[gwnn]

J3
Q94
KQT52
AJ7

favorable matchpoints

1♦-p-1♥-p
?

We have a reasonable opening and responding style. Raise or not?

[matmat]

2H

[benlessard]

WTP 2H. From a constructive POV 2H in 4-3 fit rate to be as good as 1Nt. From a competitive POV some say that raising will encourage the opponent to compete but on this hand LHO can have a 4??4 and 10+. If you bid 1Nt he will be happy to X and they will probably reach 2S. If you rebid 2H he will be less tempted to X even if you have a fit because he cannot play in 2C anymore. Sometimes you will play 3H instead of defending 2S because partner going to think you have 4H but it might not be a bad thing.

[Codo]

Call me old fashioned, but this is one of the easiest 1 NT rebids ever.

I know that it is en vogue in the fora to play 4-3 fits. But I think this balanced hands takes the idea of raising with 3 card support way too far.

[joker_gib]

1NT easy for me.

Don't really see the advantages of 2♥ in a balanced hand

[the hog]

2H easy for me.

Don't see the advantages of 1NT without a S stopper.

[Gerben42]

Quote

  2H easy for me.

Don't see the advantages of 1NT without a S stopper.

1NT, no alternatives.

When did 1NT start to show a ♠ stopper in this auction? If you're so afraid of that, why not 2♦?

2♥ shows a ♥ fit, you don't have one.

If you agree that you may raise on 3 cards, please only do so with a singleton.

[Codo]

The_Hog, on Jul 3 2008, 08:27 PM, said:

2H easy for me.

Don't see the advantages of 1NT without a S stopper.

So you open 1 NT with Kxx, Axxx,Axx,Axx but not with xxx,AKxx,Axx,Axx?

Interesting view.

I guess in a weak NT context with the given hand you had answered 2 Heart after pds 2 Club Stayman bid with Jx, Qxx,KQTxx,AJx because of the weakness in spades?

And you surely rebid your diamonds instead of 1 NT with xxx, QJ, KQTxx,AJx?


Well, we had been there before. For some people 4 card raise is mandatory, some nearly always raise with 3 cards and some need reasons, like side shortages to raise with three.

It is like beliving in one religion or another - we will never confess anyone from the other side. But we keep on trying...

When I followed the European championship I did not notice that many top players use 3 card raises that frequently. But maybe I just watched the wrong tables...

[655321]

WTP, make the bid your partnership has agreed to make on these hands.

I have played in partnerships where we rebid 1NT, and others where we rebid 2♥. Either way, the world does not come to an end.

gwnn, on Jul 3 2008, 02:46 AM, said:

We have a reasonable opening and responding style.

Good ... I think?

[Walddk]

Borderline hand. I have no strong feelings; 1NT and 2♥ could both work out well. Jx is often a good holding for NT, so I think I will rebid 1NT. If my hand had been

xx
QJx
KQ10xx
AJx

I would prefer 2♥.

Roland

[the hog]

Actually agree with the anonymous numerical one, probably for the first time ever. It doesn't matter all that much provided partner agrees, (my pd likes the 3 card raise). The Poles systemically play that the raise shows 4 cards. The Hacketts for example play that it shows 3-4. All concerned seem to do all right.

[barmar]

655321, on Jul 3 2008, 07:47 AM, said:

WTP, make the bid your partnership has agreed to make on these hands.

That's not a useful answer if you're trying to decide WHAT to agree to.

[Hanoi5]

1NT, there are ways to play with a 5-3 fit and spades should be 4-4 as no one has overcalled.

[BillHiggin]

barmar, on Jul 3 2008, 07:53 AM, said:

655321, on Jul 3 2008, 07:47 AM, said:

WTP, make the bid your partnership has agreed to make on these hands. 

That's not a useful answer if you're trying to decide WHAT to agree to.

Related factors that may influence your partnership's decision:
If you insist on 4 card support for the raise, then 1N should seldom be the rebid with a singleton in responder's suit.
Conversely, if you would like to often rebid 1N with a singleton in responder's suit then at least some opening hands with 3 card support need to raise.

How satisfied are you with your checkback methods after 1m 1M; 1N? How about your game tries after 1m 1M; 2M (see http://www.freewebs.com/juniorsbbo/majorra...erminoropen.htm )? It takes a little more compication to handle the 3 card raises and singleton 1N rebids than the more conservative options.

[han]

Agree that this is just something you agree on, I don't have very strong feelings. Also with the hand that Roland gave I would certainly bid 2H.

[Hanoi5]

BillHiggin, on Jul 3 2008, 09:25 AM, said:

barmar, on Jul 3 2008, 07:53 AM, said:

655321, on Jul 3 2008, 07:47 AM, said:

WTP, make the bid your partnership has agreed to make on these hands. 

That's not a useful answer if you're trying to decide WHAT to agree to.

Related factors that may influence your partnership's decision:
If you insist on 4 card support for the raise, then 1N should seldom be the rebid with a singleton in responder's suit.
Conversely, if you would like to often rebid 1N with a singleton in responder's suit then at least some opening hands with 3 card support need to raise.

How satisfied are you with your checkback methods after 1m 1M; 1N? How about your game tries after 1m 1M; 2M (see http://www.freewebs.com/juniorsbbo/majorra...erminoropen.htm )? It takes a little more compication to handle the 3 card raises and singleton 1N rebids than the more conservative options.

link is not working

[ArtK78]

It is also helpful to have "checkback" methods after 1m-1M-2M so that responder will be able to place the contract when responder has invitational or better values.

After a single raise of responder's major by opener, I play the following:

2NT asks length of major suit support and strength of hand. The responses:

3♣ - 3 card support, minimum opening.
3♦ - 3 card support, above-minimum opening.
3♥ - 4 card support, minimum opening.
3♠ - 4 card support, above-minimum opening.

Responder can usually place the contract at this point.

[There is something to be said for using 2♠ as the asking bid after 1m-1♥-2♥, but I have not gone to that step]

[pclayton]

ArtK78, on Jul 3 2008, 06:54 AM, said:

It is also helpful to have "checkback" methods after 1m-1M-2M so that responder will be able to place the contract when responder has invitational or better values.

After a single raise of responder's major by opener, I play the following:

2NT asks length of major suit support and strength of hand. The responses:

3♣ - 3 card support, minimum opening.
3♦ - 3 card support, above-minimum opening.
3♥ - 4 card support, minimum opening.
3♠ - 4 card support, above-minimum opening.

Responder can usually place the contract at this point.

[There is something to be said for using 2♠ as the asking bid after 1m-1♥-2♥, but I have not gone to that step]

You can extend this as well:

3N = Max 4 card raise but 4333
4 of our minor = picture jump, no outside s/v or AK and a 4-5
4 of other minor = splinter
4♥ = splinter in other major

Another useful toy after the 3♣ / 3♦ response is to play 3oM as asking for shortness.

BTW on the OP, I would raise to 2♥. While the hand is a little soft, for me to be swayed to 1N, I would like a real doubleton honor, not JT.

[mikeh]

I don't really understand why anyone would bid 2♥ on the given hand... well, I understand the reasons bidders give, but I don't think they are particularly sound.

No-one has yet bid spades. So: either opp had the chance to do so and didn't. Thus the odds of the opps running 5+ spades are less than I suspect most 2♥ bidders beleive.

The correct response to our 1♦, with 4=4 in the majors, is 1♥, so partner's bid of 1♥ does not deny spades.. this also reduces the risk of the spade suit running.

The silence of the opps increases the chance that partner has invitational or better values, and most good pairs have execellent rebid structures over 1N rebids. While most good pairs have decent methods over the single raise, those methods are usually (in my experience, always) not quite as good as the method over 1N, and this makes sense because of space constraints and the definition inherent in the 1N rebid, which is tighter than the definition of the single raise when the single raise can be on a 3 card even with a balanced hand.

The raise is usually the bid that gets us too high when we don't quite have the values. Responder will get us to the 3-level on a 4-3 when we raise on hands on which he might even pass 1N or, at worst, get us to the 2-level, in 2N, with a balanced hand.

I don't have any problem raising on Hxx when I have a side singleton. But balanced hands, imo, rebid notrump without 4 card support.

Having said all of that, this is not something that I think is going to have a huge impact on one's game... I think the raise is inferior, but not by very much.

[benlessard]

At imps i agree that the difference between 1Nt and 2H is marginal since if you stop low both partscore should make and if you continue there is sufficient method to reach the best game. But in MP im convinced that those who seldom make 3 card raise on balanced hand are losing MP by the tons. This hand aint perfect for a 3card raise but its pretty close to a perfect 3c raise on a balanced hand. I closely watch my score record on those 2M or 1Nt bids since they come up all the time and so far im a big winner. Maybe its because in a weak or medium field they defend moysian worse then they defend 1Nt. Another side benefit of raising more oftne then the field is that responder will often pass 1Nt instead of rebidding 2M.

1D------1S-------1NT--------??? here is partner is frequently raising to 2S instead of rebidding (1Nt with 3S and ruffing power) then if you have a 5S card suit M the % bid is often to pass 1Nt instead of rebidding 2S.

Those who think that rebidding 1Nt without a spades stopper is the same thing then opening 1Nt without a spade stopper are clueless.