[RSClyde]

jogs, on 2013-January-08, 11:18, said:

I'm in the rarely make adjustments on the opening bid camp. Later in the auction may make adjustments based on info about other player's hands.
4333 and 4432. 15-17 HCP 1NT.
5332. 15-16 HCP 1NT.
5332 with 17. Now use judgment based on the quality of the 5-card suit.

I think that's reasonable though I also open 1nt on other shapes. However my regular partner got me to notice how people often go wrong on suit quality.
AKQJx looks great but infact AKxxx is probably better. That sounds crazy but you have a good chance of getting that suit to cooperate even without the QJ. Whereas now you have 3 points to distribute into the rest of your hand. Plus AKQJx is somewhat inflexible, when partner is short there and you don't have anytime for pitches it's not as good as some scattered stuff.

[Phil]

All this talk about upgrading is kind of amusing to me.

[dustinst22]

Think I'd open 1D.

I'm afraid of missing game across a 7/8 count and a major suit fit if I open 1N.

Maybe 1N in MP.

This is prob an 18 count hand.

[jogs]

rhm, on 2013-January-08, 11:01, said:

I think upgrading this hand to 18 HCP is okay.

Rainer Herrmann

Why? 4432 is the second worst pattern. Jx of clubs is not good.

[jogs]

RSClyde, on 2013-January-08, 11:30, said:

I think that's reasonable though I also open 1nt on other shapes. However my regular partner got me to notice how people often go wrong on suit quality.
AKQJx looks great but infact AKxxx is probably better. That sounds crazy but you have a good chance of getting that suit to cooperate even without the QJ. Whereas now you have 3 points to distribute into the rest of your hand. Plus AKQJx is somewhat inflexible, when partner is short there and you don't have anytime for pitches it's not as good as some scattered stuff.

I'm thinking more in terms of which 5-card suits are 'bad'. Maybe Kxxxx is 'bad'. Anything better open one of the suit and treat the hand as 18 points.

[the hog]

1NT. I do play a 15-17 NT, don't I?

[gszes]

At IMPS I will open 1D since I want to be able to
invite a thin game if p can bid 1H or 1S (and we will have
probably right sided the contract since I have no honors
to protect).


At MP I open 1N (number 1 MP spot) since
bidding thin games is a losing MP tactic.

[CSGibson]

I don't aggressively upgrade without good 5 or 6 card suits or great spots and honor structures in two four card suits, and I wouldn't do so here. I'm opening 1N, and super-accepting transfers (if I get to show a doubleton club, so much the better for potential slam exploration).

I also hate opening a 2 card club suit/3 card diamond suit, because my distribution is an open book as soon as they get a count on that suit, so I feel like it will be harder to justify my upgrade when declaring against competent opponents.

[Phil]

CSGibson, on 2013-January-09, 18:48, said:

I also hate opening a 2 card club suit/3 card diamond suit, because my distribution is an open book as soon as they get a count on that suit, so I feel like it will be harder to justify my upgrade when declaring against competent opponents.

Seems like there's a reasonable chance your hand will be on the table after the opening lead if you open 1♦.

[lalldonn]

I really don't like opening in a minor to cater to a small set of hands with a four card major and a very specific strength range. It's bad to open in the minor too since you are short there, and what if partner just make a preemptive raise or something? And if he responds 1NT you now aren't worth your upgrade any more which was on the basis of a possible major suit fit.

Pretty much it seems to me if you don't open 1NT you are doing something with a negative expectation almost every time partner doesn't have a four-card (specifically) major, and not all that positive even when he does have the major since you have wrongsided.

[andy_h]

If we hit partner with a major, haven't we rightsided? Don't we prefer to have the lead going into partner's hand?

[PhilKing]

Phil, on 2013-January-08, 17:30, said:

All this talk about upgrading is kind of amusing to me.

Did you not notice that we have the NINE OF SPADES!?

[billw55]

Phil, on 2013-January-08, 17:30, said:

All this talk about upgrading is kind of amusing to me.

the hog, on 2013-January-08, 23:55, said:

1NT. I do play a 15-17 NT, don't I?

I agree, and honestly don't understand upgrading at all, to me this hand is not even close. 17 points, yippee! Three aces is nice, but their honor support is average at best for a hand of this strength. No meaningful spot cards, no five card suit, and Jx is a minus.

Give me AKx KQT9 AJT9 xx, and I will think about it. On the given hand, no way.

[helene_t]

I once posted a semi-serious idea on Stepbridge forum in which I argued that you shouldn't open 1NT with four spades. The idea being that you can always open 1m, rebid 1♠, and then raise partner's next bid as approproate:
1m-1red
1♠-2♣ (or 1NT)
2NT

So as long as the system doesn't force me to show a balanced hand with 17 points (I can always pretend to have some semibalanced or three-suited hand with strength equivalent to what I actually have), I am safe.

I dunno. It could certainly happen that 1NT gets passed out when 4M has play. On the other hand, if partner doesn't have a 4-card major it is nice to be able to show my values without commiting to 2NT. Failing to open 1NT could also make things awkward if opps interfere.

I continue to open 1NT for now. It might be wrong.

[dake50]

Agree Fluffy, but I'll look for my 19+ opener.

[MrAce]

Imho if 17 is in your 1NT range, opening this 1m is over analysing.

[fromageGB]

1♣, transfer walsh to find the major fit, easy for me as I play 15/16 NT.

If I were to play 15-17, I would not like to open 1♣ and treat this as 18 if partner does not have a major, but a NT contract is better played by partner. Downgrade the club to a singleton, and open 1♦.

[Phil]

billw55, on 2013-January-10, 09:57, said:

I agree, and honestly don't understand upgrading at all, to me this hand is not even close. 17 points, yippee! Three aces is nice, but their honor support is average at best for a hand of this strength. No meaningful spot cards, no five card suit, and Jx is a minus.

Give me AKx KQT9 AJT9 xx, and I will think about it. On the given hand, no way.

Sorry, sometimes I say things that are cryptic (read: unclear).

If I changed my shape but kept the same collection of honors (and the ♠9) I'd open this 1N. I like 1♦ because I am 4-4 in the majors, have a max (or close to it), and hopefully partner can make a positive move after 1m - 1M - 3M, but he would pass 1N.

[JLOGIC]

I'd open 1N but I don't feel that strongly. Obviously the idea is to get to some 4Ms that would have gone 1N AP if we open 1D. I don't think our hand is that great though. We have no spots other than the S9 and we have a stray jack.

It is not like we will be cold necessarily when it goes 1m 1M 3M 4M, that could easily go down, and we are overbidding a lot when we have to bid 2N next.

[akhare]

Looks like a 1N opener to me (assuming a 15-17 NT). JX and the other xx spots don't exactly inspire effusiveness about this hand...