Question 3

Hi Heidi,

We encountered a number of challenging hands (to us) in bidding lately. Please provide us some insight:

With a bad 4-card major, do you still bid it? Like the following hand, should N respond with 1♠ or 1NT? At the end, would this hand better playing in 3NT or 4♠?

EW vulnerable, E is dealer:

N	E	S	W
	Pass	1♣	Pass
???

	North ♠8732 ♥A73 ♦KQ87 ♣74
West ♠JT ♥J96 ♦432 ♣T9862		East ♠Q64 ♥Q82 ♦J985 ♣AQ3
	South ♠AK95 ♥KT54 ♦AT ♣KJ5

Heidi's Answer

If Partner opens 1♣ and you have 6 to 10 HCP you are supposed to bid a bad four card major before you bid 1NT.

So on this hand North should respond 1♠ before they would bid 1NT.

There are other options though. North can always respond 1♦. This also only shows a four card suit. Normally we ignore a four card minor to bid a four card major however if your major suit is really bad and your minor suit is pretty good you can think about bidding the minor instead -- four card suits up the line and all.

In the end it won't matter.

If North bids 1♠ over 1♣, South will now have to jump to show their big hand. They will bid 3♠.

If instead North bids 1♦ over 1♣, South will bid 1♥. North will bid 1♠ (just a forcing bid -- they don't even need to have ♠ to bid this!).

South will now have to jump to show their big hand. They will bid 3♠.

North will raise to 4♠.

So all roads lead to 4♠ by North.

Which does better? 4♠ or 3NT?

Double Dummy you can take 11 tricks with ♠ as trump.
Since they are not vulnerable they will score 450 points for bidding and making an overtrick in 4♠.

Double Dummy you can take 10 tricks in 3NT.
Since they are not vulnerable they will score 430 points for bidding and making an overtrick in 3NT.

The major suit fit tends to be a safer place to play and does tend to score better most of the time. Try to find major suit fits if you can.