Posted 2014-December-23, 10:36
I'm agreeing with the rest...Hand 1 is a judgement decision, and it's effectively the same judgement at both tables (and also, if I'm inviting with that hand, it's invite straight up (in my case, 1NT-2♠; 3♣-3NT) rather than giving away information with Stayman - if there is no way to invite without Stayman, that's an incentive not to invite); and hand 2 is rub-of-the-black, and you'll get it back on other hands.
Playing a weak NT (especially in a strong NT world), you absolutely have to be able to roll with the punches. When your system wins (whether it's the blind lead into 1NT-AP, or 1NT-3NT, that gains a trick, or +150 or 200 into partscore, or plus instead of minus, because you opened 1NT (or didn't); or whether you have confidence doubling or pushing to game because partner's 1m opening can't be a crap balanced hand) you smile and take your win, knowing you'll pay for it later. When your system loses (and somewhere between 40 and 50% of the time you don't break even (because I'm biased and think weak NT works well) it will lose, totally randomly, when opener has 12-17 balanced, or even sometimes when opener has the unbalanced 1m), it's "nice try, partner" and on to the next hand, remembering the times you won against these guys with the weak NT last week.
2, 3 hands just isn't enough for a decision; you need 2, 3 months. Partly to get used to it, partly to see what happens when you play against different groups of players (JEC and partner is a different animal from MikeH and partner is a different animal from your local club game is a different animal from my local club game when all the weak NT players come out (whether or not they're playing weak NT today!)). You play it because it's better overall, or because you're more comfortable with it, or because the system flows more easily when you *don't* open 1NT, or...maybe even because it's fun to play off the field. And it's only after a fair amount of practise that you'll know if the reasons you're doing it are right for you.
When I go to sea, don't fear for me, Fear For The Storm -- Birdie and the Swansong (tSCoSI)