# Bridge: 7 No Trumps baby! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 9, 2016, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229 "2016-08-09T09:47:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/401 "2018-02-01T17:15:26Z")
1D is a natural bid, right, not Better Minor? Showing 4+ cards in the suit? (1) You must bid at least 2D to show diamond support. If partner has 3 hearts, he will mention them on his next bid. Given you have a singleton spade and a doubleton club and four card support for partner I would be strongly tempted to uprate the hand to 3D. (2) I would plead mechanical error. šŸ™‚ Then bid 3D. You have no sure side entries to your hearts (maybe a late diamond, maybe the Queen of Clubs) and you have support for partnerā€™s suit. Your simple, not jump, repetition of the hearts indicates (to me) a very weak hand with a 6 card suit, 3 or fewer clubs (if you had 4 you would have mentioned them in response to partnerā€™s double), and not even 3 card support for partner. Partner is probably putting you at something like a 2-6-2-3 distribution. From his bidding, partner has 4 or more diamonds, 3 or more clubs, 2 or fewer hearts, and 3+ spades including the King or Ace or both (possibly 2 if the minors are solid). ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/402 "2018-02-01T17:38:38Z")
Weā€™ve agreed SAYC ā€” five-card majors. I guess some infer that the only pattern that opens 1D with three-bagger is 4-4-3-2 specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/403 "2018-02-01T18:46:26Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Weā€™ve agreed SAYC ā€” five-card majors. That changes much. In (1) bid 2 Diamonds, but I would not uprate the hand. In (2) I follow the advice that when youā€™re in a misfit, you pass. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/404 "2018-02-01T19:10:48Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > New hand. > Just finished a session. So many disasters to choose from. :eek: Only this one might be interesting: > > ā™  9 > ā¤ AQT873 > ā™¦ 8764 > ā™£ Q7 > Nobody vulnerable. Partner deals and bids One Diamond. RHO passes; you bid One Heart. The auction continues One Spade - Double - Pass. > > (1) What do you call now? > > Assume (pleading Touretteā€™s Syndrome if necessary) that you bid Two Hearts. The auction continues Pass - Two No Trump - Pass. > > (2) What do you call now? 1. 2H rather than 2D 2. 3D The double of 1S is not a support double? (shows 3 hearts). I would bid 4H if so. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/405 "2018-02-01T21:50:35Z")
Youā€™d bid 3D on a (possible) 7 card fit? Partner might be bidding on T95. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/406 "2018-02-01T21:58:22Z")
Quartz - in two of your previous posts you supported diamonds. Iā€™m quite happy how Iā€™ve described my hand - having 10 red cards we are still ok. If partner has a singleton heart, then he must have a four card or longer diamond suit. And if he is 2-3 in the reds he will give preference back to hearts. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/407 "2018-02-01T23:06:59Z")
Rightly or wrongly (and although youā€™ve never discussed it) both you and partner assume that the Double of One Spade is for penalties, there being only one unbid suit. How do others play it? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/408 "2018-02-01T23:12:01Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Quartz - in two of your previous posts you supported diamonds. Yes. In the first, I was unaware you were playing Better Minor. > [@](#): > > Iā€™m quite happy how Iā€™ve described my hand - having 10 red cards we are still ok. If partner has a singleton heart, then he must have a four card or longer diamond suit. Thatā€™s a big if. At the point of your first bid, all partner knows is that you have 4+ hearts and 5+ points. > [@](#): > > And if he is 2-3 in the reds he will give preference back to hearts. Well yes, but now youā€™re committing your partnership to trying to make 9 tricks rather than 8. Also, the lead will be going through Dummyā€™s spades rather than up to them. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/409 "2018-02-01T23:14:43Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Rightly or wrongly (and although youā€™ve never discussed it) both you and partner assume that the Double of One Spade is for penalties, there being only one unbid suit. How do others play it? I interpreted it as ā€˜Tell me more about your handā€™. The Unassuming Cue Bid of 2S pushes everything to the 3 level which consumes too much bidding space. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/410 "2018-02-01T23:25:34Z")
Iā€™m guessing in SAYC the double is for penalties, strongly implying 4 spades and 1 heart. Iā€™m not strong enough to leave it in so I bid 2H, almost guaranteeing 6+ cards. Partnerā€™s 2NT is a little bit weird. I guess he has something like: KJxx x AKxxx KTx ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/411 "2018-02-01T23:30:29Z")
I figure that the ā€˜freeā€™ _Pass_ is a way to ask _Tell me about your hand_. Yes, _Pass_ is one of the possible answers to the free _Pass_, but _Pass_ is always a possibility ā€” unless opener makes an (uncontested) rebid of _3 Clubs_ or higher. If Opener intended to rebid _1 Spade_ himself, _Double_ is the natural descriptive call. With this approach thereā€™s much overlap between a penalty _Double_ and a _1NT_ rebid, so maybe this is a bad treatment. But partner and I have a simple style and, again, hadnā€™t discussed the auction. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/412 "2018-02-02T00:05:07Z")
14 HCP with a possible minimal response from partner - so points are possible 20-20 - is not a good reason for a penalty double, especially non-vulnerable. The bidder of 1S is showing 5+ spades, remember. For a NT rebid by opener I would like to see a heart honour in partnerā€™s hand if itā€™s a singleton and would expect two hearts. Remember that a 2H rebid is the weakest of responses. Partner cannot expect any outside entries. If you are expecting the hand you described above, then a 3D rebid is indeed warranted, though I would expect a bid of 2D instead of a double. The bidding by both sides doesnā€™t make sense. LHO - who bid spades - can only have 5 spades, else would have repeated the suit with 6, which means that RHO has 3 or 4 spades and should have raised to 2S or 3S respectively. Note that LHO does not have a balanced hand with cover in hearts and diamonds and good points else the bid would have been 1NT. Nor does LHO have poor points and a 6 card spade suit else the bid would have been 2S, a Weak Jump Overcall. Nor has LHO doubled for take-out, possibly indicating shortage in clubs. So perhaps LHO holds something like S:ATxxx H:xxx D:Kxx C:AK. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/413 "2018-02-02T00:33:27Z")
Well I play support doubles so the bidding wouldnā€™t go like that. My partner has promised exactly 3 hearts. Assuming you donā€™t what can his distribution be? I canā€™t see how he doesnā€™t have at least 4 diamonds. And must be semi-balanced Playing 5 card majors he probably has at most 4 spades, probably at most 2 hearts as you rebid hearts and he took you out. So heā€™s 4-3 in the minors 4 must be in diamonds as he bid those, put him back into diamonds. Or he has longer diamonds than that so put him in diamonds. If you play 4 card majors then even more likely he has long diamonds ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/414 "2018-02-02T12:36:13Z")
Please cancel the discussion of this 1-6-4-2 hand. (@ **Mods** : can you just delete the last 14 posts?) Looking again at the so-called ā€œproblemā€ hand above ā€” my partnerā€™s hand ā€” I now see that it was _I_ who grossly and stupidly misbid. I was uncertain what kind of hand partner was showing and ended up so befuddled I made an indefensible Pass over 3H, an action so wrong it would be too embarrassing to reveal my hand. Please: Show me mercy and letā€™s just drop discussion of this hand. :eek: :o ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/415 "2018-02-02T13:34:59Z")
Whilst weā€™re on the subject of disasters - this auction went a good way to costing us a teams match last night: S XXX H Kx D Ax C Axxxxx Vuln with no opps bidding, you open 1C and hear 1H from pard. Rebid 2C and pard jump reverses into 3S. What is your bid? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/416 "2018-02-02T15:34:42Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Whilst weā€™re on the subject of disasters - this auction went a good way to costing us a teams match last night: > > S XXX > H Kx > D Ax > C Axxxxx > > Vuln with no opps bidding, you open 1C and hear 1H from pard. Rebid 2C and pard jump reverses into 3S. What is your bid? With all my partners 3S would be a splinter, so I am very interested and bid 4D. I suspect you have a different meaning, though. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/417 "2018-02-02T17:56:25Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > With all my partners 3S would be a splinter, so I am very interested and bid 4D. I suspect you have a different meaning, though. Probably should show a splinter but itā€™s natural here. So itā€™s likely a simple preference situation and then pard can take the reins - I bid 4H. What actually happened was that pard had a mental aberration and actually holds 6 spades, but wanted to reverse to show a strong hand :smack: Now reversing into a longer major suit is obviously a crime against bridge and his partnership privileges are under review, but I was still questioning myself for bidding 4H. Led to an impossible 6H when 6S is cold. I think 3S has to show a beast of a two-suiter so I should just bid my longer major. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/418 "2018-02-02T20:31:09Z")
Since 2S would already be a strong force, 3S should show a huge hand, probably 5-6 or 5-7. With both outside Aces _and_ some length in _both_ of partnerā€™s suits, your hand is very good. Start with 4D. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/419 "2018-02-02T23:39:49Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Vuln with no opps bidding, you open 1C and hear 1H from pard. Rebid 2C and pard jump reverses into 3S. What is your bid? I would expect my partner to be at least 5 - 5 in the majors and probably 5-6 if not 6-6 with good points so give preference by bidding 4S. Remember that as responder you show the lower-ranked suit first if the lengths are equal. (The exception is bidding a 4 card spade suit at the 1 level in preference to a 5 card suit at the 2 level.) I know that your partner is not following these rules! Partner knows I donā€™t have four spades because I did not bid them on my second bid, and his bid indicates he can tolerate that so now is the time to let him know I have three. Partner also knows that I have a bare minimum hand as I simply repeated my suit. Partner can then bid 4N for Blackwood if desired. Could bidding 4D be seen as 4th suit forcing? You have not agreed a suit and you donā€™t want to end up in 6N. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229/420 "2018-02-03T04:25:26Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Remember that as responder you show the lower-ranked suit first if the lengths are equal. Is this really true? With both majors, Iā€™ll respond 1H if 4-4, but 1S if 5-5. With 5-5 in spades and diamonds, Iā€™ll usually bid the spades first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-7-no-trumps-baby/762229.md?page=22)