Strong Splinter - How do you bid?

[ArcLight]

I read that a Splinter shows game forcing points and 4 trumps (and the stiff/void).

Is there an upper range?

What if you have a lot of HCP? Would you still bid a Splinter with 18 HCP over pards opening 1♠?

[han]

Usually a splinter doesn't show a very good hand. Since you take up a lot of room, and you want to respect partner's possible sign off, you would bid a splinter with, say, 10-13 HCP. Axxx x Kxxx Axxx would be a perfect splinter after partner's 1S, so Axxx x KQJx AQxx is too much.

 

There are several gadgets available to distinguish between good and bad splinters. If you play those then you can splinter with better hands too.

[han]

Needless to say, 18 HCP is way too much.

[inquiry]

I do not make a splinter bid as responder with a singleton ace, with 18 hcp, and only under some very wacky conditions with a void.

 

With a lot of points, use jacoby 2NT or what ever your forcing raise is, with a void, bid your five card side suit or if you don't have one, a very strong four card suit or go back to jacoby 2NT/forcing raise.

 

It is best to narrrowly define a splinter bid. Here is why.. let's say your partner opened 1H and you make a splinter bid of 4D

 

1♥ - 4♦

? ? ?

 

You parnter now has to decide, do I invite slam, do I sign off, do I force to slam. As you can see, there is no room below game. If you can be very wide ranging, he might worry you are on the good hand and bid above 4♥, only to find you are on your worse hand and you go down at five. If he is worried that you are on your worse hand, he might bid 4♥ when you in fact are on a much better than minimum hand and you miss slam.

 

This is a good general room to live by. The lower a limited bid is, the more wide ranging it can be... When the higher the limited bid is, the more narrow range it has to be. The reason being, it gives the other hand room to INVITE to game, etc, without getting too high. For instance if you play bergen raises, what every you play 3C and 3D as, over a 1♥ opening bid, 3♣ can have a wider range in points, as opener thinking about game can bid 3♦ to invite. The 3♦ bid should be very narrow as opener either bids game or signs off.. he has no other option. This splinter bid has to be like that.

 

Ben

[mikestar]

Ben's analysis is right on the money. I only make splinters on very strong hands if I'm going to bid 6 anyway but think we might have a shot at 7 if partner has no waste in my short suit.

[HeartA]

Completely agree with Ben. My range of splinter bid is 9-11, excluding stiff K/Q/J. I don't say I never splinter with stiff Ace, but very rare, in which case, I would depreciate the Ace a little (3 or 2 HCP).

[pclayton]

Agree with Ben - and playing 2/1, I dislike having a good 5 bagger on the side, even if I have the other requirements.

[the hog]

Depends, you can play that 1H 3S and 1S 3N show any splinter 10-12 or 16+ and 1H 3N/4C/4D and 1S 4C/D/H show a 13-15 spinter. This is quite workable. In all cases you would deny a stiff bullet and a good 5+ suit. - K empty fifth would be about the best you could have.

 

Over 1H 3S and 1S 3N opener can ask for high mid low shortness with 1 step, or show his own singleton, or deny any interest at all. After h/m/l step unless game in opener's suit, can ask for range.

[luke warm]

i've posted it before, but i like something like ron is suggesting... the whole structure is:

 

1H : 2NT or 1S : 2NT = 4+ card support, balanced hand, 16+ HCP (can also be 16+ with shortness somewhere, since i limit those bids)

 

1H : 3S or 1S : 3NT = Over jump shift, splinter with 4+ card support, 12-15 HC points - Opener bids cheapest step to ask.

 

1H : 3D or 1S : 3H = Under jump shift, splinter with 4+ card support, 9-11 HC points (cheapest bid by Opener asks for location). Game force.

 

1H : 3H or 1S : 3S = 3 over 1 raise – 4+ card support, 0-6 HC points

 

1H : 4H or 1S : 4S = 4 over 1 raise – 5+ card support, 0-7 HC points

 

1H : 3C = 4+ card support, balanced, 7-11 HC points (3D by opener asks if constructive or limit. If limit, any bid other than 3H shows control. 3NT is diamond control.)

 

1S : 3D = 4+ card support, balanced, 7-11 HC points (3H by opener asks if constructive or limit. If limit, any bid other than 3S shows control. 3NT is heart control.)

 

1H : 4C = 4+ card support, balanced hand, 12-15 HCP, shows 2 of the top 3 honors if 4 cards (shows Ace or King if 5 cards.)

 

1H : 4D = Same as above but without the trump honors.

 

this is *very* old, but works well