[Joe_Old]

steve2005, on 2017-September-11, 14:44, said:

5♣ and 4♦ That's reasonable.
What about 2=4=2=5 or
2=4=5=2
not strong enough to reverse over 1♠?

Most people play that a reverse promises a minimum of 17 or 18 HCP, but there is nothing wrong if you agree with partner to play 15+ if you build in a way to bail out of the auction at 2NT or 3 of a minor. This is not common practice and definitely not for the risk averse.

[rmnka447]

RedSpawn, on 2017-September-12, 07:56, said:

Usually 1NT open is reserved for a balanced hand not a semi-balanced hand. Two doubleton hands may not play well in an NT environment since short suits are liabilities. Also, with a hand that has two 4-card majors one should pursue a major fit with a 1♠ open. Report shape before points especially when you don't have the textbook shape for a proper 1NT open.

Where 1 NT may come into view with a semi-balanced hand is where the long suits are of poor quality with the strength concentrated in the doubletons especially if the long suits are minors.

For example, ♠ AQ ♥ KQ ♦ Axxx ♣ Jxxxx would be such a hand. Even with a 4 card major, you might bid 1 NT with this variation of the previous hand ♠ AQ ♥ Axxx ♦ Jxxxx ♣ KQ.

[Winstonm]

The best feature of this hand is that it has both majors - I can't find a good reason to open anything other than 1S.

[Stefan_O]

1NT might produce a good result now and then, of course.
But winning bridge, to me, is primarily about playing with the odds and avoiding bad results, rather than trying create good ones through unusual actions.

Opening 1S is therefore the safe way, since it is the normal action, and unlikely to produce a very bad outcome.

Only in a situation, desperate to create a swing, 1NT might be an option for me.

[gszes]

1s is my overwhelming choice because it takes far less to keep the bidding alive over 1s than over 1n and it is far too easy to miss game with all these controls. It is also easy for opener to show both suits in any continuing auction which allows responder to upgrade cards like a singleton spade J (something that might never happen after a 1n opening bid). It is not spectacular but it is easy to just bid 1s and then bid hearts and it is practical. Getting power out-of-the-way with a 1n opener has its place but not when game is so easily reached opposite a hand that normally would pass a 1n opening bid.

[miamijd]

You can open 1nt with 5422 hands but only with

5c. 4d 15-16
5c 4h 15-16
5d 4h 15-16

With any other 5422 you have an easy rebid so there is no need to be a hand hog.

[LBengtsson]

miamijd, on 2017-September-16, 23:37, said:

You can open 1nt with 5422 hands but only with

5c. 4d 15-16
5c 4h 15-16
5d 4h 15-16

With any other 5422 you have an easy rebid so there is no need to be a hand hog.

that is right. opener reverse 17+

[nullve]

Many of you seem confident that Responder will bid again over 1♠-1N; 2♥ on anything that is likely to produce game opposite a 5422 16 count, e.g.

xx
Kxxx
AJxx
xxx

or

x
Kxx
AJxxx
Qxxx.

[awm]

You can also miss a decent game by opening 1NT and finding Axxx x xxxx Kxxx. Obviously it's the case that either opening can work, but 1♠ rates to be much better if you belong in a partial, somewhat better if you belong in a slam, and will overall approximately break even if you belong in game (you find some games on a nine-card spade fit that you miss with 1NT, you miss some games on a misfit 9-10 count that you find with 1NT).

[stoppiello]

You can construct hands that will make game opposite one bid and not the other all day if you want, there's just going to be times where you miss something. It's not an easy hand to get across. Opening 1N gets the strength across perfectly and the shape of the hand across relatively well. Opening 1S planning to rebid 2H gets the shape of the hand across, but is much less accurate on the strength of what you have.

For me, I'm opening the hand 1N. Its the most descriptive bid available to me (assuming normal 2/1). I can either say I have a balanced/semi-balanced hand with 15-17hcp. There is all sorts of machinery available to find a major suit fit if you have one (stayman, puppet or normal for one) The hand just feels no-trumpy to me, half my hcp in my 2 shortest suits, and the long suits aren't tricks off the top, but take time to develop. even as little as the 10 9 of spades instead of the xx might be enough to sway me, but with no body to the long suits, this hand just feels like it will play better in NT. And sometimes, you get a helpful major suit lead when you're declaring the hand and they don't know you have length in the majors.

[BruceZhu]

Hi,

54 in the majors generally indicates opening 1♠. Often, you will not miss game even after a forcing 1NT from partner as partner will raise a 2♥ response to 3♥ with a good 8 or 9 points.

If you open 1NT and partner passes, you will miss your spade fit or heart fit. Bidding 1♠ first gets you to the correct strain.