Reading Declarer’s Hand in Bridge
Good defenders don’t just play their own cards. They reconstruct declarer’s entire hand from the clues available. The bidding, the cards played, the line declarer chooses—everything tells a story.
By trick three or four, you should have a decent picture of declarer’s shape. By trick six or seven, you might know their exact hand. That’s when defense gets fun.
Start with the Bidding
The auction is your first source of information. Declarer told you something about their hand. Believe them.
1NT opening = 15-17 HCP, balanced
If declarer opened 1NT, you know they have 15-17 points and a balanced hand (4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2). That’s huge. You can count their high cards and figure out what they don’t have.
If you and partner have 19 HCP between you and declarer opened 1NT, they have at most 17. You can place every missing honor. Do they have the ♥Q? Must be with them. The ♠K? Partner has it, or it would give declarer 18+.
Suit openings show length
If declarer opened 1♥, they have at least 5 hearts (usually). If they rebid hearts, they have 6. If they opened 1♣ and rebid 2♣, they have 6+ clubs.
Pay attention to what they didn’t bid. If declarer opened 1♥, responded to questions, and never mentioned spades, they probably don’t have four spades. With 5-4 in the majors, they’d have shown both.
Two-level openings show extreme hands
Weak twos show 6-card suits and 5-10 HCP. Strong 2♣ shows 22+ points or a game-forcing hand. If declarer opened 2♥ (weak), you know they have six hearts and not much else.
Responder’s bids matter too
If dummy bid Stayman and then bid 2♥, dummy has four hearts and probably four spades (otherwise they’d just transfer or use Jacoby). If dummy transferred to spades and then raised notrump, dummy has exactly five spades.
Listen to the entire auction, not just declarer’s bids.
Count Declarer’s Shape
Once the dummy comes down, start counting.
Declarer opened 1♥ and rebid 2♥. They have 6 hearts.
You have 3 hearts. Dummy has 2 hearts. That’s 5 accounted for. Partner has 2 hearts. Declarer has 6. Total: 13. Good, the math works.
Now declarer plays three rounds of spades. You had 4, dummy had 3, that’s 7. Declarer followed all three times, so they have 3 spades.
Declarer is 6-3 in hearts and spades. That leaves 4 cards for the minors. Are they 2-2, 3-1, or 4-0?
Watch what declarer does. When they lead a diamond, see if they’re cashing or finessing. If they’re finessing, they probably don’t have length. If they’re cashing, they might have four.
By the time three suits have been played, you should know declarer’s exact shape.
Count Declarer’s Points
Add up the high card points you can see in your hand and dummy. Subtract from 40. That’s what’s left for declarer and partner.
You have 8 HCP. Dummy has 10 HCP. That’s 18 visible. Partner opened 1NT (15-17), so declarer has 15-17. Partner has 40 - 18 - 16 (average for declarer) = 6 HCP.
Wait, you already know declarer opened 1NT. So they have 15-17, not 16 exactly. But close enough for planning.
Now when a key decision comes up (do I play for partner to have the ♣K?), you can count. If partner has 6 HCP and you’ve seen them play the ♥J and ♦Q (4 HCP), they can’t have the ♣K (3 HCP). Declarer has it.
Watch Declarer’s Play
The line declarer chooses tells you what they’re worried about.
Declarer draws trumps immediately
They’re not planning ruffs in their hand. They have solid trumps and want to run tricks. Expect a balanced hand with enough winners to make the contract.
Declarer ruffs something in dummy before drawing trumps
They need those ruffs. They probably have losers in the side suits and are trying to avoid them. Partner might have key honors in the side suits.
Declarer takes a finesse
They don’t have the missing honor. If declarer finesses the queen, they don’t have it. Partner does (or it’s in dummy).
Declarer doesn’t take a finesse
They either have the missing honor or can’t afford to lose to it. If declarer plays ace-king of a suit instead of finessing, they probably have the queen.
Declarer ducks a trick
They’re setting up a suit or managing entries. They have length in that suit and are planning to cash it later.
Use Restricted Choice
When declarer plays an honor and you can’t see the other honor, odds are they don’t have it.
Declarer leads the ♠Q from hand. You hold ♠A73 behind declarer. Should you cover?
Think about what declarer might have. If they have both the Q and J, they could have led either one. If they only have the Q, they had to lead it.
The fact that they led the Q makes it more likely they don’t have the J. Partner probably has it.
This is “restricted choice”—when someone shows a card from a potential sequence, assume they don’t have the other one.
Look for Clues from Partner
Partner’s signals tell you about their hand, which tells you about declarer’s.
Partner plays high-low in a suit, showing an even number. You have 3, dummy has 4, partner has 2. That means declarer has 4.
Partner discourages when you lead a suit, showing nothing. Declarer probably has the missing honors in that suit.
Partner gives you count in trumps. You can now place declarer’s exact trump length.
Everything partner tells you is also information about declarer.
Count Winners and Losers
In a notrump contract, count how many tricks declarer can cash.
Dummy has a long spade suit (KQJ109). You have the ace. If you give declarer the lead, they’ll knock out your ace and run five spade tricks. Can they make if you let them set up spades?
Count their tricks: 5 spades, 2 hearts (you can see AK in dummy), maybe 1 diamond. That’s 8. They need 9 for 3NT. Where’s the ninth?
If declarer has the ♣A, they have 9 tricks. If partner has it, they have 8. You know from partner’s signals that they don’t have the ♣A. So declarer does. They’re making.
Unless… can you set up enough tricks in your long suit first? Count your winners vs. theirs. That’s the race in notrump.
In Suit Contracts, Count Losers
Declarer is in 4♥. You have ♠AK and partner might have the ♠Q. That’s three tricks. Do you have a fourth?
Look at the other suits. Can you get a trump trick? Can partner ruff something? Can you promote a trump trick by forcing declarer to ruff?
If you can see four tricks, take them. If you can only see three, figure out where the fourth is coming from.
Watch declarer’s plan. If they’re trying to pitch losers on a side suit, you need to stop that. Lead trumps, cut down dummy’s ruffs, do something.
Combine Everything
By mid-hand, you should know:
- Declarer’s approximate shape (from bidding and following to suits)
- Declarer’s point range (from opening bid)
- Which key honors declarer has (from their play)
- What declarer is trying to do (from the line they’re taking)
Put it together. If declarer is 6-3-2-2 with 15 HCP and they’ve shown the ♠A and ♥AK, they can’t have the ♣K. Partner has it.
Now when you need to make a key decision (should I lead a club or a diamond?), you know. Lead the club. Partner has the king.
Common Mistakes
Not counting
You can’t read declarer’s hand if you’re not counting. Count the suits as they’re played. Count the points as you see them. Count the tricks declarer can take. This is work, but it’s the only way to defend well.
Ignoring the bidding
Declarer opened 1♠, you have the ♥K, and you’re wondering if declarer has the ♥A. They opened 1♠, not 1♥. They probably don’t have five hearts. If they had ♥AKQJx, they would have opened 1♥. Use the bidding.
Assuming declarer has everything
When you can’t see a key card, don’t assume declarer has it. Count the points. If declarer opened 1NT and you’ve already placed 16 HCP in their hand, they can’t also have the missing queen (3 HCP). Partner has it.
Not watching tempo
If declarer thinks a long time before playing a card, they’re making a decision. They don’t have an automatic play. What are they worried about? That tells you something.
If declarer plays quickly, they have an easy play. They’re not worried about this suit.
A Full Example
Declarer opened 1NT (15-17), responder bid 3NT. You lead the ♠4 (fourth-best from a 5-card suit).
Dummy has: ♠K7 ♥864 ♦AJ93 ♣QJ105
Your hand: ♠QJ1084 ♥Q52 ♦74 ♣K82
Dummy plays the king, partner plays the 3, declarer wins the ace.
Declarer leads a club to dummy’s queen. You duck (play low). Partner plays the 3. Declarer leads another club from dummy. You win the king. Partner plays the 4 (high-low, showing an even number—probably two clubs).
Now what?
Count declarer’s tricks: Declarer has the ♠A (you saw it), the ♣A (must have it for the opening bid), and 2-3 more clubs in dummy. That’s 4-5 club tricks. Plus the ♦A in dummy. That’s 5-6 tricks. They need 9.
Where are the other tricks? Hearts or diamonds. Dummy has ♦AJ. If declarer has ♦KQ, that’s three diamond tricks. Total of 8-9 tricks.
You have 11 HCP. Dummy has 11 HCP. Declarer opened 1NT (15-17). That’s at most 17 for declarer. Total so far: 11 + 11 + 17 = 39. Partner has 1 HCP (maybe the ♦10 or ♥J).
Who has the ♥A? Must be declarer. 15-17 HCP means they have it.
So declarer has: ♠A, ♥A, ♣A, probably ♦KQ. That’s 16 HCP. Fits the 1NT opening.
You’re in with the ♣K. What do you lead?
Lead a spade. You have QJ10 left. If partner has the 9, your spades are running. Even if they don’t, you can set up your suit before declarer gets nine tricks.
Don’t lead hearts. Declarer has the ace. Don’t lead diamonds. Declarer has the KQ.
Lead the ♠Q. This is what reading declarer’s hand gets you—the winning defense.
The Skill Builds Over Time
You won’t reconstruct every hand perfectly at first. That’s fine. Start by counting one suit. Then count two suits. Then track the high cards.
Over time, it becomes automatic. You’ll sit there mid-hand and realize you know declarer’s exact 13 cards. That’s when you know you’re defending well.
The clues are always there. The bidding, the play, the cards you can see. Put them together and you’ll know what declarer has. Once you know that, making the right defensive play gets a lot easier.