BBO Discussion Forums: How to bid up to 4H? - BBO Discussion Forums

I wonder how to bid up to 4H,can you tell me?Many thanks.

I presume you're playing 2/1 as we'd bid:

1♥-2♦
2♠-3♣
3♥-4♥

It's also not silly being in 4♠, I have no knowledge of 2/1 so I'll leave the 1♥-1N sequence to others.

I would start by opening 1 ♦ and I may reach the wrong game (3NT) but surely game.

If I play a system where this is no opening hand, I would NOT answer 1 NT with this great hand.

If I need to pass first and later answer 1 NT with such a great hand, I would reverse with partners hand to take care for this- but no, I would just change my system to something playable...

I would bid 2S next,a forcing reverse showing longer hearts than spades and at least
16 + points and 5-4 in the majors. N should bid 4H It's true he only has 2 cards in
his partners suit,but they are 2 very good ones and the trumps may break evenly.

I am not one who would choose to open the N hand, nor would I be too unhappy had a partner done so. I fail to appreciate bidding 1NT rather than 2D which I assume would be natural. I also feel the S hand might have pushed a bit with 2S, a bit of an overbid, but we are vul.Had this taken place game is easy to reach as N can bid 3D (lebensohl treatment) and landing in 4H should not be pretty easy.

If you decide not to open the Nth hand, (marginal), then the failure to bid 2D is staggering. Now after a 2S reverse, getting to 4H is easy.

North underbid twice already, it is hard to recover from that. Although even now, the reverse 2♠ should do the job.

Alternatively,

1♦-1♥
2♦-2♠
3♥-4♥

or maybe

p-1♥
2♦-2♠
3♥-4♥

I'm guessing you play two-way Drury as a passed hand (so 2♦ would show 4+ hearts)?

If so, you have to play 3♦ as natural, max passed hand. The auction can just go:

Pass-1♥
3♦-3♠
4♥

I would open the North hand but I don't hate Pass.

1♦-1♥
2♦-2♠
3♥-4♥

Trivial, really.

PhilKing, on 2013-April-29, 06:56, said:

eh yeah, I tend to overlook 2♦ drury.

I agree with not opening the North hand. But as a passed hand, North should respond 2♦ iso 1nt.

This looks a reasonable bidding to me:
p-1♥
2♦-2♠
3♦-3♥
4♥-p

Steven

I also agree that the North hand is not an opener.

After a forcing NT, the only sure way to get to 4 ♥ or 4 ♠, is for South to reverse to 2 ♠. Then North holding 11 working points will make sure to drive to game.

The question, then, is whether the South hand is good enough for a reverse. Virtually all the values are concentrated in ♥ and ♠ -- two AKs with minor honors supporting -- so reversing doesn't look too hard a decision to make. It works this time, but might lead to overbidding in a partial if North had held a bust response and was planning to simply rebid 2 ♥ over 2 of a minor.

The South hand (4 ♠, 5 ♥) is the BIG problem hand after a forcing NT response. If you don't feel the hand is worth a reverse after opening 1 ♥, then you have to decide which is the least onerous way to misdescribe the hand. The choice is either to bid a 2 card minor or simply rebid 2 ♥. How to handle this situation is something for partnership discussion if you don't want to play Flannery.

Here a simple 2 ♥ rebid probably gets you to 4 ♥ also. North has to then decide between a raise to 3 ♥ or simply bidding 4 ♥ after the 2 ♥ rebid "promises" 6 ♥ in opener's hand. I suspect more than a few players would choose to treat the doubleton ♥ honors like they were 3 hearts and simply bid 4 ♥.

Flannery players should get to 4 ♥ if they decide to open 2 ♦ with the South hand. North would bid 2 NT asking for a further desciption of the South hand. South would rebid 3 ♠ showing a maximum and 2-2 in the minors and North would bid game.

1NT might not be forcing by a passed hand.

I don't play 2-way Drury. Why? This hand.

Having said that, if 1NT is NF and 2♦ is hearts, you're hooped in general; this hand is okay as, as many are saying above, you have a (dead minimum) reverse.