Non-Serious 3NT

[benlessard]

After a 1Nt opening, for north to bypass 4H is a bit risky. Everytime south will have 2/3 pts wasted in the pointed suit slam has very little play and 5H isnt safe, having HHx in S or D is much more likely than having HH in clubs. Kxx,Axxxx,KQxx,Axx etc. Even after finding a H fit and a club control my guess is that both 6H and 6C are close to 50%.

 

For the fun of it i did a sim for Zel bidding. South has 15-17 bal with 5H, no S or D control but a C control. 5H will go down 9% and 6H is 57%. Being able to deny a D control here is a great incentive to go foward but without this information bypassing 4H is risky (the K of diamond isnt a good card for slam since if you have it, they will lead S most of the time). Once you made your move for 6 its stupid not to check for the K of clubs since you can count 13 tricks. in Imps it might even be a good idea to bid 7 without it since its likely a 5 or 7 hand.

[gnasher]

After a 1NT opening, how about:

 

1NT-3♣ (15-17 / nat slam try)

4♥-4♠ (picture bid / cue)

5♣-5♦ (signoff / cue)

5♥-6♥ (cue / cue)

7NT (knowing that the long heart is the 13th trick)

 

I think a 1NT opening is wrong on this hand, though, even if it's supposed to be compulsory on a 5332 15-count. I'd open 1♥ and then lie about my shape.

[cherdano]

Everyone seems to have missed the obvious explanation - that going past two hearts already showed extras. Then south indeed has no extras for his bidding.

Are we talking about the same hand that makes slam opposite Axx Qxx Ax Qxxxx?

 

If you think non-serious 3NT is the right bid with this hand, you are either playing an enormously wide range for that bid (i.e. you won't have many hands that can make a serious cuebid but are not strong enough to drive to the 5-level), or you are not evaluating this hand right.

[bluecalm]

1NT-3♣ (15-17 / nat slam try)

 

Sweet, but usually you are stuck with puppet stayman or something like that.

[gnasher]

Sweet, but usually you are stuck with puppet stayman or something like that.

You might be :)

 

Edit: Actually, what I implied about my preferred methods isn't strictly true. With some partners I can bid 1NT-3♣ as a natural slam try without shortage, but in my most serious partnership I'd be at the 4♣-level, after a series of puppets. Maybe opener could bid 5♥ over that.

[bluecalm]

You might be

 

I wouldn't be. I think auto opening 1NT with 5M-3-2-2 is inferior style so I don't play it :)

Even if I somehow were then I think puppet stayman is not worth it and it's better to ignore possibility of 5M altogether, especially at imps.

I am just saying, that it seems that many (most ?) American pros auto open 1NT with 5M-3-3-2 and has 3C as puppet.

[Free]

I thought they were good for 1 very simple reason. 14 tables played in 4♥ making 13. 1 table played in 6♣ making 13. These were the only guys to bid the ♥ slam.

When you put "by 2 experts" in the topic title, people assume your opps are actual experts, not some personal opinion formed from 1 deal. Beginners sometimes make ridiculous (fancy looking) choices which turn out ok and end up scoring a top. That 1 lucky hand is no reason to consider them experts though. ;)

[JLOGIC]

Is it actually right to make a slam try with the north hand over 1N? I'd probably have gone 1N-3N.

 

Anyways, agree it is a huge fail to not play 7 after opening 1H.

[JLOGIC]

32519, if I were to learn anything from this hand, it would be how awful the final 6H bid is. North knows that his side holds all the keycards. What can it hurt to ask for kings? If partner shows the club king, you have 13 tricks.