A common misconception among novices is to use the reverse to show strength.

 

 

 

 

The original rules for selecting the opening bid suit playing 4-card majors filled an entire chapter in bidding books. 5-card majors reduced that to one simple rule with one exception:

 

Rule: If you have a 5-card major, bid your highest ranking 5-card major. Otherwise, bid your "best" minor.

 

Exception: Bid a 6-card minor before a 5-card major.

 

As a side note, many people (me included) do not consider the auction 1D-2C-2M a reverse.

Playing 2/1 the auction 1D/2C/2M is definitely not a reverse.  I never know when I play sayc if it is or not, LOL.  But that is the reason I hate to play sayc.

Generally the requirements for a reverse bid is 17 hcp. This hand although it is close should be perhaps devalued by a point with QJ holding bringing it's value to 15 imho. When I am faced with the decision of which way I will stretch the truth I go low. My thinking on this is if my pard cannot find a second bid I am probably going to get a good result playing a tad conservative.

Don't punish yourself for making an agressive bid Gipp as it means you are thinking about it.

Rusty

 

No need to hate Sayc system .( sayc have nothing to do with this hand ).

It's only bad bidding

 

North should open 1SP.

North should bid 3D over 2CL.

So easy to be on 5D or 4SP.

 

 

 

The proper opening bid for west's hand is 1S.  It is almost always correct to open the highest ranking 5 card major when holding two five card suits.  The strength of the hand does not effect this opening bid, unless it is strong enough to make a strong 2 club bid. 

 

The only real exception to this is when holding 5 clubs and 5 spades.  There are many opinions of the proper bid with this holding.  It's a subject to discuss with you partners.

 

Change this hand to 6 diamonds and 5 spades and it would be proper to open 1 diamond.

Guideline.  I don't know quite why this is true but it very often is:

 

Usually, when you catch yourself saying either of these things, it is you who is wrong:

 

"But partner I had x many points!"

"But partner I only had x many points!"