[jillybean]

I was given this hand at the club yesterday and was surprised by the majority choice.

xx, AJx, AQJxx, Jxx

You open 1♦ and partner responds 1♥, what now?

[gwnn]

I think 1nt and 2♥ are both reasonable, depending on your partnership style. 2♦ is bad. I could see some extraterrestrials rebid 2♣, but I wouldn't understand their language.

[aguahombre]

Yeh, both are very close. Rebidding 1NT with small doubleton spade is fine for us size and shape oriented folks. I chose 2H because everything I have is in diamonds and hearts on this one; but 1NT usually works out better for us with balanced weak NT hands.

[kenrexford]

1NT for me, but that's a style choice thing.

2♣ would be my choice in a somewhat similar situation, had partner responded 1♠ instead and had my hand been the slightly different ♠x ♥AJxx ♦AQJxx ♣Jxx. I point this out because it is not completely insane to rebid 2♣ with this pattern, planning to complete a picture, after an anticipated courtesy correction:

1♦-1♥
2♣-2♦
2♥

But, this sounds too much like 1-3-5-4 pattern. The general strength is a tad light without the extra shape. With these exact cards but the better shape, or with this exact shape but perhaps converting the round Jacks into the heart Q and the diamond Q to the K, perhaps.

[mgoetze]

Not close for me, but then I come from a planet where people don't raise with 3-card support here.

[ahydra]

I open what? [I live in England where we play weak NT]

ahydra

[SimonFa]

1NT mandatory for us unless we have 4/5-card support for partners major. Partner can ask for 3 card support using check back Stayman.

[VM1973]

I'd probably bid 2♥ but 1NT is also reasonable. If you're playing MPs you're going to end up either in majors or hearts.

[Phil]

I actually like 2♦ > 1N with these black suits.

But you know I would bid 2♥ and I don't consider it all that close.

For a club player this is a "2♦ wtp".

[cherdano]

I would bid 2♥ but would expect 1NT to be the majority choice in most clubs.

[dickiegera]

jillybean, on 2011-May-28, 09:06, said:

I was given this hand at the club yesterday and was surprised by the majority choice.

xx, AJx, AQJxx, Jxx

You open 1♦ and partner responds 1♥, what now?

2♥ or 2♦. Almost a toss up.
I guess 2♥ because of AJx

[han]

2H, this is a good hand for hearts, and notrump may be better from partner's side. Partner can still ask.

[JLOGIC]

2H for me for sure. If you do not raise to 2H with this, I feel like you are making an inferior bid on the hand in order to have a more well defined 2H raise. There is no way I can be convinced that 1N is a better bid in a vacuum with this hand. You will simply too often wrongside NT, and a 4-3 heart fit will play so well on average.

I don't think there is much gain to agreeing to not raise with 3 trumps and a balanced hand if you would sometimes raise with 3 trumps and an unbalanced hand (1354). That said, if you literally never raise with 3 then obviously there are some nice gains to knowing your partner has 4 for his raise (for instance you can bid 4M a lot rather than checking to see if partner has 3 trumps), but I think it is too big of a loss in general.

[eagles123]

Was torn by 1NT or 2H, but went for 1NT to show a balanced hand.

[BunnyGo]

Out of curiosity, what was the majority opinion at your club? FWIW, I too bid 2♥.

[jillybean]

BunnyGo, on 2011-June-08, 13:35, said:

Out of curiosity, what was the majority opinion at your club? FWIW, I too bid 2♥.

"Majority" opinion of those polled was 6-1 for 2♥

[Phil]

jillybean, on 2011-June-08, 15:29, said:

"Majority" opinion of those polled was 6-1 for 2♥

Consider yourself lucky

[jillybean]

jillybean, on 2011-June-08, 15:29, said:

"Majority" opinion of those polled was 6-1 for 2♥

Phil, on 2011-June-08, 15:41, said:

Consider yourself lucky

LOL Your club must have very weak players Phil or are you talking about the 0-199'er game?

[P_Marlowe]

1NT.

If you have agreed before hand, that raising with 3 cards is allowed
(and does not require a singleton), than the hand is certainly perfect
for a 2H response, hopefully you also have discussed the add. agreements,
that are needed to make this agreement work.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS (Added later): My feeling is, that the raise with 3 cards and a bal. hand
is one of those things, that show only up, if one plays a strong 1 NT opening.
It is possible, that I am overlooking something.

[kenrexford]

JLOGIC, on 2011-May-28, 13:48, said:

I don't think there is much gain to agreeing to not raise with 3 trumps and a balanced hand if you would sometimes raise with 3 trumps and an unbalanced hand (1354).

Not that much at the first bid (except for the fact that a Moysian works better with a stiff somewhere), perhaps, but on the third call, huge benefit. For one, Responder can enable an unwind that gives you a more precise call as Opener.

For example, after 1♦-1♥-2♥, Responder (as I play) is already assured of 4-card support or 3-card support with specifically a stiff spade. After, say, a 2♠ unwind check, Opener will be able to show the precise 1-3-4-5 pattern low enough to play 3♥, 3♣, or 3♦, should that be desired.