Club Results 02/17/2026 Tuesday Board 1
Example Hand
| ♠AQ7 ♥8 ♦J6 ♣AQ108753 | ||
|
N
W
E
S
Dlr: N
Vul: None
|
||
| ♠KJ6 ♥A1062 ♦Q105 ♣K62 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♥ |
| Pass | 2 ♣ | Pass | ? |
North South partnership has enough points for game. What should South bid now? 5C? In the Tuesday afternoon 499er club game, there were some 5C contracts and some 2C or 3C contracts.
3NT vs 5C?
Is there a better contract for this NS hands? When possible, try to play in 3NT rather than 5 of a minor. If you play in 5C, you need to take 11 tricks to make your contract — which is not easy. In 3NT, however, you only need to take 9 tricks. When one partner has a long minor and the other has support in that minor, it is actually better to play in 3NT, as that long running suit will take tricks in notrump as well.
On this deal, NS can actually take 11 tricks in either 5C or 3NT. But from a scoring standpoint, there is a big difference between the two.
From Scoring Perspective
- 5C making is 400 when not vulnerable, 600 when vulnerable
- 3NT making is 400 when not vulnerable, 600 when vulnerable
- 3NT + 2 is 460 when not vulnerable, 660 when vulnerable