[kiwinacol]

Hello all,

Dealer

S KQ6
H AQJ8
D K8
C K532

1C 1H, ?

I need a bid to show values and H fit, or a bid that shows points then fit later. Now that I look at it again 4H is OK but at the table I rejected that as it removed our bidding space and might have been made on a more distributional hand and NT might be the best denomination? I liked 2NT to show balanced shape and points but rejected it as I might never convince partner that I had 4 hearts. My actual jump shift into 2S was an attempt to force but also keep the bidding low. I didn't like 2S any more than the 2NT but had already spent too much time pondering.

What bid or sequence describes this common hand the best?

Thank you, Ash

[Zelandakh]

kiwinacol, on 2016-April-02, 03:41, said:

What bid or sequence describes this common hand the best?

4♥ in standard, showing a balanced or semi-balanced hand as you could splinter with a shortage. Some pairs use convention methods here that allows for this hand to stay lower (see Phil's recent thread for example) but this is not an option without special agreements.

[gszes]

It is not only points that matter. Sometimes how the hand will play is more important. Picture you partner with a minimum 1h bid. You need at least 2 dummy entries to take trump finesses and if p has the trump K they have little else outside to lead toward you hand. That means game is not overly likely unless p is at least near the top of a minimum response. This type of thinking leads you to an easy 3h bid (asking p to bid 4 if at least near top of a minimum response. If p had responded 1n instead of 1h you probably been happy with a 2n rebid so a 3h bid is similar but with heart support and also a good reason to not rebid 2n (dia Kx for ex). Sometimes chewing up a bit of space immediately helps settle so muich more than "temporizing" bids that settle nothing and force more aimless (and space consuming) searching bids.

[kiwinacol]

thank you gszes. Your comments makes sense to me. I'll look at that type of hand a bit differently now, Ash

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

just adding some comments as a kind of supplement:
With support for responder major and game forcing values opener has basically 3 options
#1 splinter
#2 double jump rebid of the opened minor
#3 raise to game 4M

#2 was commonly played in the past as showing 6-4 with a strong 6 card suit,
playable for 1 looser opposite nothing ( source of tricks ), this changed a
bit, a style that showes a 5422 shape gains ground, the reason being, that with 6-4 you
have a single, i.e. you have shortage, i.e. a splinter bid.

If you play #1 / #2, this means #3 basically showes a 18-19 bal. hand with either 4432
or 4333 shape, depending how many cards your minor suit opening showes, you may even get
rid of the 4333 shape, e.g. in Acol Context.
And if the bid showes 18-19 with 4432, than this is pretty close.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[apollo1201]

Marlowe, I'd add a few more raises:

- for hands too good for a splinter (e.g. 20-22H that couldn't / didnt wanna open some kind of strong opening), a jump shift or reverse in the 3-cd "residue" might hide a real fit but auction can get tricky

- also some consider 3NT as a balanced raise with 18-19 and 4M for 5422 (or the reverse) to really have 4m rebids only by 64 hands that can have less weight in terms of HCP but strong offensive value (AQxx x AKQxxx xx is min but acceptable, but with 5422 you obviously need more HCPs to force to game)

[Vampyr]

A word on terminology -- "advance" means to bid after partner has overcalled.