[FrancesHinden]

 jmcw, on 2011-July-14, 16:21, said:

By automatically do you mean 6322 15/17?, does it matter if the doubletons are weak? where do you draw the line?

One thing for sure if you choose to open 1♣ then a convenient rebid of 2 or 3♣ will lkely be a fairly decent description.

Not so easy when holding a 5-card Major. With 3532 16 points what do you rebid after 1♥>>1♠ or 1♥>>1NT?

More like 14-16 than 15-17, most 17s with a 6-card suit are too strong for 1NT.
With a 3532 with 16 points I rebid 1NT (wide range) after 1H - 1S, and 2C (artificial and forcing) after 1H - 1NT

[Mbodell]

 Lurpoa, on 2011-July-14, 23:46, said:

WHY

Because this hand is not worth a 1m - 1x - 3m response. It is only 15 and while the suit is good the points are soft. 1m - 1x - 3m takes up a lot of room so should be quite good, nearly forcing, at least around the strength of a reverse. 1m - 1x - 2m can be more wide ranging because partner can pass with a weak hand and invite (and use the extra room to resolve the invites) with a moderate hand.


I'd definitely open this 1nt. I tend to like opening 1nt whenever I can. Good things happen, our bidding is well understood, declaring 1nt is nearly always good, 1nt preempts the auction, etc. Similar to what Phil says, I probably open 1nt way too often. It used to be I'd never ever open 1nt unless 4333, 4432, or 5m332. Now 95+% of the time I'll open 5M332, 5m422, 6m322 hands 1nt. I'm sure over time it will be like a pendulum and I'll eventually get better judgement on when not to open 1nt.

[blackshoe]

I just got through reading this little pamphlet on hand evaluation. The guy who wrote it seems to think this hand is only worth about 14 points, if I'm reading him right.

The guy's name is Marty Bergen.

[Free]

Both are fine imo. 1NT solves the strength issue, the ♣ suit will be a nice surprise and Qx and Jx are nice holdings for NT contracts. Otoh 1♣ followed by 2♣ gets our nice suit in. Biggest problem I foresee after opening 1♣ is when responder bids 1♠, because it improves our hand significantly imo.

[han]

 FrancesHinden, on 2011-July-15, 00:22, said:

More like 14-16 than 15-17, most 17s with a 6-card suit are too strong for 1NT.

For me it's more like 14-15. I think the 16s are better described by rebidding 3C, and they are often too strong for 1NT as well.

With very pure hands like AQx xx xx AKJxxx I wouldn't open 1NT either, would anybody?

[fromageGB]

Put me down as one who would not even hesitate about opening 1♣ and rebidding 2♣. It's a nice hand, but nowhere near a 3♣ rebid in my book.

With such poor red suits 1NT seems a little silly. When partner passes I am quite likely not able to get in enough times to set up and run the clubs.

Opening 1♣ gives you freedom to play in clubs or spades, or NT if that's what partner wants. If he shows values then now I will be able to run the clubs.

I don't see the scoring method making a difference here.

[MrAce]

I open this 1 NT with no problem, but i would not mind those who open 1♣ and rebid 2 or 3 ♣. Its totally matter of style after this. If pdship is opening very agressive light 1 level openings, i can easily understand the 3♣ rebid, in std methods it is a clear 2♣ rebid.

[nigel_k]

Agree with 1NT.

I'm not a huge fan of doing it on this hand type, but there is very wide range of hands that can open 1♣ with single suited clubs so it makes sense to open 1NT on some of the ones that are between a 2♣ and 3♣ rebid. This hand seems about right for that.

[tolvyrj]

Not on the first hand, no. From 3 rd hand we take more liberties, so then yes.

[P_Marlowe]

No.

You have a strong 6 card suit, and a weak doubleton, make it a weak
6 card suit and strong short suits, and I can at least understand 1NT,
I still would open my 6 card suit, but at leats I would consider 1NT
a valid alternative, so maybe I should change to "insane".

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jdeegan]

Excellent discussion. Personally, for what it's worth, I would open 1NT with a weak partner or if I really need a board or if I had had a good 16 or a 17 count. Next, I plan to rebid 2♣. Reasoning: my partnership's expectation on any given board in all but the toughest fields is 60% based on slam bidding and card play, so I don't want to risk losing the board based on my initial bid.