han, on 2011-September-19, 03:34, said:
Why would it be hard to judge how well-stopped our 3-2 minor is, opener can look at his 3-card minor, can't he? How hard can it be for opener to judge whether 3NT is good when partner has shown exactly 5422 shape and suggests playing 3NT?
Not hard if responder promises equal holdings in his two short suits, but if we have Qx xx opposite AJx K109x or vice versa, opener seems to have a guess. I suppose opener's approach could be to pass only with a 33(34) and a very solid trebleton, but that further reduces the benefit of playing 3NT as natural.