[cloa513]

Something like
Opener
♣AKxxx ♦x ♥AJxx ♠xxx

partner
♣xxxxx ♦xxxx ♥KQx ♠x

Sure if opponents compete you could guess to play in game in clubs or agressive rising in clubs could get you to right spot but otherwise its difficult.

[gwnn]

It would be cool if you could reverse the order of suits:

xxx AJxx x AKxxx

opp

x KQx xxxx xxxxx

Answer on the hand: no, I can't bid this game if opps pass throughout. I will play in 3♣ with 4♠ almost surely making for them (+150 instead of -420).

Otherwise it might go

1♣-(1♠)-3♣-(4♠)
5♣-x-p-p
p

+550.

[aguahombre]

If the opps are silent (hard to believe), and with the inverted 3C response, opener will find it even harder to believe you have a stiff spade even if you can work out the great heart matchup which u can't since opener will pass 3C.

Another way of saying Gwnn has it right. Sometimes we have 3 opponents; sometimes we have 3 partners.

[rmnka447]

Bidding is an imperfect science, at best. Just because game or slam makes doesn't mean you can always get there as good bidders. As the previous commentors have pointed out, it's just the inherent inability to convey perfect pictures of your hands with the limited bids available that causes this.

Interesting, though, if the suits were reversed (i.e. the clubs were hearts and vice versa), you would be in game as the bidding would go 1 H - 4 H.

[phil_20686]

Ironically this type of hand might play very well in a better minor system where the raise always shows 5 card support in an unbalanced hand. Then opener could take a rose view. A shortage in either major is enough. If the north hand learns that south has 5 card support and is unbalanced, he suddenly looks like an incredibly good hand.

I guess if you play acol open the major style it might go 1c-4c-5c.

[nigel_k]

The important point is gwnn's one about the number of tricks they can take in spades. How bad can it be to get +150 when the par is +100?