[lycier]

I support mike777 views.
I agree with GrahamJson comments.
I perfectly agree with helene_t opinion.

[billw55]

Helene 100% nailed it.

This partner plays a very conservative style and insists that his partners do so as well. In the long run this is losing bridge compared to pairs who will open this hand. Nevertheless, other things being equal, the conservative pair that understands each other is better off than a pairing of conservative and modern players who both refuse to adjust their expectations.

[Caitlynne]

A lot of it is really a matter of partnership style - i.e., what your partnership decides the requirements of an opening bid should be.

I don't buy those who proclaim that to Pass with such hands is a losing style in a strong field. If you open 11 point balanced hands, your response requirements need to be upgraded to account for the possibility of a light opening.

The fact is, there are arguments to Pass and arguments to open 1S.

What Pass seems to have going for it:

1. You don't meet the Rule of 20 requirement to CONSIDER opening the hand. You have 11 HCP and 8 length points for a total of 19.

2. This is a good 11 HCP hand, but not a great one. AKJ in a 5 card suit is a good holding offensively, but less good defensively. KTx is pretty good for both offense and defense, but that 10 supporting an honor would be bigger (especially offensively) if it were in a suit with 4+ card length.

3. You have a lot of Losing Trick Count losers - 1 in spades, 2 in hearts, and 5 in the minors - for an 8 loser hand. Most clear opening hands have 7 or fewer losers in the LTC paradigm.

4. The minor suit 10 is not an extra when it is in a non-length suit and the top card.

5. You can have rebid problems if partner bids a forcing 1NT (it is never DESIRABLE to bid a small tripleton minor) or, if your rebid of 2S after a 2/1 shows a 6 card suit (as it does in some partnership styles).

What opening 1S has going for it:

1. You have 2.5 quick tricks.

2. It is preemptive.

I happen to like Pass in 2nd seat. I might open it when the opponents are vul in 1st seat. And I open it in 3rd and 4th seat. But I am aggressive by nature.

[billw55]

 Caitlynne, on 2016-March-31, 07:34, said:

A lot of it is really a matter of partnership style - i.e., what your partnership decides the requirements of an opening bid should be.

I don't buy those who proclaim that to Pass with such hands is a losing style in a strong field. If you open 11 point balanced hands, your response requirements need to be upgraded to account for the possibility of a light opening.

Yes, responder must allow for this. But it is still a net gain.

 Caitlynne, on 2016-March-31, 07:34, said:

I happen to like Pass in 2nd seat. I might open it when the opponents are vul in 1st seat. And I open it in 3rd and 4th seat. But I am aggressive by nature.

If you pass this hand in any conditions, you are not an aggressive bidder.

[lycier]

The players who love competitive game are always full of aggressive courage, craven cowards never join,competitive war will only make the weak to leave. "how to evaluate the hand rationally" is competitive core technology, still is an important sign of player's skill.

[Phil]

Sorry, this isn't a matter of style, unless you consider losing bridge a style. If you dropped this hand into a national pairs final, at least 80% of the players would open this hand and maybe the number is higher than that.

I would like to think that bridge players, especially those that participate in Internet forums are capable of improvement, even if it goes against what they were taught 20-30 years ago.

Edit: in Denver I played a KO semi final against Dan Korbel and Huub. Dan was joking that he and Huub passed exactly ONE 11 count the entire tournament, and this was on the last Sunday, and they don't play Precision. If you think about all of the crappy 11s that come your way that's a lot of bidding. The subject hand is far from crappy.

[neilkaz]

I agree with Phil and am happy to open this hand. It is important to get ♠ into the auction quickly and we certainly want PD to lead one.

[Zelandakh]

Just to be clear, this hand was a clear opening bid for Culbertson back in the 30s as it contains 2.5+ HTs. Anyone passing such a hand and claiming to be an aggressive bidder gets a huge . Sure you can play a conservative one-level opening style and be successful but it is a lot more difficult as you need great judgement on competitive decisions in the later auction and it gives up some advantages that few club-level players can ever hope to regain by other means.

The point is that what UD wrote is absolutely correct, the majority of good players would open this hand. That is not to be disdainful of those choosing to pass or open at the 2 level, just that one should recognise that that is a minority position, not only in 2016 but also 80 years ago! Most of all, one should understand that exercising judgement comes at all stages of an auction and few absolute rules are really absolute.

And just for the record, as a beginner I only opened hands with 12hcp or 11 plus a 6 card suit, so I would also have passed this hand. I would like to think I have learned something since that time!

[msjennifer]

If playing 2/1 as game forcing,it is dangerous to open this hand in 1st or 2nd seat unless playing Drury or reverse Drury in all seats.However, in 3rd seat after two passes this is a clear cut 1Spade opener.

[miamijd]

As others have noted, it's a matter of system and partnership agreement. Playing some type of American system like 2/1, it,s generally better to pass these sorts of hands in 1-2 seat. 5332 is poor shape; if your partner doesn't fit you in spades, you'll have a rough go of it on offense.

Playing a strong club system, however, this is a fine opener. If you like to bid aggressively in 1-2 seat, consider playing a Precision variant

Cheers
Mike

[UdcaDenny]

Thanks everybody for your thoughts about my opening. Now I have agreed with my partner about using the Law of 20.
As my hand only counts 19 I shud pass. Still this hand is better than many 20 points hands so I think this hand
could be an exception. The concentration of high cards in 2 suits shud add one extra point.

[aguahombre]

 msjennifer, on 2016-March-31, 12:29, said:

If playing 2/1 as game forcing,it is dangerous to open this hand in 1st or 2nd seat unless playing Drury or reverse Drury in all seats.However, in 3rd seat after two passes this is a clear cut 1Spade opener.

No. What is dangerous is responder making a 2/1 game forcing response with the same semi-balanced 11 and 12 counts -- not taking into account that these are no longer game forcing hands in the modern world.

[chasetb]

If you have 10-15 HCP and only 0-1 HCP outside your 2 longest suits, then you can easily give extra points. Here, you clearly should give an extra point, giving you enough to open 1♠ (a great suit to boot)! Not to open this hand is losing bridge.

FWIW, the Four Aces (1935) would have opened this hand 1♠, and for two years they were the most dominant team, beating Culbertson's team every time.

[lycier]

 UdcaDenny, on 2016-March-31, 22:01, said:

Thanks everybody for your thoughts about my opening. Now I have agreed with my partner about using the Law of 20.
As my hand only counts 19 I shud pass. Still this hand is better than many 20 points hands so I think this hand
could be an exception. The concentration of high cards in 2 suits shud add one extra point.

Really?
Sorry, I disagree with your opinions.

In fact, this is only wishful thinking on your exceptions unless you have discussed with your pd. Orelse, it will be very difficult to obtain the trust of fellow only due to a hand.

Here, may I ask you two questions?
- How many losers are there in your hand with count 19?
The answer is 8 losers.

- How many value points are there in your balanced 5332 hand?
The answer is 12 points (11hcp+1 length point)


Assume your point is correct, now I would take a classic example :

♠:AGJXXX
♥:KXX
♦:XXX
♣:X

Now you see my hand : only 7 losers,12 value points. Then compared to your poor 5332 hand, which hand is more better if it would open 1♠? which hand could you get more tricks?

Needless to say, I believe almost of players are willing to hold my hand to open 1♠ instead of your hand if it must need to open 1♠. However USA expert would open 2♠. now you see this hand .

---

Don't be worried about west player,four of player are decent USA expert, today they played in the table of USA world champion Swanson at bbo.
If you would stress your hand is a exception, now I have more valid reasons to open 1♠ in my hand, would you think my hand is another exception? especially my hand is better than yours.
Some people stress 80% players open 1♠, this is a specious thinking, the history have showed that over 80% people are unlikely to be a world champion all their life. 80% doesn't represent the correct.
Anyway, we should know in the heart,whatever opening 1♠ or pass, it's just a views of the times,and not to other.

[nullve]

 UdcaDenny, on 2016-March-31, 22:01, said:

Thanks everybody for your thoughts about my opening. Now I have agreed with my partner about using the Law of 20.
As my hand only counts 19 I shud pass. Still this hand is better than many 20 points hands so I think this hand
could be an exception. The concentration of high cards in 2 suits shud add one extra point.

The rule of 20 (or rule of 19 or...) is unfortunately only as good as the hcp valuation method that goes into it. So when I use the rule of 20, I make sure to first count hcp using my preferred valuation method; then I translate the result into Miltonese (integer values only, value of A+K+Q+J is 10 points), as it were, before adding the number of cards in the two longest suits. On this particular hand, I'd get 12 Miltonese hcp by rounding upwards, so the hand would meet the rule of 20.

[gfroeli]

I think it's a very appropriate opener. A five card major with top two is stronger than it looks. Worse case scenario, you play 1S and go down. Compared to a possible fit with P and giving the info you have 5 seems like a no brainer.

[Zelandakh]

 gfroeli, on 2016-April-01, 18:07, said:

I think it's a very appropriate opener. A five card major with top two is stronger than it looks. Worse case scenario, you play 1S and go down. Compared to a possible fit with P and giving the info you have 5 seems like a no brainer.

Welcome to the BBO forums gfroeli. Playing in 1♠ is certainly not the worst case scenario. One example of where things could go wrong is Responder having a shapely minor-based hand and chooses to stretch to a game force rather than accept an awkward invitational auction. There are plenty of examples of such responding hands on these forums and in this case that would likely result in a severely understrength 3NT. That does not make opening 1♠ the wrong choice of course.

[Lovera]

"THE OPENING BIDDING WITH A FEW HIGH CARDS. Although a 14-point count generally justifies an opening statement, good players will go through the minimum hands containing less than 9 points in high cards. With only 8 points or less, there is a risk that the partner accounts on the possession by you of key cards that you have not, and once you open the bidding will be difficult to cancel this wrong impression... (42) ♠ 73 ♥ KQ1094 ♦ KQ85 ♣ 84 bid 1 hearts or passed - No one forces you to open up with an13 points hand. This falls in the style of bidding and you can open or switch, as you wish."(From "The Complete Stayman Systeme Of Contract Bidding" by S. M. Stayman pag. 24).

[Zelandakh]

 Lovera, on 2016-April-02, 08:16, said:

(From "The Complete Stayman Systeme Of Contract Bidding" by S. M. Stayman pag. 24).

Because Stayman is/was an expert on 2016 2/1 bidding theory?

[lycier]

 Zelandakh, on 2016-April-02, 09:43, said:

Because Stayman is/was an expert on 2016 2/1 bidding theory?

Ha-ha
It is said your Englishmen are humorous gentleman, it appears this word is real.