WhiteyEGR

A couple of points: If playing NAMYATS it typically shows 8.5-9 winners (so this hand has too many), while 4H wound be at most 8. If you're worried about 1H coming back around to you at the 4S level, you should be more worried about 2C coming back around at 4S, especially if it's doubled. You have a bad defensive hand. You would be lucky to get two tricks from it. A 2C opener should have some minimum of defensive values that you and partner can agree on. This suggests 1H The post regarding Precision is on the money. If there is no interference the hand is easy to bid out after 1C (and yes, this is worth 1C in Precision) and if you're at 4S on the way back, you're no worse off (and better than you would be after opening a SA 2C, then bidding 5H and hear it go 5S on your left and a cheery Double from partner). So here's another hand, which I held the other day: QJ1087xx AQxx J9 - A similar problem, complicated by the Heart suit (Any Spade bid opener higher than one will likely make the Heart suit disappear in the bidding) and simplified by having fewer values (so 2C is out) With any freakish hand the trick is to do something reasonable - you don't need to hit the bullseye, just ht the target.