A balanced hand is one that contains:
NO void
NO singleton
Not more than ONE doubleton
Here are four typical balanced hands:
Hand A
Hand B
Hand C
Hand D
♠A63♥K83♦Q984♣A54
♠A63♥K83♦QJ84♣KQ4
♠AK3♥K83♦QJ84♣KQ4
♠AK3♥K83♦KQJ4♣KQ4
13 HCP
15 HCP
18 HCP
21 HCP
All four hands are very balanced. All four hands want to play in NT. But each hand is slightly different in terms of point count. We can't bid Hand A the same way we bid Hand D. Hand A is a minimum opener while Hand D has almost enough for game in their own hand! How do we show Partner that our hand is balanced but also tell Partner about our point count?
Hand B is easy to bid. Open the bidding 1NT. This shows a balanced hand with 15 to 17 HCP.
Hand D is also easy to bid. Open the bidding 2NT. This shows a balanced hand with 20 or 21 HCP.
Hands A and C are a little more difficult. We can't tell everything to Partner right away. We need to show our hand on our REBID. That means on the first bid we make Partner doesn't know much. But after Partner bids and we make another bid we can describe our hand perfectly!
So on Hand A we will open the bidding 1♦. This doesn't tell Partner much. But assuming Partner responds 1 of a major (say 1♥) we can now rebid 1NT. This shows a hand that is balanced (since we are bidding NT when we have other choices to make) and also a hand that was too weak to open 1NT in the first place. So about 13 or 14 HCP. (Maybe a good 12 HCP.)
On Hand C we will open the bidding 1♦. This again doesn't tell Partner much and certainly doesn't tell Partner we have a big hand. But assuming Partner responds 1 of a major (say 1♥) we can now JUMP in our rebid to 2NT. This shows a hand that is balanced (since we are bidding NT when we have other choices to make) and also a hand that was too strong to open 1NT but too weak to open 2NT. So about 18 or 19 HCP.
13-14 HCP and a balanced hand
Open 1 of a suit and rebid 1NT
15-17 HCP and a balanced hand
Open 1NT
18-19 HCP and a balanced hand
Open 1 of a suit and rebid 2NT
20-21 HCP and a balanced hand
Open 2NT
Question: Should I show a balanced hand if I have support for Partner's major?
Answer: NO. You should always support your Partner's major first!
Question: If I have a balanced hand with a four card ♠ suit should I rebid 1♠ or rebid 1NT to show my balanced hand?
Answer: You should always show your ♠ suit first! More on that later...
Armed with all that information let's see how well you do on these examples.
On the following hands what would you open? (Tip: count your HCP to decide!) If you opened 1 of a minor what will you respond if Partner bids 1♥? What does your bid tell your Partner?
Hand 1
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