Michaels
When you hold a hand that is 5-5 in the majors it is
important to be able to
communicate both your suits before the opponents push the bidding to a
high
level. The way to show this type of hand after the opponents open 1 or 1
is to make a direct cuebid.
1 |
| Dlr: W |  K Q 10 5 3
|
|
| Vul: None |  K J 10 8 5
|
|
| 2
|
||
| 9 6
|
||
| A 4 2 |
J 8 6
|
|
| Q 9 |
6 4
|
|
| K 10 9 4 |
A J 8 7
|
|
| A 7 4 2 |
K Q 8 5
|
|
| 9 7
|
||
| A 7 3 2
|
||
| Q 6 5 3
|
||
| J 10 3
|
| West | North | East | South |
| You | Partner | ||
| 1 |
2 (1) |
Pass | 2
|
| Pass | Pass | 3 |
3
|
| All pass |
| (1) Micheals |
| Contract: 3 by S
|
| You will notice that I have not discussed HCP in relation to
making the
Michaels cuebid. HCP are not the most important part of making this
bid. Two
important factors should be taken into account when deciding whether or
not to
make a Micheals bid. First, the quality of your major suits. If you
have
your high card points atop your long suits your hand is more
offensively
powerful. Second, the vulnerability! When you are vulnerable you need
to
have good suit quality (HCPs and/or good spot cards!) The hand above
would be
a good Micheals bid at any vulnerability. When not vulnerable much
worse
hands may be used. A commonly used guideline for HCP when using Michaels is 6-11 HCP. |