What is standard

[Mbodell]

You open 1♣, hear 1♥ on your left, and the auction continues P, P to you. Playing acbl standard 2/1 with a strong 1nt opening bid, what does a 1nt by you the opener in the balancing seat now show?

[aguahombre]

It never occurred to me that I could give two answers in the poll, since they are exclusive of one another. But, Adam managed to do it. Am not sure how one bid can show a stopper and be ambiguous about it at the same time. My choice would be that it shows one, but if I accidentally don't have it, oh well.

[lycier]

The opener rebid 1nt show a18-19 balanced hand with exactly a heart stopper .

[Cyberyeti]

The opener rebid 1nt show a18-19 balanced hand with exactly a heart stopper .

I agree with this, it's not far off this playing Acol with a weak no trump, playing strong no trump just puts a point or so on the minimum.

[mgoetze]

Indeed you are supposed to have a heart stopper, but sometimes you don't really have one yet every other bid is worse...

[gwnn]

I asked my partner once 'this is 18-19 right?' and he said 'yes 18-19 but sometimes could also be a good 14.'

[Fluffy]

something around 19 balanced depending on the rest of the system, 3+ hearts is all I can say regarding stoppers and even that it is not always true.

[aguahombre]

Compliments to Mbodell, who is far from a N/B. (We see your results in big events sneaking up toward the top.)

 

More Forum members should initiate threads for the benefit of newer members, not necessarily themselves.

[Mbodell]

Compliments to Mbodell, who is far from a N/B. (We see your results in big events sneaking up toward the top.)

 

More Forum members should initiate threads for the benefit of newer members, not necessarily themselves.

 

Thanks for the kind words, but this was also for my benefit. I knew with 100% certainty what 1nt meant with 1♣-P-P-1♥-1nt but had heard conflicting things about 1♣-1♥-P-P-1nt and ended up believing the non-standard meaning and thus bid it with a 4432 pattern good 13 count with AKJ of hearts and ended up in a bad 3nt when partner raised to 3nt with her 8 count. This was not a good result. So it is good to get clear confirmation on what the bid should mean and correct a clear mistake of mine.

[awm]

It never occurred to me that I could give two answers in the poll, since they are exclusive of one another. But, Adam managed to do it. Am not sure how one bid can show a stopper and be ambiguous about it at the same time. My choice would be that it shows one, but if I accidentally don't have it, oh well.

 

I'm not usually going to pass 1M out when I hold 18-19 balanced. Without a stopper, there are a number of options including:

 

(1) Bidding 1♠ on a four-card suit (I could do this even with a stopper)

(2) Doubling for takeout with approximately the right shape

(3) Rebidding a good five-card minor suit

(4) Rebidding 2♣ after opening 1♦ with 4/4 in the minors

(5) Bidding 1NT despite the lack of stopper

 

Which of these I pick will depend quite a bit on shape and value location and even vulnerability and form of scoring. But I wouldn't say the 1NT bid 100% guarantees a stopper, even though I'd often pick one of those other options without.