#5 North South Vulnerable
South West North East
???
South
♠ K 2
♥ A K J 5 4 3
♦ A K J
♣ K 2
South holds 22 HCP but that is not enough when considering opening 2♣ with an unbalanced hand. South must count tricks to determine whether to open 2♣ or 1♥. Counting tricks: ½ trick in spades, 5 tricks in hearts, 2 ½ tricks in diamonds, and ½ trick in clubs = 8.5 tricks. Just enough to open 2♣ with a major. South should open 2♣ and rebid 2♥ to show this hand ~ forcing 1 round but NOT forcing to game. If North now raises 2♥ to 3♥, 4NT is Roman Keycard Blackwood for hearts. If North shows two keycards with the ♥Q, bid 7♥!
Visit Webinars.PlayBetterBridge.com for free webinar videos called Bid These Hands with Me. World Champion and Master Teacher Donna Compton walks you through her thought process of hand evaluation, judgment calls and different bidding methods played by the experts. The combination of being a world-class player, along with the ability to share her thoughts with all levels of players makes these webinar videos unique. Married to a multi-time Barry Crane Top 500 Champion and captaining the World’s Top Bridge Team gives Donna access to state-of-the-art bidding, play and defensive agreements. Join Donna today and take your game to the next level!
What’s Your Bid? 3-5

