[Cyberyeti]

VM1973, on 2011-July-25, 17:29, said:

So if partner opens 1NT (15-17) NV IMPs and you hold:

AKQJ
xxx
xxx
xxx

What do you bid as opposed to:

Axxx
Kxx
Qxx
Jxx

Opposite 15-17 I see no difference, you're bidding game.

Put it opposite say xxxx, AQJ, AKxx, xx to see the difference, 3.5 losers in spades in the first case, 4 in the second.

Another point is that you know your Q and J are much more likely to be useful when backing up the higher honours, but opposite xxx they may well be wasted.

Would I bid differently with Ax, Kxxx, AQx, KJxx to Ax, AKxx, Qxx, KJxx to Ax, AKxx, xxx, KQJx, sure, I'd open a 15-17 no trump with the first two and show 18 with the third, look at the difference in trick taking potential opposite the actual N hand.

[VM1973]

Cyberyeti, on 2011-July-26, 02:29, said:

Opposite 15-17 I see no difference, you're bidding game.

Put it opposite say xxxx, AQJ, AKxx, xx to see the difference, 3.5 losers in spades in the first case, 4 in the second.

Another point is that you know your Q and J are much more likely to be useful when backing up the higher honours, but opposite xxx they may well be wasted.

Would I bid differently with Ax, Kxxx, AQx, KJxx to Ax, AKxx, Qxx, KJxx to Ax, AKxx, xxx, KQJx, sure, I'd open a 15-17 no trump with the first two and show 18 with the third, look at the difference in trick taking potential opposite the actual N hand.

What a shocker that the 3rd hand is more powerful when you can cherry pick the hand it's opposite. However it's just as likely that the diamond and club holdings of the responder could be reversed. That would effectively put your KQJx opposite x and your xxx opposite Ax.

[Cyberyeti]

VM1973, on 2011-July-26, 09:23, said:

What a shocker that the 3rd hand is more powerful when you can cherry pick the hand it's opposite. However it's just as likely that the diamond and club holdings of the responder could be reversed. That would effectively put your KQJx opposite x and your xxx opposite Ax.

Even so, reverse the minors on the second hand and look at the trick taking potential to compare. 11 solid tricks in spades opposite the hand I claim is better, you have work to do to make 11 opposite the other.

Actually the hand it was opposite really constrained which honours we could hold so finding a hand without lots of touching honours was difficult, those were the first 2 I could construct, and were not in that sense hand picked.