[helene_t]

(3♣)-x-(p)-3nt
(p)-?

What are your agreements?
I thought that if just playing vanilla, 4♣ would ostensibly be a flexible encouraging hand, maybe 5M4♦. Does anyone have more scientific agreements? Or is vanilla good enough?

[mikeh]

I’ve played in some partnerships that had a lot of agreements, but this is an auction I’ve never discussed with anyone.

3N doesn’t say a heck of a lot, other than presumably denying a 4+ major and having at least a 10 count…and less than, say, 17…4N is available for stronger hands, and one devalues many club holdings for slam purposes, since club values are stoppers, not length trick promoting as are values outside of clubs.

I’d take 4C as an extra values bid, typically 4=4=4=1 or 4=4=5=0 and with safety at 4N. However, I think it could also be a very strong one suiter with serious slam hopes.

3N 4M shows a strong hand, flexible in nature so often 6331. 4M over 3C is also a strong hand but more unilateral. 3N 4C 4D 4M has to be different from both of those, and my thinking is that it should be stronger…indeed, I think it is forcing.

Good question…got me thinking. I’ll try to remember to discuss it with my regular partners, both of whom are away on holidays right now. Not that I’m jealous😢

[DavidKok]

I don't have any agreements on this auction. If I remember correctly there is some treatment here to help sort out advancer's hand, I think Brink-Drijver have a gadget for this exact auction. The main concern is that partner will frequently not have a balanced hand, and 3NT is also wide-ranging. It helps to find out that partner has shortness in our long suit before we foolishly blast to the 6-level with a powerful hand.

[pescetom]

Is there life on Mars?
Well above my available level of agreement, but the nuances of mikeh make a lot of sense.