[bluecalm]

Quote

This is a very clear 2♠. Even if you don't like raising with three, this is the hand to do it.

I mean, the way people play here raising to 2♠ is major partnership discipline violation. It's like opening 3M with 5 cards basically.
I like this style but I am probably biased as every bridge player I know personally play that way.

[the hog]

Obvious 2S bid for me.

[Lobowolf]

bluecalm, on Jul 28 2010, 03:46 PM, said:

Matter of style.

For me it's 100% 1NT. I also know that partner will basically always bid 2♠ holding 5 of them so it's not like I am missing any 5-3 fits.

+1

I raise with 3-card support with a singleton or void, but usually avoid it with a small doubleton. With 2 top honors in my 3-card suit, I'm not inclined to want to ruff more than one heart with them if it's a 4-3 fit (and if not for ruffing hearts, why prefer spades?). More ideal for a 3-card raise, if not a stiff heart, would be Hxx of spades and another big card in the minors.

[P_Marlowe]

bluecalm, on Jul 28 2010, 03:46 PM, said:

Matter of style. It seems for many Americans it's clear 2♠.
Here in Poland (and almost whole Europe I believe) people don't like raising with 3 cards.

For me it's 100% 1NT. I also know that partner will basically always bid 2♠ holding 5 of them so it's not like I am missing any 5-3 fits.

Hi,

my guess is, that you would find more people from Europe raising, if the hand
would have a 5431 shape.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[NickRW]

How about a slightly different take. If it is IMPs, and we're told it is, then Nigel's concern above about wrongsiding a NT game seems to me to be quite a consideration - in which case 2♠ seems better to me. But what if it were MP? The same consideration applies of course - but also the consideration that maybe P is relatively weak and we're getting no ruffs in dummy - so why not contract for a trick less...

Nick

[gwnn]

bluecalm, on Jul 28 2010, 08:46 PM, said:

For me it's 100% 1NT. I also know that partner will basically always bid 2♠ holding 5 of them so it's not like I am missing any 5-3 fits.

The problem is not that you miss 5-3 fits, it is that you miss some very nice 4-3 fits and sometimes partner just rebids 2M when he would have tried for/bid game.

[Fluffy]

ArtK78, on Jul 28 2010, 07:29 PM, said:

So, when you have a hand that is in the middle, you have to compare it to what you consider to be a maximum for the sequence and what you consider to be a minimum for the sequence to figure out where the hand stands.

This is not a joke, if I did that my answer would always be: my hand is in the middle.

My quick hand comparison gives only 2 answers: beter or worse.

I compare my hands with standard ones to come to a conclusion if the hand is good or not.

Not that it is really important, but I found it interesting that my thinking approach is completelly different.

[bluecalm]

Quote

my guess is, that you would find more people from Europe raising, if the hand
would have a 5431 shape

Yes, especially if it's exactly: 3♠ - 4♥ - 5♦ - 1♣ after 1♦ opener or 3♠ - 4♥ - 1♣ - 5♣ after 1♣ opener.
Those are the only hands on which I would bid 2M personally.

Quote

The problem is not that you miss 5-3 fits, it is that you miss some very nice 4-3 fits and sometimes partner just rebids 2M when he would have tried for/bid game.

I understand those concerns.
I saw too many times American pairs getting owned by themselves in:

1m - 1M
2M - 4M auctions getting to 4-3 contract which has no play though.

I guess the solution is to use some kind of gadgets but I am big believer in bidding games fast on simple hands and system which produces long auctions on the simplest of hands is not what I like.

[Siegmund]

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have voted 1NT out of principle and stubbornness. I have come around to bidding 2S with 3 on this type of hand, and ONLY on this type of hand - strong 3-card support, and a small doubleton or worse in an unbid suit, and an extra flaw for each of the alternatives (a second unstopped suit for 1NT, and only AJxxx for 2C.)