[SimonFa]

BBO "find me a game", partner is self declared Advanced and I picked up this:

♠J43
♥KJ987
♦AQ72
♣6

IMPS, R v W (not that this ever seems to matter in the main bridge club).

Bidding went:

(P)-1♥-(P)-2♣
(P)-2♦-(P)-5♣
All pass

Partner made the contract and then complained that I had opened with 11 points. When I pointed out Rule of 20 and the unbalanced nature of the hand he went off in the traditional huff.

So, was my bidding reasonable? I thought the suits were good with all the points in them and the rebid was straight forward and so a sound open even at this vulnerability.

Thanks in advance for comments,

Simon

[billw55]

Nowadays this hand is generally considered a borderline opener. Some reasonable players will open it , and some reasonable players will not.

Once upon a time, it was generally considered not strong enough to open. But that time is past. It sounds like your pickup partner is somewhat old fashioned.

You can't please everyone all the time. If you don't open this hand, some partners will say that you should. But in either case, a reasonable modern player should understand the borderline nature of the hand, and not criticize either choice harshly.

[the_dude]

Here's a good guideline to use when deciding whether or not to open a borderline hand:

- Do I have a good rebid over likely responses?
- Does my opening bid/rebid describe my hand?

In this case, you have a comfortable 2♦ rebid over anything your partner says (unless of course he raises hearts, in which case you certainly did the right thing by opening). I would say opening 1♥ and rebidding 2♦ perfectly describes the shape and values of your hand and therefore is a very reasonable opening bid.

Change your hand to:

♠x
♥AQxx
♦KJxxx
♣Jxx

Now if you open 1♦, over a likely 1♠ response you have an icky problem. 1NT, 2♦, and 2♥ are all poor descriptions of the shape and values of this hand ... your partner will probably be disappointed with it no matter what happens. Many teachers advise not opening borderline hands when you will have no good way to describe them. (that being said, much of the BBO community would open this hand anyway)

[billw55]

While the 2♦ rebid is convenient and good, I wouldn't say it describes the values just yet - it's a fairly wide ranging bid, which could be made on a 16 count or even some 17s. When opening a marginal hand, ideally I like to have a rebid that is both descriptive and limiting - but of course the cards are not often so friendly.

Basically we start with an 11 count, and then adjust for:

pros: values concentrated in long suits, convenient rebid
cons: ♠Jxx not worth much, relatively poor spot cards

It seems like a wash, and whether to open will depend on your own (and partner's) preference. To each their own.

[aguahombre]

Posts #2 and #3 are excellent for this forum and complement (supplement) each other.

Good jobs.

[ArtK78]

According to Goren, the hand has 13 points - 11 HCP and 2 for the singleton club.

Not only that, it contains a very obvious suit to open the bidding and an easy rebid.

Therefore, even in the 1950s, this would be considered a full opening bid.

[SimonFa]

Some good thoughts and I shall probably continue to open that sort of hand no matter what my "Advanced" pick up partners think.

Thanks all.