[Ant590]

I currently play mini-splinters after a major opening, i.e.

1♥ -- 3♣ = invitational splinter or GF void splinter
1♥ -- 4♣ = singleton splinter

This is part of a 2/1 system where a 2/1 is GF except if responder rebids his suit.

If responder is a passed hand, is it better to play fit-jumps (which most people seem to do?), or stick with the mini-splinters? Are the mini-splinters a dumb thing in the first place?

[Jlall]

Ant590, on Sep 23 2009, 04:42 AM, said:

Are the mini-splinters a dumb thing in the first place?

It COULD be ok in the framework of your system if all of the other bids seem absolutely necessary, but in general if you are using at least 7 bids all showing a splinter you are using your bidding space very inefficiently.

The passed hand question also depends on whether you use drury, and how you play 1M p 2N as a passed hand etc.

[ONEferBRID]

Here are some ideas others have offered me in the past:

p - 1M
2C!/2D! - 2NT! (strong hand, Jacoby-Drury= asking for shortness)
3-any outside suit = shortness

p - 1M
2C! - 2D! ( solid minimum asking for shortness )
3-any outside suit = shortness

In other words you show your limit raise and let opener ask for shortness if interested.
This way you can reserve the direct 3-level jumps as fit-showing.

p - 1M
2NT! = 9-11 hcp with one of the minors, at least a good 6cd suit prepared to play
      opposite a singleton; pard bids 3C for pass-or-correct to 3D; 2C/2D are 2-way Drury;
      and 3C/3D are FSJ in this structure.

And lastly, Mike Lawrence has a book: Passed Hand Bidding.

[blackshoe]

George Rosenkranz wrote some years ago that his Romex team were using mini-splinters in some auctions. A few years later he wrote that they had abandoned them, because they often gave too much information to the defense.

[Phil]

A few pairs in the LA/OC area play mini-splinters, even by unpassed hands. Never liked them. Like Justin said, how many splinters do you need?

[peachy]

I liked JLall's response, a ton of common sense.
But generally, when partner is a passed hand, the systems you play after a 1M opening are not the same as when he is an unpassed hand. Also, it makes a lot of difference if the 1M opening was in 3rd seat or in 4th seat.

[Jlall]

I mean, for instance you could use 1H p 2S to fill all of your mini splinter needs if you wanted to. This is better than using 2S/3C/3D for that (or just 3C/3D and not having a spade mini splinter available), but maybe in his system he can't afford to lose his 2S bid.

edit: meant to quote phil.