[cargobeep]

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Me and my partner were playing Standard American. 1H I understand shows 13+ HCP 5+ hearts usually, but what does 4C mean?

[Bbradley62]

According to BBO's online step-by-step SAYC convention card, this is a "control-showing cuebid", obviously with slam interest.

To check out this BBO resource yourself, you can go to "My BBO", then "Convention Cards", then "SAYC" (not the other two SAYC cards, which are just convention cards without the handy-dandy step-by-step feature), then "Details". This is a great learning/teaching tool to answer "what would it mean if...?" questions.

[sailoranch]

cargobeep, on 2012-October-02, 21:24, said:

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Me and my partner were playing Standard American. 1H I understand shows 13+ HCP 5+ hearts usually, but what does 4C mean?

4♣ is a control-showing cue bid. It's a slam try, and it shows first round control in clubs, usually the ace, sometimes a void. Basically, you're looking for slam, but you're also trying to make sure we have the side suits controlled.

Usually, controls are shown up the line. A 3♠ call by South would instead show an ace or void in spades. If you choose to bid 4♣, it's denying first round control in spades. After you make a control bid, a bid in a new suit by partner is also a control bid and means she is cooperating with you with regards to slam.

If you bypass a control bid, but cue it in a later round, it shows shows second round control (the king or a singleton). A second cue bid of the same suit shows both first and second round control, something like AK or stiff A or void.

[the hog]

This depends what you have agreed. Some players might play this as an Ace ask, (Gerber); others might play it as a cue bid, showing first, (or perhaps first or second round control). It is a slam try regardless. Certainly the vast majority who post on this site would play it the latter way.

[gwnn]

I like it as 5+H, 4+C. It is easier for responder to judge slam prospects like this than if 4C can show anything from a singleton to KQxx.

[Fluffy]

starting with the basics:
-it goes above 3♥ so at least game values
-it doesn't bid 4♥ despite the known fit, so partner thinks more than 4♥ might be avaible

So partner is normally trying for 6♥, althou trying for 7 is also possible.

Partner had 3(4) ways to show the same: 3♠, 4♣, 4♦ and (maybe) 3NT, he picked clubs, so it shows something in clubs.

-for some people it shows control (meaning no 2 quick club losers are possible, this means that he has Ace, King, singleton or void), if this is the case, lack of 3♠ bid points that partner lacks spade control and thus doesn't have ace, king, singleton nor void in spades, and some help there is needed.
-for some people it shows secondary suit, this is known as long suit slam try, and means that partner has long clubs and needs the hand to fit for slam purposes.
-for some people 4♣ shows specifically a short suit (singleton or void) and asks partner to evaluate his hand given that ♣K, ♣Q and ♣J are probably worthless, and ♣A of dubious value.


Over all of this bids the principle of fast arrival applies, this goes to mean, if the minimum level that we must reach is reached quickly, this shows the intention of playing there and no interest on going any higher.

Translation: 4♥ is the weakest possible response to 4♣.
Next are the in between bids (only 4♦ on this case) wich still leave room to play 4♥ althou encouraes to go higher (but it doesn't mean that if you bid 4♦ you cannot bid above 4♥ later)
And finally the bids above 4♥ (4♠, 4NT, etc) wich force the pair to play over the safety 4♥ level and require a significant good hand.