[The Casual]

Alright, the purpose of this thread is to get answers to several
(many) generally unrelated bridge questions I've been collecting
over the last couple months. I decided to 'save' them up to avoid
cluttering the forums so hopefully this thread doesn't die down
with too many unanswered. Please forgive me if some of these are
silly questions. If I can edit this I'll try and mark off
answered questions. Here goes!

So I learnt to play and bid (mostly) from the "Learn to Play
Bridge" (L2PB) software provided by Bridgebase (thank you btw),
but I'm still fairly uncertain in many bidding situations. Here
are the majority of the stockpiled questions (bidding related):

* Are reverses an optional add on for Standard American bidding
or an important part of the system?

* Assuming they are optional, are reverses standard? i.e. if
playing SAYC with a random should I assume they play reverses?
L2PB seemed to be leading up to SAYC but made no mention of
reverses at all.

* For responder's bidding do they always follow the same rules as
opener in terms of bidding longest first, highest from 5-5 etc,
or does this change depending on responders point range? In my
experience this can lead to some high auctions on relatively
minimum hands e.g 1s>2d>3c.

* What are some agreements for new suits at the 3 level (both
opener and responder).

* Again assuming reverses are optional, does this change how
responder should bid in constructive situations? Perhaps to avoid
trapping partner when they don’t have the points to reverse?

* Does the 4th suit function the same after a jump shift (4sf)?

* Is there D0P1 for RKCB? Perhaps a D03P14 lol?

* Are there any relatively undiscussed bids for SAYC I should
know? For example I haven't seen the bidding sequence (or
something of the like) 1h>2c>2d>3h (suggesting a slam in hearts)
anywhere (even bidding sites) except in a pdf file by acbl for
SAYC.

* Are minimum raises after a 2/1 (SAYC) anything special? e.g 1h>2c>2d>2h

* My regular partner and I have quite some difficulty bidding slam
going hands with less than 4 cd support in the openers major
(otherwise we bid J2NT). This is because to start cue bidding
(and suggest slam) we need to raise the major below game while a
game force is in place; to do so we need to go through 4sf and
still be able to raise the major at the 2/3 level. In our
experience the 4sf bid rarely happens at the 2 level (does this
sound like misbidding?) like the examples on bidding sites imply.
So the 3 level 4sf is invariably met with 3nt after which the
major can no longer be raised and we have no idea how to start
cue bidding controls. This usually results in a YOLO 4nt
quantitative bid or bidding the slam outright. My idea for this was that
when the major is raised without a jump to game after 4sf this
is the slam invite else they wouldn't have used 4sf. This seems
like a decent solution to me but what is the way this is usually
handled?

* Why is Puppet Stayman much less commonly used over 1NT openings than
2NT?

* After a 2 level 4sf is a jump bid to 3nt defined?

* Does SAYC have any general agreements for new suits at the 3 level?

* If responder's first suit is a major, after a subsequent 4sf
opener's 1st priority is to show 3 cd support, then a stopper; if
this first suit is a minor do opener's bids change other than the
priority of the nt bid?

* Is Gerber only on for jump bids?

* After a 1H opening not uncommonly with a fit some people
search still for a 4-4 in spades; I've heard that a 4-4 fit is
usually better, esp. with the 5-3 fit to discard losers, but
apparently this is not the correct practice (unless temporising
for a delayed game raise). If these statements are true why would
this not be incorporated into SAYC or other bidding systems.

* What are some common agreements for the overcalling side, for
just simple overcalls, e.g 1h>(1s)>p>? The overcall is 10+ total
points but what do their side's subsequent bids show?

* Are there common agreements for major raises to 5?

* With a slam seeking hand when should you cue bid? Use Blackwood? Cue bid and then use Blackwood?


Compared to above the remaining questions are a bite sized piece
so I'll just lump them all together:

* For udca signalling I can understand the idea of being able to
spare a high card in a weak suit (most of the time) for attitude
signals but why invert count as well?

* I remember a while back reading about a Bridge youtuber that
records himself playing and discussed things like his thought
process while playing; would anyone happen to know who that is?


Finally I'd like to ask for some book recommendations. The only
Bridge book I have is the revised edition of "Bridge Squeezes
complete" which was bought out of sheer interest and I've found
it thoroughly fascinating; however it is unlikely to be the most
useful thing to learn at this stage of my game. I'm wanting
particularly a large, detailed book on SAYC bidding (as you may
have figured from above) and perhaps a similar one for 2/1. I'd
also like to get a book generally focused on intermediate
declarer play with perhaps some more advanced ideas towards the
end as well as another, similar leveled, book for defence.

Thank you in advance to contributors, much
appreciated.

[helene_t]

* Are reverses an optional add on for Standard American bidding
or an important part of the system?

Reverses are essential in SA

* Assuming they are optional, are reverses standard? i.e. if
playing SAYC with a random should I assume they play reverses?

Yes.

* For responder's bidding do they always follow the same rules as
opener in terms of bidding longest first, highest from 5-5 etc,
or does this change depending on responders point range? In my
experience this can lead to some high auctions on relatively
minimum hands e.g 1s>2d>3c.

Opener bids the longest first but introducing the second suit as a reverse or at the 3-level requires a strong hand. So sometimes he has to bid his five-card suit again without mentioning the second suit.

Responder can't bid a 5-card suit twice (in general) so will sometimes have to bid notrumps at his second turn. And with e.g. four spades and 6 clubs, if not strong enough to respond at the two-level to a 1♥ opening, responder will just bid his 4-card spade suit and probably never be able to show the 6-card club suit.

* What are some agreements for new suits at the 3 level (both
opener and responder).

The (basically) never limit the strenght of the hand. The consequence of this is that they are gameforcing (unless the player has already denied gameforcing strength, for example by being a passed hand or by responding 1NT first).

* Again assuming reverses are optional, does this change how
responder should bid in constructive situations? Perhaps to avoid
trapping partner when they don’t have the points to reverse?

Not playing reverses as showing extra strength is absolutely unplayable so I can't answer this.

* Does the 4th suit function the same after a jump shift (4sf)?

No. A jump shift as a very specifc type of gameforcing hand (if you agreed to play strong jump shifts). FSF is just any gameforcing hand. (Some pairs allow FSF with some not-quite-gameforcing hands but that becomes very complicated, I won't recommend it).

* Is there D0P1 for RKCB? Perhaps a D03P14 lol?

Yes I play that with one partner but it is not mainstream.

* Are minimum raises after a 2/1 (SAYC) anything special? e.g 1h>2c>2d>2h

In SAYC this would be nonforcing (I think). It is just a preference bid, not a real raise. It could be a doubleton.

* My regular partner and I have quite some difficulty bidding slam
going hands with less than 4 cd support in the openers major
(otherwise we bid J2NT). This is because to start cue bidding
(and suggest slam) we need to raise the major below game while a
game force is in place; to do so we need to go through 4sf and
still be able to raise the major at the 2/3 level. In our
experience the 4sf bid rarely happens at the 2 level (does this
sound like misbidding?) like the examples on bidding sites imply.
So the 3 level 4sf is invariably met with 3nt after which the
major can no longer be raised and we have no idea how to start
cue bidding controls. This usually results in a YOLO 4nt
quantitative bid or bidding the slam outright. My idea for this was that
when the major is raised without a jump to game after 4sf this
is the slam invite else they wouldn't have used 4sf. This seems
like a decent solution to me but what is the way this is usually
handled?

It is sometimes true that going through FSF suggests a slam try. But I wouldn't rely on it - sometimes you go through FSF hoping opener to be able to bid 3NT and if he is not you put him back in a 5-2 fit.

Sometimes you can show your 3-card support in a forcing way without going through fsf, for example
1♠-[2cl]
2♦-3♠

* Why is Puppet Stayman much less commonly used over 1NT openings than
2NT?

Primarily because people want to be able to use Stayman with weak 4441 hands and with weak hands with both majors. This doesn't mesh well with Pubbet.

* After a 2 level 4sf is a jump bid to 3nt defined?

This is stronger than 2NT

* Does SAYC have any general agreements for new suits at the 3 level?

Yes, se above. Most of this is quite standard and applies to most other styles as well.

* If responder's first suit is a major, after a subsequent 4sf
opener's 1st priority is to show 3 cd support, then a stopper; if
this first suit is a minor do opener's bids change other than the
priority of the nt bid?

In principle not. You should try to show your shape before showing stoppers if possible. But sometimes you have to be pragmatic. If you think the only way to reach a good 3NT is to bid it now, you are allowed to.

* Is Gerber only on for jump bids?

Yes, probably. Actually Gerber should only apply in specific welldefined sequences. If 4♣ comes up in an undiscussed sequence if probably shouldn't be Gerber.

* After a 1H opening not uncommonly with a fit some people
search still for a 4-4 in spades; I've heard that a 4-4 fit is
usually better, esp. with the 5-3 fit to discard losers, but
apparently this is not the correct practice (unless temporising
for a delayed game raise). If these statements are true why would
this not be incorporated into SAYC or other bidding systems.

You normally show the 4-card spades first but with 8-9 points you won't be able to show your values by taking preference to hearts on the 2nd round so it may be better to raise immediately - even if you have five spades!

* What are some common agreements for the overcalling side, for
just simple overcalls, e.g 1h>(1s)>p>? The overcall is 10+ total
points but what do their side's subsequent bids show?

In SAYC, a new suit in response to an overcall is constructive but nonforcing. To force, advancer will have to bid opps' suit. But many play it differently. This is important to discuss with partner.

* Are there common agreements for major raises to 5?

Depends on the situation but often it asks partner to bid slam with a control in the enemy suit.

[Vampyr]

helene_t, on 2014-August-29, 09:28, said:

* What are some agreements for new suits at the 3 level (both
opener and responder).

The (basically) never limit the strenght of the hand. The consequence of this is that they are gameforcing (unless the player has already denied gameforcing strength, for example by being a passed hand or by responding 1NT first).

These bids could be a game-try as well.

Quote

Sometimes you can show your 3-card support in a forcing way without going, for example
1♠-[2cl]
2♦-3♠

Is this forcing for sure, or does it show a 3-card limit raise as in Acol?

[mikeh]

I am not sure I am going to answer all the questions, and while I appreciate the motive for asking this many in one post, let me suggest that you are more likely to get a wide range of answers by posing only one or two per post.

1. Reverses: in standard bidding methods, the opening bid of 1suit is so wide range that it is imperative for opener to be able to refine the strength shown as early as possible, and the reverse is one of the primary tools for doing this. To my knowledge, all natural based methods (ignoring outliers such as canapé since I don't know much about that method), use opener's reverse to show significant values beyond a minimum opening, and this is an important, indispensable part of standard methods

2. You should assume that a pickup partner who claims to know Std American, or 2/1 or Acol, etc, plays reverses. However, it would be naïve to think that in reality all such partners do in fact 'play reverses'. I have played a lot of club bridge and low-end tournament bridge, and there are players in my area who have played 'competitively' for decades and have no clue at all. However, what you should take from this isn't that you shouldn't or needn't play reverses....it is that you should find better players to partner.

3. the issue of how responder introduces suits is complex. For example, when partner opens a minor, responder bids hearts with 4=4 majors, and spades with 5=5. Generally one bids the higher ranking with equal long, 5+, suits, and the lower with 4=4. Generally, if the hand is strong enough, one bids the longer of 2 suits first. However, a 2/1 response requires a higher minimum hcp than does a 1 level response, and this trumps the suit length issue. So in response to a 1♦ opener, with 4 spades and longer clubs, one can bid 2♣ only with the high card point count that your method requires. In standard, that is (I think, because I haven't played standard in 30+ years) 10 hcp. In 2/1, it will generally be a decent 12 count. As Helene notes, there will be times when you can't mention your longest suit!

4. bidding a new suit at the 3-level. When it is opener, who is bidding over a 2/1 response by partner (eg 1♠ 2♥ 3♣) there are different schools of thought, and different systemic considerations.

In a standard based method, in which the 2♥ response did not commit to game, it is standard for opener's 3 level bid to be game force and that means, logically, that opener needs extra values...after all, if responder promises as few as 10 hcp, and we have no fit as yet, then to be able to force to game, opener needs the equivalent of a good 15 or so. Note that it is not usually wise to start counting distributional points, in hand evaluation, until one knows if one has a fit. Having a 5-5 hand may seem like a good thing, but until partner can support one of the suits, one shouldn't upgrade much, if at all.

Many players play a method in which the 2/1 response forces to game. Now there is some logic behind the notion that opener doesn't need extras to bid out his shape at the 3-level. Meckwell is arguably the strongest pair in the history of the game and they don't require extras. However, they play a forcing club system such that many of their sequences have different considerations than do those who play 2/1. A significant number of other experts allow 3 level new suits by opener, in 2/1 gf auctions, to be based on shape, not strength but my understanding is that most experts still require that opener have extra strength. My rule of thumb is that I want about a King more than a minimum to bid a 3 level new suit. Btw, I have had this discussion with some exceptional players, so it isn't just me talking here.

As for responder: in fact responder sometimes has to make a 3 level new suit bid artificially. 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ 3♣: the club bid is suspect if 2♥ were not game forcing. Responder, with a game force hand, has to do something! 2N may not be forcing (in fact, I think in standard it isn't). 3N may simply be wrong...maybe no diamond stopper? 3♥ won't be forcing, and so on.

When the 2/1 response was gf, then the new suit at the 3-level is far more likely to be 'real', since there is rarely, if ever, a need to stall.

However, consider 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ Responder's 1♠ didn't promise much, so this again is a situation in which responder's 3♣ call, which is forcing for one round, may be suspect in terms of suit length.

5. I am going to skip some of the questions. Dealing with puppet over 1N. Puppet was in fact invented to be played over 1N openings! However, the puppet that was described in the original Bridge World article used 3♣ as the response to 1N. I am sure this was because the way most good players use regular stayman auctions doesn't mesh well with using 2♣ as puppet.

I think the main reason the original puppet has never really caught on is that there are other uses to which 3♣ can be put. Some are very simple: natural and invitational. Others are a little more sophisticated: when playing 4 way transfers, 3♣ is typically both minors, pass or correct. As with any gadget, one has to decide whether adopting it is worth giving up the alternate uses to which the bid could be put.

6. Your questions about slam bidding are excellent. Unfortunately, a full answer would, literally, require a book

I think you will find, as an aspiring player, that the great majority of players think that it is almost unethical to bid slam without asking for Aces or Keycards. I don't keep track of these things, but I think that at least 1/3rd of slams can and often should be bid without the use of keycard. Proper cuebidding, and judgement, will often get one to a contract where it made no sense to ask about keycards, because the answer to the question would leave you guessing. In addition, as one improves at the game, one finds other uses for whatever the keycard ask was....4N, to me, will have meanings ranging from natural, to 2 places to play, to keycard ask, and to 'I want to keep going but have nothing specific to say', all dependent on context.

I wish you luck: I think the way you framed your questions speaks well of the chances that you will become a good player.

[helene_t]

Yes good point.
1h-2h
3c
Is of course not gf.

[Vampyr]

The point to remember about reverses is that you need extra strength, since partner will have to take preference to your first suit on the three-level, and he may have a minimum response.

[Stephen Tu]

I'm just going to answer, sorry if I end up repeating a bunch of Helene & Mike's stuff:

The Casual, on 2014-August-29, 08:36, said:

* Are reverses an optional add on for Standard American bidding
or an important part of the system?

* Assuming they are optional, are reverses standard? i.e. if
playing SAYC with a random should I assume they play reverses?
L2PB seemed to be leading up to SAYC but made no mention of
reverses at all.

It's standard good bridge for reverses to show extra values and be forcing one round (and commonly also promise a 3rd rebid by opener), it's bad to reverse on random min openers as you'll get too high, plus be unable to distinguish from the stronger hands. But it's going to be random whether some random beginner has learned this yet or not, you pretty much have to bid as if they have their bid, and if it ends up that they don't and you get too high, it's their fault not yours which you can explain if they question why you kept on bidding. Also there's no single standard way of continuing after the reverse, you can read the reverse primer above for ideas. There is variance in whether responder's rebid of 2M of his response suit is limited or not, forcing or not (most common is unlimited, forcing), which bid(s) are used to show weakness by responder and desire to potentially sign off in a partial, and exact ranges for 2nt, jumping to 3nt, etc. All this should be discussed with a regular partner.

Quote

* For responder's bidding do they always follow the same rules as
opener in terms of bidding longest first, highest from 5-5 etc,
or does this change depending on responders point range?

Generally yes, do not change suit order depending on strength range. A few exceptions:
- raising partner's major takes priority over showing other suits if < invitational
- strength minimum requirements for a 2/1 bid can lead one to bid a major ahead of a longer minor suit. Though if one is say 4 spades 6/7 clubs, weak, over say 1 heart one might choose to bid 1nt in order to bid the clubs later to play, temporarily concealing both suits, because 1s seems always to lead towards 2d, then you can't get back to clubs since it's fourth suit.

Quote

* What are some agreements for new suits at the 3 level (both
opener and responder).

New suit at 3 level by responder is going to be GF with most standard agreements. New suit by responder is generally forcing with some exceptions after opener's 1nt rebid.
New suit by opener at 3 level, is typically going to be a jump shift, or a high reverse, so should be forcing.

Quote

* Does the 4th suit function the same after a jump shift (4sf)?

Depends on your jump shift agreements. Some play that strong jump shifts are limited to certain hand types (Soloway jump shifts, so either single-suited, semi-bal, or two-suited with big fit for partner's suit, not two-suited with two other suits). In that case 4th suit is a splinter raise of partner's first suit. Otherwise, in GF situations, 4th suit should IMO always be treated as potentially artificial, probing for NT, as one can always bid NT themselves holding the fourth suit and be stuck for a call otherwise.

Quote

* Is there D0P1 for RKCB? Perhaps a D03P14 lol?

Yes you can play D03P14.

Quote

* Are minimum raises after a 2/1 (SAYC) anything special? e.g 1h>2c>2d>2h

In traditional SA (as opposed to 2/1 GF), this was a 3 cd limit raise with values/length in clubs. It's a bit ambiguous in SAYC, because SAYC allows 3-cd direct limit raises (1H-3H). However, the booklet doesn't specify whether the 3 cd limit raise is *mandatory*. Some here (awm), claim the 3cd LR should be mandatory, and that 2H is thus a 2 cd preference unsuited to 2nt rebid. My position is that in ambiguous situations the traditional meaning should hold.

Quote

* My regular partner and I have quite some difficulty bidding slam
going hands with less than 4 cd support in the openers major
(otherwise we bid J2NT). This is because to start cue bidding
(and suggest slam) we need to raise the major below game while a
game force is in place; ... My idea for this was that
when the major is raised without a jump to game after 4sf this
is the slam invite else they wouldn't have used 4sf. This seems
like a decent solution to me but what is the way this is usually
handled?

The way this is usually handled is the partnership switches to 2/1 GF. Barring that your solution is reasonable. Note that it's usually only bidding *3rd suit* first that it's a problem, because if opener rebid a new suit (1S-2c-2d-3s, 1h-2c-2s-3h), usually you have an unambiguous forcing jump preference available, or opener has reversed (1h-2c-2s-3h "low reverse", 1h-2d-3c-3h "high reverse"), showing extra values and you should be in a GF not needing a 4th suit bid. The problem rears its head more with 1s-2h-2s-?/1s-2d-2s-? type sequences. Some pressure is taken off by noting that you can splinter at the 4 level here, the problems are when you have stronger flat hands without a splinter.

Quote

* After a 2 level 4sf is a jump bid to 3nt defined?

Extras, usually ~16-17, if play 4s as a GF.

Quote

* If responder's first suit is a major, after a subsequent 4sf
opener's 1st priority is to show 3 cd support, then a stopper; if
this first suit is a minor do opener's bids change other than the
priority of the nt bid?

No.

Quote

* After a 1H opening not uncommonly with a fit some people
search still for a 4-4 in spades; I've heard that a 4-4 fit is
usually better, esp. with the 5-3 fit to discard losers, but
apparently this is not the correct practice (unless temporising
for a delayed game raise). If these statements are true why would
this not be incorporated into SAYC or other bidding systems.

You can search for a spade fit if you have game invitational or better. The main problem with introducing spades with weaker hands is that 1h-1s-2d-2h type sequences don't show more than a 2 cd preference. This can inhibit a strong opener from bidding/trying for game, which he would be more inclined to do over a direct 1h-2h, sure of an 8+ fit. You lose more from this phenomenon than any extra tricks you might take from 4-4 fit, especially because when you are weaker, there is less chance of extra trick, because more chance the opps have grabbed their minor winners before you have set up the supposed discards on the 5-3 fit.

* What are some common agreements for the overcalling side, for
just simple overcalls, e.g 1h>(1s)>p>? The overcall is 10+ total
points but what do their side's subsequent bids show?

Standard is new suits show values but non-forcing, 5+ cds, cue bid is ambiguous, either LR or setting up a force to bid a new suit. But there are variations, some like forcing 1 level advances, there are various interpretations for 3 level new suits (forcing natural, fit jump, weak), and some advanced players have switched over to transfer responses starting with the cue bid.

* Are there common agreements for major raises to 5?
If competitive auction, and the opps have the spades, 5H is usually just advanced sac. Otherwise the common agreement is 5M is a slam try asking for:
- if opp has bid a suit, and neither partner has cue bid showing control in that suit yet, asks for bidding on with at least second round control
- if uncontested, and we've shown controls in all but one side suit, asks to bid slam with second round control of that side suit
- if no suit can be pinpointed, shows fear of 2 trump losers, asks to bid 6 with good trumps in context of previous bidding.


* With a slam seeking hand when should you cue bid? Use Blackwood? Cue bid and then use Blackwood?

Use blackwood when you:
- know you have at least second round control of all side suits
- know you have enough playing strength that 12 tricks is a good bet as long as two aces/keycards are not missing (think of blackwood as a slam *avoidance* tool, not a slam *try* tool. You are intending to bid slam but not if off two aces. You aren't bidding it if you aren't sure yet if you have enough power/distribution to manufacture 12 tricks).
- knowing the answer gives you a good chance of counting tricks accurately (in some situations, you might prefer to cue bid and attempt to induce your partner to blackwood instead of you).
- have no void (unless your intention is to bid slam regardless, don't have designs on 7 that a more scientific approach might give, and want to potentially mislead the opponents into a bad lead)

Cue bid in other cases, and to make slam tries.

* For udca signalling I can understand the idea of being able to
spare a high card in a weak suit (most of the time) for attitude
signals but why invert count as well?

Following suit in the opp's suit, often you cannot spare the high card from two for trick taking reasons. You can more often spare the middle card from 3. So you can give an accurate count signal more often, which is why it's standard to play low from doubleton in the trump suit even when playing standard signals. UDC just extends this to all suits.

Also, as a trick one signal, say partner leads K from AKxx (or ace if that's your agreement), and you have xx. If you play low from doubleton, your count signal is congruent with your attitude signal, so it's clear to play low if wanting a ruff. If you don't play these congruent, std count but UDA, then you need much firmer agreements about when your trick one signal is attitude or count.

Present count though, second card played in a suit previously played, is usually played std though, high from doubleton remaining, for unblocking reasons.


*Finally I'd like to ask for some book recommendations.


www.baronbarclay.com has a massive catalog. My favs:
Bill Root, How to Play a Bridge Hand, How to Defend a Bridge Hand, Modern Bridge Conventions (old, not modern at this time, but still more thorough description of most common conventions than most).
More advanced play/defense:
- anything by Terence Reese e.g. Play Bridge with Reese, Play These Hands with Me, Reese on Play
- Kelsey, Killing Defence at Bridge

For constructive bidding you can try Mike Lawrence's 2/1 CD, perhaps Hardy's std bidding in 21st century.

[silvr bull]

So many questions! My suggestion is to not wait to accumulate lots of different things to discuss in general, but to post fewer things (more often) with specifics, preferably with hands (either from actual play or made up to illustrate the point).

The Casual, on 2014-August-29, 08:36, said:

* After a 2 level 4sf is a jump bid to 3nt defined?

Yes! The jump to 3NT is defined! Unfortunately, the definition is different with different players. This is a subject you need to discuss with your partner to reach agreement that works best for both of you. FWIW, my preference is in any game force auction, a jump to game shows a weak minimum with no slam interest, because that jump takes away bid space that may be needed to explore the potential for slam.

The Casual, on 2014-August-29, 08:36, said:

* Is Gerber only on for jump bids?

This is yet another situation which you must discuss with your partner, so do not assume that your partner will interpret your intent based on things you saw elsewhere. I have KISS rules for situations like this to clarify what some bids mean. My rule for Gerber is that if partner's last bid was 1NT or 2NT, then my jump to 4C will ALWAYS be Gerber. If, however, partner's last bid was not 1NT or 2NT (so it would be a suit or 3NT), then 4C is NEVER Gerber. Your KISS rule may be different, but discussing your KISS rules with your partner in advance will be good for your game and will improve your score. Have fun, and good luck!

[Zelandakh]

Hello The Casual and welcome to the BBO forums! I would recommend you ignore the last post and concentrate on the first 6 replies, which contain plenty of good advice. I do not really have much to add to those but will just pick out a couple of minor things.

First of all, as Mike mentions the original Puppet Stayman was indeed created for 1NT openings. However I believe the 2♣ method pre-dates the BW 3♣ article by some distance. One reason why Puppet is better over 2NT than 1NT is that traditionally 5M332 hands were often opened 1M within 1NT range but almost always 2NT when stronger. More than that, one of the prime uses for Puppet is to identify 5-4 fits for slam purposes and this tends to be more beneficial after 2NT. That said, I use a 2♣ Puppet method myself, albeit within the context of ALL 5332s in range being opened 1NT. It is a little more complex to fit everything in though, so not something I would recommend to a beginner.

The second thing I thought to mention is about Gerber. I would say to use only the specific sequences 1NT - 4♣, 2NT - 4♣ and 2♣ - 2♦; 4♣ as Gerber. Later on I would suggest using these 3 for something else too - Gerber really is an outdated convention that is more often misused these days than providing a useful service. For the record I like to use 1NT - 4♣ for both majors, and 4♣ after 2NT to show diamonds. The latter in particular is far too important to give up for ace asking imho - space is tight enough over 2NT already.

Finally, let me echo the suggestion to split your questions up a little more. It might seem like a good idea to have everything in one place but it gets confusing when a single thread has several themes going on at once so the result is that the discussion gets stymied. By all means bundle together related topics but there is no limit to the number of new topics you can create so feel free to send off several at once and see what develops.

[The Casual]

Thank you all for posting, I didn't expect so many answered so quickly! I am very satisfied with the answers that have been given and will do in regards to the question hoarding, I was dying to post these while I was collecting them anyway.