[jillybean]

I believe most players will open a 1nt hand within their range, with 2 doubletons, if only one of the doubletons is weak.

Ax, Kx are obviously not weak, Qx, Jx? Have you discussed a weak doubleton?

[mikeh]

jillybean, on 2025-September-12, 19:55, said:

I believe most players will open a 1nt hand within their range, with 2 doubletons, if only one of the doubletons is weak.

Ax, Kx are obviously not weak, Qx, Jx? Have you discussed a weak doubleton?

Some 5422 hands are notrump openers. Even some 6322 hands are notrump openers. Many 5422 hands should not be opened 1N. Still others….it’s a question of style…some would say notrump, some would say suit.

Any 5422 hand with a long minor and 4 spades is usually not a 1N opener. I say usually because a lot depends on the exact hand. xxxx Ax KQ10xx AQ. Looks like 1N rather than 1D followed, over 1H, by showing those spades. AQxx xx KQ10xx Ax is a happy 1D then spades.

Hands with 2452 are the most suitable…no pun intended…for 1N since it’s almost impossible to bid this hand after 1D 1S. Few would reverse and the hand is far too strong for a 1N rebid.

Hands with 2425 are not as bad as 2452 because over 1C you might get a chance to bid 1H, but I’d usually choose 1N.

I don’t care about having xx in a suit. Notrump, in uncontested auctions, are about shape and strength, not stoppers

[smerriman]

1nt with 5422 if there are rebid issues opening the suit. Unrelated to the quality of the doubletons.

[DavidKok]

I have ways to show both suits with less than reverse strength over 1♦, but not necessarily over 1♣. I think having to open 1NT and distort shape to get the strength across is a downside. Being able to show both suits is good.
I'd still open 1NT with hands with honour concentration in the short suits, like she one mikeh showed. However, I think not systemically being forced into that is an advantage.

If you don't have the ability to show both suits it makes more sense to open 1NT more often. Personally I think this reduces the frequency of the problem but doesn't fully solve it - you still have problems on 1=4=(35) hands, for example.

Two doubletons is a relatively small lie for 1NT, and will normally only cost when partner has a 5-5 or upgrades their hand for shortage opposite your length. Personally I'm quite puritan about 1NT shape requirements, but many strong pairs relax the requirements and consider it a strength to include off-shape hands in the 1NT opening.

[awm]

Suppose that you have a 4225 pattern with 15-17 and choose to open 1♣ since you "have no rebid problems." Opponents pass throughout and the auction proceeds:

1♣ - 1RED - 1♠ - 1NT
1♣ - 1RED - 1♠ - 2♣ (preference, not XYZ)
1♣ - 1♥ - 1♠ - 2♠

It seems to me that you don't have a really comfortable rebid in any of these sequences. Partner's second call has a range of something like 6-10, so you could easily have game opposite the top of the range, but making another try could get you to some quite uncomfortable contracts on 21-22 high. Opening 1NT has the advantages that you don't miss game and you keep the auction low when you don't have game (albeit perhaps in a slightly worse strain, at least on the last two sequences).

[DavidKok]

Those bids show 6-bad 9 for me, and have the advantage of letting both sides evaluate the degree of fit and with it their hand. Personally I do not consider these sequences to be problematic.

[Cyberyeti]

These are commonly opened 1N playing 15-17, less commonly playing 12-14 unless both minors are the long suits

[jillybean]

Great replies, thank you. I’m asking the wrong question, or perhaps the wrong audience.
For those who devoutly follow the rule of not opening 1nt with two doubletons but have taken the step of opening 1nt as long as one doubleton is not weak. What does your not weak doubleton look like?