Rebidding that Heart suit

Here's a hand that came up the other day. You hold this hand:
♠AQ6
♥AKJ842
♦Q8
♣T2

You get to open the bidding and everyone opened 1♥. Your LHO Passes and your Partner bids 1NT. Your RHO Passes and it is your turn to make a rebid. What will you bid now?

Think about it.

How many HCP do you have? What did you promise Partner when you opened the bidding?

Most players rebid 2♥ on this hand. This shows six ♥ (which you have) but also LIMITS your hand to about 13-15 HCP. You have more points than that. You need to not only show Partner you have six ♥ but also show Partner you have a better hand than just a minimum opening.

On this hand you should rebid 3♥. That shows six ♥ and about 16-18 HCP.

Partner had:
♠K8
♥Q6
♦K7532
♣9853

and Passed the 2♥ rebid. Everyone took 10 tricks on the hand. If you had rebid 3♥ Partner would have raised to 4♥ and you would not have missed a game.