[jillybean]

The majority said pass in first seat.

---

[hrothgar]

Great hand for a mini splinter if you're playing them.

Otherwise, 1!S

[mw64ahw]

2♠ 4+, lim+

[DavidKok]

2♣ Drury, barring more specialised agreements to show the four card support. Some people might have 2NT available here to show this hand, as I assume J2NT is off by a passed hand. Do not bid 1♠, that will make it difficult to raise partner later.

I think 4♦ splinter is a good alternative. We've got an absolute maximum pass that became more valuable on hearing hearts. Partner will play us for almost exactly this hand if we bid 4♦ here. The only real downside is that we might be too high, especially if partner is the sort to open light in third seat.

[Cyberyeti]

hrothgar, on 2025-April-26, 07:57, said:

Great hand for a mini splinter if you're playing them.

Otherwise, 1!S

We would play fit jump here, so 2N limit+ (just limit by passed hand) 4 card raise

[paulg]

I play 2♠ shows a four-card raise with any singleton (it has to be 2♠ to allow a relay and be able to stop in 3♥: we play 2NT is a spade fit jump).

Without these methods then a Drury 2♣.

[apollo1201]

Drury 2C followed by 3H to show the 4-cd maximum raise. I do not want to punish partner.

The only undisclosed element of my hand is the side singleton, that with some partners we show with 2NT.

[shyams]

paulg, on 2025-April-26, 08:28, said:

I play 2♠ shows a four-card raise with any singleton (it has to be 2♠ to allow a relay and be able to stop in 3♥: we play 2NT is a spade fit jump).

Without these methods then a Drury 2♣.

Thank you for sharing this interesting agreement.

If partner opened 1♠ in 3rd seat, does the above structure use 2NT to show 4-card raise with unknown side-suit singleton?

[mike777]

3D
4 card limit raise

Says nothing about Diamonds

[paulg]

shyams, on 2025-April-26, 08:44, said:

Thank you for sharing this interesting agreement.

If partner opened 1♠ in 3rd seat, does the above structure use 2NT to show 4-card raise with unknown side-suit singleton?

Yes.

[mikeh]

hrothgar, on 2025-April-26, 07:57, said:

Great hand for a mini splinter if you're playing them.

Otherwise, 1!S

Give partner something like 3=5=3=2 minimum and he’ll pass 1S quite often. I’d be terrified if I bid 1S. Besides which, having bid 1S there is very little chance of describing this hand to partner even if he takes another bid.

[mycroft]

I like drury and then game over anything but 2♥. I might invite over 2♥, but I'd be prepared to be wrong. (note: I do not play "2♥ refuses the game try", I play "2♥ shows a "third seat opener")

[mikeh]

Very few good pairs use mini splinters even by an unpassed hand and the majority would use fit jumps by a passed hand.

Meanwhile, I’d have an easy 2C or 2D, drury. Which depends on agreements. With one occasional partner, I play a one way drury in which 2C shows a 3+ limit raise. In my regular partnerships, one uses 2C for a. 4 card raise, good constructive up to limit, and 2D for a 3 card limit. The other uses 2C as 3 card limit and 2D as 4 card limit. I tend to play whatever partner prefers but I think the 2C showing 4 card support and a good constructive raise or better is superior to the other methods

In both regular partnerships, responder is allowed to bid again if opener signs off. No way am I stopping in 2H here.

[jillybean]

We have some good treatments here.
I obviously don't know what your follow ups are. Over 2♣ Drury, you'll get a 2♦ response.
I'll post the complete hand next

[DavidKok]

jillybean, on 2025-April-26, 10:37, said:

We have some good treatments here.
I obviously don't know what your follow ups are. Over 2♣ Drury, you'll get a 2♦ response.
I'll post the complete hand next

Something about Drury followups: I've seen quite a few people play a (technically Reverse) Drury style where the 2♦ rebid says 'I had a normal opening' and 2♥ says 'Sorry partner, no opening here'. I think this is not best. Instead I would use 2♥ to say 'we cannot make game opposite a maximum passed hand' and 2♦ to be more encouraging. Of course opener can also just bid game or go for COG or even slam continuations if desired.
To me it makes a lot of sense to have a game try below 2M, but not nearly as much to separate shades of non-game-going hands after that. With that in mind, does partner still respond 2♦?

[bluenikki]

jillybean, on 2025-April-26, 07:45, said:

The majority said pass in first seat.

---

Doesn't it matter what light third seat openings are in your partnership?

Can you open Axx QJxx Axx for the lead? And 2♥ with x KQJxx Axxx xxx?

[jillybean]

DavidKok, on 2025-April-26, 10:42, said:

Something about Drury followups: I've seen quite a few people play a (technically Reverse) Drury style where the 2♦ rebid says 'I had a normal opening' and 2♥ says 'Sorry partner, no opening here'. I think this is not best. Instead I would use 2♥ to say 'we cannot make game opposite a maximum passed hand' and 2♦ to be more encouraging. Of course opener can also just bid game or go for COG or even slam continuations if desired.
To me it makes a lot of sense to have a game try below 2M, but not nearly as much to separate shades of non-game-going hands after that. With that in mind, does partner still respond 2♦?

2♦ is encouraging, I thought that was standard, silly me.

[jillybean]

bluenikki, on 2025-April-26, 10:44, said:

Doesn't it matter what light third seat openings are in your partnership?

Can you open Axx QJxx Axx for the lead? And 2♥ with x KQJxx Axxx xxx?

This gets more complicated. I'd open 3rd seat 1m (1nt if NV) , I assume you've have xxx in other minor and yes, x KQJxx Axxx xxx looks like a 2♥ 1♥ opening

[akwoo]

I prefer to play it the way mycroft plays it (2♦ shows nothing more than a minimum normal opening hand) because I prefer that a third seat 1♥ could be ♠x ♥AKxxx ♦xxxx ♣xxx. (Okay I think the ACBL requires me to have another Jack.) The hand you gave certainly wants to be in game opposite any normal opener - give opener ♠Qx ♥Kxxxx ♦Qxx ♣KQx and game is still pretty good.

[mikl_plkcc]

You have 13 points (10 HCP + 3 for the singleton, discounting the J), enough to game force.

Bid your splinter, 4♦.

(This assumes that your opening is sound and guarantees not less than 12 total points. My style is 13 points minimum at 1st or 2nd seat, 12 points minimum at 3rd or 4th seat, therefore we don't use Drury or similar and we still use Jacoby and splinter.)