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OPENING 1NT WITH A 5-CARD MAJOR


ruleof15

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Opening 1NT with a 5-card major. What is the problem? There is a bigger problem attempting to get your partner to believe you have 15-17HCP when you open one of a suit. This is even more prevalent when players are opening at the level of one with 10-12HCP and bidding 1NT with 14-17. What difference is there in having any 5-card suit. If you are skittish about it, use Puppet Stayman at the 1-level. I liken the non-believers to be akin to those who want stoppers in all suits. As a sidebar, players who are very good at playing the hand can make 3NT on 24HCP, when it is split about even, 80% of the time.
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As a sidebar, players who are very good at playing the hand can make 3NT on 24HCP, when it is split about even, 80% of the time.

My double dummy results show 3NT on a 12-12 split makes about 38%. Richard Pavlicek's site show about 28% http://www.rpbridge.net/8j25.htm#1. It's hard to visualize declarer making 80% against evenly matched opponents. Maybe a top 10 in the world declarer like Zia against a flight C opponent, but even then I have my doubts.

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My double dummy results show 3NT on a 12-12 split makes about 38%. Richard Pavlicek's site show about 28% http://www.rpbridge.net/8j25.htm#1. It's hard to visualize declarer making 80% against evenly matched opponents. Maybe a top 10 in the world declarer like Zia against a flight C opponent, but even then I have my doubts.

Aren't Meckwell notorious for bidding and frequently making 3NT on 23-24 HCP?

 

DD analysis may not be the best way to judge this. If the defenders don't know that declarer is short on HCP, they can easily slip a trick and let it make.

 

How many times have you misdefended a hand because you counted HCP and "knew" that partner couldn't have the setting honor, but they actually did. Experts aren't immune from this, although they might be better at avoiding it than the rest of us.

 

It's especially true at matchpoints, where you may decide that setting is not possible, so you cash out to minimize overtricks.

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