You have six spades and four hearts. You open 1♠ and partner bids 1NT. Holding ♠AKQ543♥5432♦K2♣2 you would probably rebid 2♠. Holding ♠987654♥AKQ2♦K2♣2, you would probably rebid 2♥. Please give me the minimum heart/ maximum spade holding needed to rebid 2♥. Does form of scoring influence your decision?
Some experts believe that you should always bid 2♥. The good news is that by bidding 2♥, you play in hearts when partner has one spade and at least three hearts. The bad news is that you play in hearts when partner has one spade and exactly three hearts. Another problem with bidding 2♥ with ♠AQJxxx♥Kxxx♦Jx♣x is what to do when responder bids 2NT. Pass seems wrong and 3♠ is forcing. I’ve solved this problem along with the very bad 5-5 spade-heart hand such as ♠KJxxx♥KJxxx♦Kx♣x VS the reasonable spade-heart hand such as ♠AQJxx♥AJ10xx♦xx♣x. Over responder’s 2NT, 3♣ is artificial, a form of Wolff signoff, and shows a signoff somewhere either 64 or 55. The 2NT-bidder assumes 5-5 and does his best. With 22, responder bids 3♦. Opener’s direct three-of-either-major over 2NT is forcing and descriptive.
Dave Berkowitz:---I’m a firm believer in always bidding 2♥, so I would do it on the first hand. Please destroy my answer if I am the only lunatic.
Bart Bramely:---I'm an extremist on this one. I always bid hearts with 6-4. I would rebid 2♥ with the FIRST hand. If you don't bid hearts now you will never find them. I am willing to play in the wrong partial occasionally in exchange for reaching more good heart contracts, especially heart games. Couldn't partner have ♠x♥Axxxx♦Axx♣xxxx? I tend to rebid my four-card side suit even if it is a minor, although suit quality does enter into that decision. Another plus for bidding the second suit with certain hands is that if partner raises the second suit you can sometimes bid game in the first suit. That's how to reach game intelligently with, say, ♠KQJ10xx♥x♦AQxx♣xx opposite
♠x♥xxxx♦KJxx♣Axxx.
Mel Colchamiro:---My belief is that that one should "always" bid 2♥ with 6-4. I get much the best of it following this guideline. Of course there are exceptions. Qxxx in hearts is more than enough for me while ♠AKxxxx♥J10xx♦Ax♣x is 2♥ for me. Form of scoring is basically not relevant to me, thou the upside seems to be greater to bid 2♥ at IMPs in marginal cases-- bidding 2♥ may strand me in the wrong partscore but rebidding spades can lead to a real IMP disaster when we play our 6-0 spade fit in 2♠ instead of our 4-6 heart fit in 4♥.
Brad Moss:---I would greatly strain to rebid 2♥ at all forms of scoring.
Some of the experts need a four-card heart suit to bid 2♥. 5432 is not a real suit.
Kerry Sanborn:---My general philosophy is to always rebid 2♥ with 6-4. However, the first hand above would probably convince me that I didn't really have a four-card heart suit. Also, with a good hand where I would want to bid again when partner rebid 2NT or 2♠ over 2♥, I would normally rebid 2♥ so I could either bid 3♠ forcing over 2NT or re-raise myself to 3♠ over 2♠ from partner. That said, I don't really differentiate between suits with quality when choosing to rebid 2♥. At matchpoints, I would be tempted to rebid a chunky spade suit as opposed to an anemic four-card heart suit.
Marinesa Letizia:---Basically I never suppress a four-card heart suit unless it’s quite extreme such as the first example, and I judge that I really don't have a four-card heart suit. With six good spades, if I miss a heart game, it's certainly my fault when I break my own rule of not suppressing a four-card heart suit. Form of scoring does not influence the decision.
Another factor is the strength of the hand. With a minimum opening bid, your chances of making game is reduced so getting to the best partscore is the number one priority. In that case you might suppress a weak four-card heart suit especially at matchpoints. So with a bad opening bid and good spades they bid 2♠. The chance of getting to and making game becomes slim. With extras they bid 2♥. Responder is more likely to bid again when you bid 2♥. Over 2♥ he can raise hearts or preference spades. Over 2♠, he can only raise needing at least ten HCPs. Responder would never think of bidding again over 2♠ holding ♠x♥AJxxx♦Kxx♣xxxx or ♠x♥KQxxxx♦Kxxxx♣x but would raise hearts.
Grant Baze:---I would rebid 2♥ with all 6-4's. Partner could have a stiff spade and AKxxx of hearts; partner would pass 2♠, but raise 2♥ to four. A rebid of 2♠ looks for the safest partscore; a rebid of 2♥ looks for game with only a modest cost of safety - so modest that I would rebid 2♥ even if I were playing matchpoints.
Nick Nickell:---At IMPs, I tend to bid 2♥ on most hands. ♠AKxxxx♥J10xx or Qxxx is a 2♥ bid for me. At matchpoints I would bid 2♠ more often, particularly with any interior solidity. In a way, a hand with ♠QJ109xx♥AKxx is a better hand for spades, particularly if we are in the part score arena. At IMPs the reason to bid hearts is to avoid missing a heart game, not to get to the better part score. Another factor is how good my hand is. With a maximum, you should strive to bid 2♥, and with dead minimum lean toward 2♠. With ♠QJ109xx♥AKxx♦Ax♣x I would bid 2♥. Change the diamonds to Jx, and I would try to slow things down with a 2♠ bid.
Henry Bethe:---In general I believe one should almost always bid 2♥. I would certainly do so with ♠AKJxxx♥Q9xx and probably even with 109xx. The strength of the hand would make a difference: if I do not intend to accept when partner raises to 3♥, I would tend to bid 2♠, So ♠AKQxxx♥J9xx♦Ax♣x I would bid 2♥; with Qx - Q in the minors I would bid 2♠. I would also bid 2♥ more freely at IMPs than matchpoints because of the plus score VS game bonus considerations.
Fred Hamilton:---Perhaps ♠AKxxxx♥Jxxx♦Kx♣x. Hearts may play much better if partner has four. And may reach game when partner can bid on over 2♥ but must pass 2♠ with no known fit.
Bill Pollack:---I'm a pretty extreme 2♥ bidder on almost every 6-4. I just hate to play in my 6-0 spade fit when we have ten hearts. I violate only when spades all solid (AKQxxx or KQJTxx -and- hearts are hopeless (Jxxx) or worse.
Barry Rigal:---With a dead minimum and six moderate spades and four moderate hearts, 2♠ has more to recommend it than with a decent hand. ♠AJ10xxx♥AQxx♦xx♣x I bid 2♠ ♠AJ10xxx♥AQxx♦Kx♣x I bid 2♥. Chances of game facing the second hand are much better so we maximize denominations where game might be reached. Chances of game are poor facing hand one so we look for safest partscore.
Bobby Lipsitz:---Suit strength is not the only issue. With any hand without nearly solid Spades worth 16-18 playing points rebid 2♥. ♠AKxxxx♥Jxxx♦AK♣x.
Larry Cohen:---My partner, David is on the extreme end of the Earth -- so much so, that he might consider 2♥ with the shown ♠AKQ543♥5432. He has influenced me to move to the 2♥ camp but I'd say my threshold would be roughly ♠AK10xxx♥J10xx where I would consider 2♥. At matchpoints I'd be more likely to just rebid a good spade suit (especially with a minimum and no likelihood of game) than Vulnerable at IMPs where I am more interested in increasing my chances of finding a good game.
Eddie Kantar:---I would rebid 2♥ with any hand that would go to 4♥ if partner raises to 3♥ and rebid 2♠ with any decent spade suit KQ98xx plus a hand that would not go to 4♥ over 3♥. I’m more apt to rebid 2♥ at IMP scoring on a marginal hand.
Jill Meyers:---If I would be happier for partner to pass 2♥ than 2♠ I would bid 2♥.
Marty Bergen:---Vulnerable at IMPs would be relevant. Strength of hand is very relevant. With decent hands, I lean to 2♥ on close decisions. Because strength of hand so relevant, impossible to define suit quality.
Mike Becker:---One of the obvious ingredients in determining whether to bid spades or hearts is whether I have a good opening hand or a weak one. With a good hand, game is still possible and bidding hearts rather than rebidding spades is more likely to encourage partner to bid again. It is understood that spades-spades-hearts (after 2NT) is weaker than spades-hearts-spades. And most VERY weak hands will not bid hearts on the third round and just give up in 2NT. All that said, on the weak hands: ♠AQxxxx♥QJxx♦Kx♣x I bid 2♥. ♠AQxxxx♥Qxxx♦Kx♣x I bid 2♠.
Jeff Rubens:---With six spades and four hearts, if the spades are strong enough to be treated as a six-card suit [if not, I bid 2♥]. I bid 2♥ hearts if I will bid again should partner bid two 2♠ or 3♥.
Kit Woolsey:---With ♠AKJxxx♥AJxx♦xx♣x I would rebid 2♥. Make the spades stronger or the hearts weaker, and I would rebid 2♠. Form of scoring has no relevance.
Bobby Wolff:---Compare ♠KJ109xx♥Axxx with ♠Axxxxx♥Axxx. On #1 I think I would rebid 2♠, but on #2 I would rebid 2♥ since the difference in spade suits lends itself to many more spade tricks with #1 but still at least one spade loser for hearts, but #2 may have no spade loser for hearts and more spade losers for spades. Maybe that fact and the more recognized one of rebidding 2♥ tend to run for daylight to be able to bid game more than rebidding 2♠ are the two major reasons influencing the decision. To at least attempt to answer the way you want me to, lets say either an obvious disparity between the suits, e.g. ♠AKQxxx♥Jxxx or ♠KJ109xx♥Axxx leans toward spades while ♠Axxxxx♥KQxx♦KQ♣x points toward 2♥ but ♠Axxxxx♥KQxx♦Qx♣x might make a very close vote in favor of 2♠.
Dan Morse:---♠KJxxxx♥KJ9x.
With 6-4, the experts, with a few exceptions, bid 2♥ and I strongly agree. The big gain is when responder has four or more hearts and can bid game. The big loss is when partner has zero or one spade and exactly three hearts. The long heart hand occurs more often than the one-spade-three-heart hand.