[henriqued]

Yesterday, during a duplicate tourney, I had the following hand:

♠ A J 10 8 5
♥ K 10 9 7 6 4
♦ 10
♣ J

I was the dealer and opened this hand with 1 ♠. My partner had 18 honor points and we ended up in a 5 ♠ contract, 1 down, whilst 4 ♠ or 5 ♥ would be made...

We play SAYC and I am not sure if I did right openning 1 ♠ and I would like to know your opinion: - should I open 1 ♥? 2 ♥? Pass?
Thank you,
"henriqued"

[silvr bull]

Whenever there is doubt, my preference is to limit my hand as soon as I can, so partner does not imagine that I have more than a minimum. Here, I would pass quickly, and hope that my RHO opens 1m, or even 1NT. A Micheals 2m que or a Capp 2D, could start a perfect auction for us.

[ggwhiz]

silvr bull, on 2017-February-25, 04:32, said:

Here, I would pass quickly,

Me too. If the opponents open the bidding I can show both majors at once and get to hearts when partner has equal length.

I would open with different 2-suiters (and the higher ranking suit) if missing the spades where I might get shut out of the bidding.

[neilkaz]

Playing a limited opening forcing 1♣ system I'd probably open 1♥, but playing my typical US 2/1 I'd pass and try to get in later with Michaels.

[Phil]

In 2017 where a passout is non-existent, Im fine with a pass because Im going to be able to show both my suits at my next opportunity. If my opponents bid one of them, I can decide if I want to compete and if partner opens Im also well placed.

[cherdano]

I really don't like opening 1♠. I don't mind overbidding in order to get my suits in, but here I am overbidding in order to distort my suit lengths. I'd rather open 1♥ and give up on 5-3 spade fits. But still I'd rather pass.

Switch the majors, and a 1♠ opening becomes much more interesting (or a 2♠ opening planning to bid hearts next - but the suits aren't good enough for that in my view).

[Fluffy]

1♠ is fine, but obviously not foolproof.

[gszes]

While this hand is a tad light for my taste (change the heart K to the A for me to open) I agree with the 1s bid vs 1h. Being able to show both suits is so much easier when you start with 1s but that is not the end of the story. Say the bidding goes 1s 3d p p would you feel better placed if you had opened 1s or 1h? I would not hesitate to bid 3h IF I had opened 1s but I would not be happy to bid 3h if my original choice was 1h. No matter what you choose there will be times it goes wrong but opening 1s will normally cut down on the number of bad results. good question

[Winstonm]

One problem with opening a hand based more on distribution than high cards is that the value of the hand only comes when a fit is found - and the better the fit the better the hand becomes. Even then, it can be a problem of getting too high. At some point there needs to be a bottom range on openings, and in my view this hand is quite a bit lower than an opening bid.

[rmnka447]

I'd pass here also.

The ♣ J is virtually worthless.

As others have pointed out, if you pass it's not very likely that the hand will be passed out. So it's very likely that you'll have a second chance to bid. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to come in and compete vigorously. In doing so, you'll have painted a good picture of your hand for your partner. If you don't have enough to open and then compete, your values must be based on distribution.

When you open a hand, your partner will have certain expectations about what you have. If you're super aggressive, then it can be difficult to convince partner that you've pushed the envelope and don't have what you "promised". Partners get stubborn that way sometimes.

One good bidding principle to keep in mind, "It's possible to limit your hand and then show extras, but near impossible to overbid and try to show less then expected."

[SteveMoe]

Happy to go slow owning the two top ranking suits. Pass.

[MrAce]

Pass for me.

[cherdano]

gszes, on 2017-February-26, 13:11, said:

Being able to show both suits is so much easier when you start with 1s but that is not the end of the story. Say the bidding goes 1s 3d p p would you feel better placed if you had opened 1s or 1h? I would not hesitate to bid 3h IF I had opened 1s but I would not be happy to bid 3h if my original choice was 1h. No matter what you choose there will be times it goes wrong but opening 1s will normally cut down on the number of bad results. good question

Interesting auction you have there - we have an 8-count, LHO preempts, yet neither partner or RHO bids?

Meanwhile, are you really so well-placed after opening 1♠? Bid 3♥ now, and you may end up playing a 5-2 fit instead of a 6-3 fit (partner may expect you to be 6=5 in the majors).

[gszes]

cherdano, on 2017-February-26, 20:15, said:

Interesting auction you have there - we have an 8-count, LHO preempts, yet neither partner or RHO bids?

Meanwhile, are you really so well-placed after opening 1♠? Bid 3♥ now, and you may end up playing a 5-2 fit instead of a 6-3 fit (partner may expect you to be 6=5 in the majors).

it is just as reasonable for me to be 65 56 or 55 with this bidding and p choosing to "decide" I must be 65 seems rather short sighted. (with 23 in the majors and no desire to go higher
will readily pass). Sometimes they will be 22 and guess wrong that is life.

[Winstonm]

double posted