[fromageGB]

 TWO4BRIDGE, on 2013-February-23, 08:51, said:

counting: ♠AKQ, ♥AKQ, ♦A, 4 clubs, 2-♦ ruffs

A perfect opener. Isn't it nice when the only cards you want in partner's hand are aces and kings? Never happens to me.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

 fromageGB, on 2013-February-23, 09:08, said:

A perfect opener. Isn't it nice when the only cards you want in partner's hand are aces and kings? Never happens to me.

But the "low-level ' telling ' " still lets you stop with either no-fit or a slight shortage of primes.

[han]

 ArtK78, on 2013-February-22, 17:17, said:

Sure it matters. It may give you some additional bidding space.

That is the whole reason for playing 1430 in the first place. If you don't think it matters, then don't play 1430.

The main reason for playing 1430 (besides that the whole world plays it so and that it is a common bridge score and therefore easier to remember) occurs when hearts is trump. Then you don't have room to ask for the trump queen after a 5D response. When spades is trump it doesn't matter so much, and the same is true when you are using kickback or ask for keycards by bidding 4m.

[aguahombre]

 han, on 2013-February-23, 12:32, said:

The main reason for playing 1430 (besides that the whole world plays it so and that it is a common bridge score and therefore easier to remember) occurs when hearts is trump. Then you don't have room to ask for the trump queen after a 5D response. When spades is trump it doesn't matter so much, and the same is true when you are using kickback or ask for keycards by bidding 4m.

It seems that the "main reason" requires both of the following in order to be advantageous:

1) hearts are trump
2) 4N is asking, not 4S

Responder is more likely to have one key than zero in the cases where extra room is neccessary.

But, as Art pointed out, when the weak hand is asking, the frequency of 3 keys vs. 4 is the significant factor and optimal would be 0314 unless forgetting is a concern.

[fromageGB]

 aguahombre, on 2013-February-23, 14:05, said:

But, as Art pointed out, when the weak hand is asking, the frequency of 3 keys vs. 4 is the significant factor and optimal would be 0314 unless forgetting is a concern.

I don't see how it matters what method you use in the context Art was talking out, using what is effectively minorwood : "A suggestion for those who use key-card responses to the minor suit slam try". IF you want to stop in 5m, if 4♦ is followed by a 4♥ denial (the worst case) and then 4♠ asks regardless, a reply of 2 steps, 5♣ still allows a Q ask of 5♦. No Q = pass, Q = bid the cheapest K.

So what difference 3014 or 4103?

In practice, after a missing ace, with partner having a doubleton in the suit and a 2NT open, you would agree that the sign-off will be 5NT rather 5♦. So 5♦ = Q ask, no Q = 5NT, Q = bid the cheapest K.

[aguahombre]

You are right. Art's (Kantar's) idea only seems to matter in the context Han was talking about --the one I was following up on.