Hi bridge friends,

This week's video and article is for Acol players, so if you do play Standard it might only be helpful to you if you play against Acol players. (If you don't, feel free to skip this week's video and watch one of our videos for Standard players here or here.)

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Video by Maggie Hadley – Article by India Leeming

Should I respond with the Dustbin 1NT?

Responder’s 1NT, often called the “Dustbin 1NT”, often causes confusion in bridge learners. Many people remember the bid to mean “6-9 HCP”, “no fit in Partner’s suit” or “any old rubbish”. The truth is that these are all part of the answer: but not the whole answer! The bid should not be thought of in terms of what it shows but what it denies. It simply means “I couldn’t do anything else”.

No wonder it’s so difficult to get your head around!

So let’s decide on an order of priority for what you should do if your partner opens 1 of a suit:

1. If you only have 0-5 HCP, pass.
2. If your partner opened 1 of a major and you have support, support the major.
3. If you have a 4+-card major, bid the major. Exception: If you have a game-forcing hand opposite a rebid of 1NT by Partner, you can bid a longer minor first.
4. If you have support for Partner’s minor, support the minor.
5. If you can bid your longest suit at the next available level, bid that suit.
6. If you cannot do any of the above, bid 1NT: it’s the only bid that’s left!

Notice that the 1NT response is right at the bottom of the pecking order! It should be a last resort if you are unable to make any other bid. 

Let’s look at some examples... (Click here to continue reading)

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Many thanks to Maggie Hadley for the video and India Leeming for the article!

Wishing you the best,

Bajir from Learn Bridge Online

Related links:

• Link to this Youtube video: https://youtu.be/nZ1S6k6p3e0