five cards in hearts or spades to start the bidding with that suit. Responder is expected to show support with three-card support, indicating an eight-card fit. With only four cards in a major suit, the opening bidder is
Five-suit bridge joker but this is discarded before play as it is not used. Sixteen cards are dealt to each player with the remaining 65th card (the "widow" or "kitty") being dealt face up on the middle of the table. This card would go to whoever made the highest bid who would then discard a card that must be exposed. Five-suit bridge Five-suit bridge is a late 1930s variation of contract bridge played with a deck of 65 playing cards divided into five suits. In the summer of 1937 in Vienna, Walter W. Marseille, with the help of Paul Stern, published rules