Solid major in a 'minimum' opener

[temp3600]

Hello,

 

You hold AKQJxxx - xxx - Qx - x, Red vs White at IMPs. You are in 3rd seat.

After 2 passes, it's your turn. What do you open ?

 

Also, if you take a several-bid approach, what is your plan ?

 

Thank you for your time,

Michael

[mike777]

4s seems normal. One spade never entered my thought process.

[pclayton]

3♠.

 

A few good reasons;

 

1) It might buy the pot;

2 ) It might push them into a non-making game;

3) Pard will take the push with 3 covers;

4) Its hard for them to crack it when they don't have any trump honors.

 

4♠ is just too much I think red on white.

 

1♠ is OK I guess, but you probably aren't selling out below 3♠ anyway so apply the pressure.

 

I don't like 2♠ at all.

[han]

With Ben and Arend I open 3H, showing a solid suit and no outside aces or kings.

 

 

Not having this available I'd open 1S, I always do.

[awm]

I've never understood why some people seem to think that partner's brain turns off when he puts the pass card on the table.

 

Just because partner's a passed hand doesn't mean it's right to take wild unilateral actions, especially at unfavorable. Any of the following could be true:

 

(1) We could have a cold game. I wouldn't bet that partner raises 2♠ or 3♠ holding a hand like: x AKx Kxxx xxxxx or xx KQx Axxx xxxx. Yet I'd certainly want to be in game red at IMPs opposite either of these hands.

 

(2) We could have a yucky misfit. If partner holds - KJT xxxx KQxxxx, I wouln't particularly want to be in 4♠ or even really 3♠. But there's no particular guarantee that the opponents can make anything much either. I could easily buy the hand for 2♠ making, but if I open at the four-level it's a bit late for that.

 

(3) Partner could have nothing useful. In this case we could easily go for 800 in 4♠ or 500 in 3♠, opposite what may not be more than game for the opponents. There are many pairs of hands where opponents can defend without a trump stack, especially if we open at the four level.

 

(4) Opponents may not be able to make game despite having most of the values. We have three hearts. If opponents have no heart fit, and they're certainly not likely to make 3NT with this spade suit sitting around, they will need to get to the five level to make a game.

 

This hand has every possible negative for a preempt. It's too strong, it contains too much defense, it's the wrong vulnerability, it has too many cards in the other major... and we control the master suit, so if it's right to compete we can normally outbid the opponents for the partial later. 1♠ for me, and I'm rebidding 2♠ if partner bids 1NT or a 2-level bid by opponents is passed around to me.

[whereagles]

That's easy: a gambling 3NT.

 

Very preemptive and might even make if pard has two aces.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

3S.

 

Red vs. Green 3S say, I will go down -2 at most,

i.e. partner will raise with hands having the potential

for 3 tricks, after all we are playing IMP's.

 

At any other vulnerability 4S stands out.

 

Marlowe

[Chamaco]

I might open at the 3 level, at this vuln, holding the heart suit, to make it harder to opps finding spades.

 

As it is I'll open 1S, planning to compete later to the 3 level .

[bearmum]

Hello,

 

You hold AKQJxxx - xxx - Qx - x, Red vs White at IMPs. You are in 3rd seat.

After 2 passes, it's your turn. What do you open ?

 

Also, if you take a several-bid approach, what is your plan ?

 

Thank you for your time,

Michael

I will open 3♠ I have less than opening AND SEVEN spades wtp :D

 

 

MIGHT buy the auction -- OR push opps to a 4 level contract which goes off :blink:

[Gerben42]

With Ben and Arend I open 3H, showing a solid suit and no outside aces or kings.

 

You mean you are all playing my 3♥ = any gambling now? :D

[pbleighton]

4S, even at this vulnerability.

 

Peter

[han]

With Ben and Arend I open 3H, showing a solid suit and no outside aces or kings.

 

You mean you are all playing my 3♥ = any gambling now? :D

I didn't know it was yours, :blink:.

 

MisIry frees up 3H (as we open 3D with the heart preempt) so this seemed a good use for the bid.

[Gerben42]

Well I guess we had the same idea but I'm quite sure I suggested this somewhere in the MisIry threads.

 

Great minds think alike :D And in Germany where I play now it is allowed in all tournaments as you fufill rule of 18.

[Guest Jlall]

3 is enough for me at this vulnerability.

 

Adam I don't really understand a few of your points.

 

Yes we could have a game opposite a hand that does not contain a fit, but unless you plan on opening 1S and jumping to 3S over 1N (which seems like a big overbid) then you are not going to get to game opposite either of those hands with 1S then 2S either. And if you do get to game opposite those hands, you'll get to games where partner has club honors instead of the nice diamond king and KQx of hearts.

 

Yes we could have a misfit hand and be able to buy it for 2S, I grant you that (assuming you are not going to jump rebid 3S...then see my first point).

 

How will we go for 500 in 3S? They are really just going to sit out a X with no spade honors and a passed hand? Even if they do they'll have a game and we will go for 500 so thats fine.

 

Sure the opponents may not be able to make a game, and they'll be able to diagnose that much easier if we open 1S than 3S. If they have high cards but can't make 5 of a minor, we will be better off preempting. This seems like an argument FOR 3S, not against it.

 

As for having every negative possible for a preempt I really don't agree. A side queen does not seem like "too much defense," in fact it seems like I really don't have much defense at all. I don't consider my hand too strong, if it didnt have the diamond queen it would be the most textbook 3S bid ever for this vulnerability. I would consider it on the heavier end, but it meets the rule of 2. And yes we control the master suit, is that automatically a negative? I guess you don't ever like preempting in spades, because it is always the case that we contain the master suit.

[Winstonm]

I would prefer to preempt this hand in first position, when both opponent's holdings are unknown. Now that only 1 can hold an opening hand, I find a 1S bid as preemptive as 3S. 3S may jack them into a makeable 4H game they couldn't find otherwise. 1S is more flexible.

 

Winston

[beatrix45]

B) Interesting problem. "By the book" it qualifies for both a 1♠ and a 3♠ opener. IMO a 1♠ call has more merit against weaker opponents than strong ones, since our prospects in a competitive auction would be more favorable. Playing for my life against equal or better opponents, I most certainly would bid 3♠ to force them to make the last guess. Opening 4♠ with seven tricks red vs white (esp. against strong opponents) is way way too rich for my blood.

[temp3600]

Thank you very much for your replies and votes !

[Kalvan14]

Given the adverse vulnerability, 3♠ is enough. They might make 4♥, and they might not: in any case, I prefer let them decide at 4-level rather than giving them a free ride.