Why pass? I'm reminded of a question often asked of Richard Dawkins. "What if you're wrong?" His usual response is "What if YOU'RE wrong?" Both passing and bidding have obvious risks associated with them. What are the possible risks of passing? 1. You might miss game if the hand gets passed out. I suspect, though I'm not sure, that simulations will show game is unlikely when this happens. 2. You might go down, undoubled, in a 5-1 fit when you can make some other part score. However, when playing five card majors, your partner's MINIMUM number of spades is 5. When you hold a singleton spade, I'm pretty sure partner's average number of spades is closer to six than it is to five. What are the possible risks of bidding 1NT? 1. Your partner may have a strong hand and jump the level of the bidding into a contract your side cannot make. There's a non-zero chance you will be doubled if you get too high. 2. You give up the chance of being able to defend. The answer to whether or not to bid is anything but obvious.