DONT Convention

[KamalK]

Hello,

 

I have started playing the DONT convention against strong NT (SAYC 15-17) and have found it quite useful.

 

I have a few queries :

 

1. What is the ideal HCP count that one must have to bid in direct seat? Generally what is the HCP range to bid DONT?

 

2. If the auction goes 1NT-pass-pass-? can I bid DONT in balancing seat?

 

3. If I have a strong hand with 2 suits, say 5♣ cards and 4 ♠ cards, is it still OK to play the convention?

 

4. Whats the bid if I have 4♥ cards and 5♠ cards? I learnt that 2♥ bid shows 5-4 ♥ and ♠. So is it ok to bid DONT with 4♥ and 5♠ to show BOTH Majors?

 

5. Also its been suggested that with a weak ♠ suit its better to bid 2♠ and with a strong hand to bid Double and then rebid ♠. But may not get a chance to bid again maybe?

 

Any other tips on the DONT convention will be very useful.

 

Thanks in advance and regards

 

Kamal

[helene_t]

DONT is very difficult to use in a constructive way because of the lack of forcing bids, the lack of a strength-showing double, and the lack of positive responses to DONT (other than 2N I suppose).

 

So the philosophy is that we will rarely try for game after opps' strong 1NT opening. For that reason, some play it only at matchpoints. (And I don't think it makes much sense to play it at red/red). You certainly shouldnt use it against a weak 1NT. For the same reason, your HCPs don't really matter. Just bid if you feel like bidding, it shows distribution but no particular HCP range.

 

DONT in 4th seat is fine. Since partner's failure to overcall suggests he has a ballanced hand (or 4441), it is very safe to use DONT in 4th seat, especially if you are weak so that you can infer that p must be balanced since otherwise he could have bid. It may be a good strategy to bid 4432 as a 2-suiter and 5332 as a 1-suiter, in balancing seat.

 

The 2♣/♦/♥ bids just show the suit bid plus a higher-ranking suit. It could be 4/5 or 5/4. So responder sometimes has a bid of a gamble.

 

DONT makes it possible to bid all 1- or 2-suited hands and thus allows you to take out opps' 1NT opening more often than any other method I know of. This is useful at white colors at matchpoints where defending 1NT is almost bound to be bad. Also it probably works well against inexperienced opponents who don't cope well with interference. However, since the frequency of the most preemptive bids (2♥ and especially 2♠) is quite low, experienced opps will have little problems defending DONT.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 at most 10/11 HCP or from 15 onwards

DONT is a convention to disturb their bidding

 

With +15 and 44 you have a fair chance to find a makebale

spot on the 2 level

 

#2 yes

 

#3 see #1, but your aim should not to find a game, if you

play DONT you give this option up

 

#4 2H, see #1

If you play DONT you go in with 44, ... of course you should

watch the vulnerability.

 

#5 You will have a 2nd chance, because partner should never

pass the double

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[karlson]

1. I would say about 10+, but the most important thing is that you have good suits. You should have a reason for coming in -- with Qx Axxx KJ Qxxxx, you are probably just as happy to defend, so even though you could show both your suits, you should probably just pass.

 

2. Yes, standard agreements are that it's on in balancing seat as well.

 

3. Well, you really have no choice, you decided what you play before you got your hand :rolleyes:. Yes, there's some risk that partner will pass when you're cold for game. This is not very common when righty has a 15-17 notrump. Hopefully partner will scrap up a preference, and then you can jump, or do something forcing.

 

Some people play that 2NT shows any strong 2-suiter. I'm not sure if that's part of standard DONT, but it's also kind of difficult to bid over.

 

4. 2♥ can be 5-4 in the majors either way.

 

5. What you say is standard, but if I'm playing DONT, I just bid 2♠ always. As you say, sometimes the bidding is at 4♥ when it gets back to you if you double.

[Codo]

1. Don't care about HCPS as long as you don't have too many.

It is much more important to have good suits. So for me a hand like QJTxx,xx,JT9xx,x is nice for DONT but Axxxx,AQ,Kxxxx,x is not . It is not too strong but the suits are ugly.

 

But the main idea of DONT is to disturb, so don't wait for perfect hands.

 

2. You can easily.

 

3. yes, sure

 

4. Some play don't with just 4/4 in the suits, some need 5/5, but I guess 5/4 is the most common requirement, so this is fine.

 

5. I still wait for an auction, where I have a strong one suiter in spades and double first and have no chance to bid my suit later, so this approach is no problem.

[barmar]

Mel Colchamiro has a rule of thumb he calls Mel's Rule of 8, although I'm not sure where the 8 comes from. Subtract your losing trick count from the combined lengths of your two longest suits. If it's 2 or more you should bid, otherwise pass. So if you have Kxxxx Kxxxx xx x, he recommends bidding.

 

This is for the direct seat. In the balancing seat you can be more aggressive, as others have mentioned above. In fact, I recommend AGAINST balancing if you have more than 10 HCP and a balanced or semi-balanced hand. Much of your strength is sitting under the NT bidder, so it won't be as effective. And if your hand is too good, partner is likely to be weak and of little help (and he's probably not shapely, because he didn't overcall).

[KamalK]

Many thanks all for your valued inputs. I do have a much clearer picture.

 

Warm regards

 

Kamal

[neilkaz]

Mel Colchamiro has a rule of thumb he calls Mel's Rule of 8, although I'm not sure where the 8 comes from. Subtract your losing trick count from the combined lengths of your two longest suits. If it's 2 or more you should bid, otherwise pass. So if you have Kxxxx Kxxxx xx x, he recommends bidding.

 

This is for the direct seat. In the balancing seat you can be more aggressive, as others have mentioned above. In fact, I recommend AGAINST balancing if you have more than 10 HCP and a balanced or semi-balanced hand. Much of your strength is sitting under the NT bidder, so it won't be as effective. And if your hand is too good, partner is likely to be weak and of little help (and he's probably not shapely, because he didn't overcall).

This is probably spmetimes changed to the rule of 800 which is what you can go for vs a strong NT if competing with that doesn't work out. You take your chances, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't when that light.