This will become important when the hand is to be played, since having aces usuall guaruntees points will be pulled. If the first person to bid declares 51, he/she is signaling to his/her partner that he/she has an ace in every suit. Other types of bids include simply increasing the bid by one, increasing the bid to signal your partner how points you have in your hand, and bidding 51 right away. In order for a person to declare trump, there must be a marriage for the person to declare trump in. A player may choose to not bid if they don't have a strong playing hand or don't have a marriage.
Bidding is the act of declaring a number that you think you and your partner can make between your melds and the ability to pull points during tricks. After the cards have been dealt, the player to the left of the dealer begins the bidding.