[phoenixmj]

East west is vulnerable

---

2 doubletons, but the 5 card suit is a minor. How would you open this hand in first seat? Vulnerable.

[neilkaz]

1NT for me as I have a flattish 15-17 and no good rebid if I open 1C.

[TylerE]

1NT ottomatic

[helene_t]

If both doubletons have been small, or if it was a 17 count good enough for reverse, or if it was a var poor 15 count, suitable for a 1NT rebid, then we can talk.

As it is, 1NT is obvious.

[akwoo]

Add me to the 1N automatic camp.

I tell my partners that my 1N bids include most 5422 and 6322 hands in range when the long suit is a minor, and I am convinced it is the right way to play.

[msjennifer]

Sir,I am going to be the lone little squirrel. A standard opening of 1C PROMISES only xx in clubs.I shall open 1C always on such a hand.There is an easy (in my humble opinion) rebid of 2D(over responders 1D) or 1NT or 2C available.In my opinion KJxxx is most certainly a rebiddable suit as per the definitions given in all text books.I do not like a 1NT opening on this hand as it can go down vulnerable against not .I played a hand against an internationally rated opponent who opened 1NT holding xx-AKxx-AKJx-xxx ,15 HCP.and SO THOUGHT BALANCED hand,in the 1st seat,We cashed the first 9 tricks in SandC and minus300 was the result in him getting a very clean zero.Had he bothered to open 1D then we could have scored 9 tricks in 2/3 S.My polite and humble thought is that one can CONSTRUCT very amusing hand patterns with the 3 other players on the table, but it will certainly be NOT WRONG to open THIS hand 1C.

[shyams]

I might have said that I prefer 1♣, not 1NT if the OP had 10 or more "?" in the title.

Since there are only 9 ?s, I choose the more rational option of 1NT.

PS: Sorry, couldn't resist

[gszes]

I have seen many MANY players adopt a line of thinking due to the skewed results of ONE HAND. Opening this hand 1c with the intention of overbidding a 2d reverse seems like we are heading in the wrong direction. 1N for me even though I am quite certain partner will overbid with their inevitable 55 in the majors
using the assumed trump fit principle:)

[sfi]

shyams, on 2019-March-22, 03:11, said:

Since there are only 9 ?s, I choose the more rational option of 1NT.

Surely the right answer is 1NT!!!!!!!!!

[mikestar13]

Does anybody try 1♦ with this hand?

[miamijd]

1NT seems obvious to me.

[wuudturner]

When you open the bidding, you consider what your rebid will be. ALWAYS. For those who want to open 1♣, you need to know what you will do when partner responds with at least any 1-level bid.

The problem with 1♣, is you have a good hand. But if partner bids 1♡ or 1♠, you need to than choose a rebid. 2♣ would tend to show a better suit. You cannot reverse into 2♢ as that would show a significantly better hand than you have. And a 1NT rebid tends to show a weaker hand.

If you open 1♣ and then rebid 1NT, your fear is that partner with a 10 count will pass, expecting to see a 12 count for your rebid, when 3NT is cold.

One option is to open 1♢, then rebid 2♣. Some people will do this, but then they get into trouble, because that should show a diamond suit that is longer than your club suit. So, with equal length in diamonds and clubs, they will take a preference into diamonds. Sorry, but count me out of the group who will open 1♢ in any standard system.

Therefore you open 1NT on this hand, as long as the hand fits into the range for 1NT you have agreed upon. The hand is balanced. No choice of bid is always perfect for any hand, however, 1NT is by far the least lie, the opening bid you want to make. (In fact, in my eyes, 1NT is not a lie in any respect.)

[wuudturner]

mikestar13, on 2019-March-22, 10:21, said:

Does anybody try 1♦ with this hand?

Yes. Some people do. And they are sometimes in trouble, as partner will never know when to take a preference back to diamonds from clubs. Does that mean I would never do so?

In fact, if I am playing precision with one partner, where 2♣ is not an option on the hand, and 1NT is sometimes out of range for the hand, then I have no choice but to open 1♢ on the hand, even though I hate the necessity.

But in any standard style of bidding, you want to open 1NT if you can do so, as this tells partner the important facts about your hand immediately.

[apollo1201]

I open 1NT everyday there is « Y » in the day. Well, unless I play weak NT🤣

No reason to treat it like 14 and rebid 1NT after 1C. All other actions after opening 1C would be mild to gross distortions of the hand.

[johnu]

mikestar13, on 2019-March-22, 10:21, said:

Does anybody try 1♦ with this hand?

Can't be sure without a poll, but I would guess nobody I consider any good would do so.

[jo4bridge]

phoenixmj, on 2019-March-21, 18:45, said:

East west is vulnerable

---

2 doubletons, but the 5 card suit is a minor. How would you open this hand in first seat? Vulnerable.

1nt and pray you find a fit First position a good time to try this and wait for the x by opps or transfer from p. Always a chance to then offer the diamond bid. And of course then there's the brilliance of the word 'pass' after that...

[msjennifer]

Strange indeed that a Jx which is neither a stopper for NT nor has a trick winning capacity(except in a spade contract perhaps) and is making up the very important 15th HCP can make a difference to the opening bid in the first seat..Playing Precision we can easily open this hand as 1D (11-15 and 2+diamonds)

[msjennifer]

jo4bridge, on 2019-March-22, 12:39, said:

1nt and pray you find a fit First position a good time to try this and wait for the x by opps or transfer from p. Always a chance to then offer the diamond bid. And of course then there's the brilliance of the word 'pass' after that...

Sir,I,personally,fully appreciate your comment.

[johnu]

msjennifer, on 2019-March-22, 13:09, said:

Strange indeed that a Jx which is neither a stopper for NT nor has a trick winning capacity(except in a spade contract perhaps) and is making up the very important 15th HCP can make a difference to the opening bid in the first seat..Playing Precision we can easily open this hand as 1D (11-15 and 2+diamonds)

Not opening 1NT playing Precision is even worse than not opening 1NT playing a natural system with 15-17 1NT's. Opening 1NT in Precision is usually 14-16 by most these days, so opening 1♦ with a 1NT rebid showing 11-13 is off by 2 HCP.

You have a choice of unpleasant rebids after a 1 of a major response to 1♦

1NT --- Underbid by 2 HCP, semibalanced 5422 shape
2♣ --- Ambiguous minor suit shape, not unbalanced, at very top of HCP range when 11-12 HCP is the most likely range
2♦/2♥/2♠ - N/A
2NT - Usually shows good 6+ card diamond suit and maximum
3♣ - Usually shows 5-5 (i.e. unbalanced distribution) and a maximum

If partner responds 1NT to 1♦ showing about 7 to a bad 11, you could easily miss a game if responder is a maximum. Can you afford to make a game try when partner is likely to have 7-8 HCP?

Opening 1NT looks positively fantastic compared to not opening 1NT.

[phoenixmj]

I am the OP - I did open this hand 1NT. My partner, with a "balanced" hand and no 4 card major, and 10 HCP, said 3 NT.

Opps promptly took 5 spades right off the top. Partner had 4 clubs and the contract actually makes at 5 clubs.


Looking at the other results in the room - only about 1/3 of the people wound up in 3NT. The rest played various number of clubs.

I agree that one bad experience should not dictate how to play or open a hand. However, I was mystified that so many people wound up in clubs. Some people in the room do play a weak NT - but others do not and they still wound up in clubs. So -

This is why I asked the question. There were several players in the room that I would consider very good players - with a few thousand points - so since I am far weaker and far less experienced - I thought perhaps my open was incorrect.

Perhaps just bad luck. We were both weak and short in the majors and with a 1NT, 3NT bid a major lead is likely.