[Tramticket]

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IMPs.

This is a horrid 11-count. But you do own the spade suit. You play four-card majors with a weak NT and 2M shows a weak two-suiter, although we prefer 5-5 at this vulnerability.

Do you open?

[mikeh]

Tramticket, on 2018-November-12, 02:11, said:

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IMPs.

This is a horrid 11-count. But you do own the spade suit. You play four-card majors with a weak NT and 2M shows a weak two-suiter, although we prefer 5-5 at this vulnerability.

Do you open?

I think this is difficult to answer without knowing one’s style in 2nd seat. In my regular partnership, this is an easy pass because we open most flat 11 counts. With a (far) more conservative style, opening is somewhat easier to justify. However, I have no Aces and a crap suit, so I’d pass unless playing Roth-Stone, where Partner could have a decen5 13 count. Since nobody plays R-S anymore, for good readon, I pass.

[Tramticket]

mikeh, on 2018-November-12, 03:04, said:

I think this is difficult to answer without knowing one’s style in 2nd seat. In my regular partnership, this is an easy pass because we open most flat 11 counts. With a (far) more conservative style, opening is somewhat easier to justify. However, I have no Aces and a crap suit, so I’d pass unless playing Roth-Stone, where Partner could have a decen5 13 count. Since nobody plays R-S anymore, for good readon, I pass.

Our 1NT is 12-14. We pass most balanced 11-counts and open almost all unbalanced 11-counts.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

also relevant: do you have to play 3S, if partner has 9-10 with a fit, or do you play some kind of Drury?

I think I would pass most of the time, but I can see myself bidding 1S some of the time.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[nige1]

Tramticket, on 2018-November-12, 02:11, said:

IMPs.
This is a horrid 11-count. But you do own the spade suit. You play four-card majors with a weak NT and 2M shows a weak two-suiter, although we prefer 5-5 at this vulnerability.
Do you open?

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I rank

• 1♠ = NAT (Assuming, like Marlowe, that you play Drury)
• Pass = NAT (For the reasons advanced my MikeH)
• 1N = NAT (Danger in round suits).
• 2♠ = NAT (Misdescriptive of suit quality).

Tramticket, on 2018-November-12, 03:18, said:

Our 1NT is 12-14. We pass most balanced 11-counts and open almost all unbalanced 11-counts.

IMO, Tramticket's agreement is nearer 11-14 than 12-14.

[Tramticket]

P_Marlowe, on 2018-November-12, 04:40, said:

also relevant: do you have to play 3S, if partner has 9-10 with a fit, or do you play some kind of Drury?

No Drury available I'm afraid.

[The_Badger]

How do you know you own the ♠ suit? Rule of 15 says open (but I'm not a great Marty Bergen fan myself). K&R puts this horrid 11 count at a even grottier 8.85. Are you that desperate to gain 3-4 IMPs here, whereas you could lose 7-11 if doubled, even 13 on a bad day? Even with Drury this could go horribly wrong; without it it's even worse.

One of Badger's rules is "Don't bid grot hands if you don't have to". In my Acol Noob day I wouldn't dream of opening this hand. Why should it be any different now?

[mikestar13]

I do tend to adhere to the Rule of 15, but this hand doesn't qualify. I estimate the godawful nominal 11 point are worth about 9 plus 5 spades equals only 14. Give me a sixth spade, and I open, but even then I'm not happy about it.

[wuudturner]

This hand is pushing it even for me to bid. Most of the values are in short suits. My spades are terrible. If they get the contract, do I really want to tell partner to lead spades? The hand is worth something well under the 11 HCP it counts to. (The K&R number mentioned above seems about right for the real value of the hand.)

Partner passed in this auction. We learn that partner would have opened most 11 counts, with 1NT=12-14. So partner might have a balanced 11 count. One thing I worry about is that partner was in second seat, vulnerable. That is the one position when partner is most likely to rein things in a bit by an initial pass, meaning partner might have sufficient values to get excited when I do bid. I do not want to be in 2NT or 3♠ on this hand.

Just toss it in and hope for something good on the next hand.

[gszes]

Highly limited defense, game a rarity opposite passed partner and not even a good lead directing opening bid makes me pass this potential disaster hand and try to win imps on the next one.