Bridge Gambling 3nt


  1. Gambling 3nt In Bridge
  2. Bridge Gambling 3nt
  3. Bridge Gambling 3nt
  4. Gambling 3nt Bridge Convention


The Gambling 3NT is an opening 3NT bid showing a solid 7-8 card minor suit. (Possibly only 6 depending on agreement.) It typically denies a void or 4+ card side suit.Side suit strength depends on partnership style.Opener may have anywhere from 0-3 outside suits stopped. Let us call these the aggressive, moderate and conservative approaches.
Aggressive
84
42
73
AKJT763
Moderate
Q32
A8
9
AKQ9752
Conservative
A
K43
KT
AKJT872

Now, the earliest reference that I've found for the Gambling 3NT is 'Howard Schenken's 'Big Club' circa 1968. The late great Schenken defined his 3NT opening as a 'solid minor suit, 17-21 HCP, 8.5-9 playing tricks, [and] should include [an] ace, king or queen in every suit.'

Bridge gambling 3nt

The Gambling 3NT is an often overlooked convention for which many are not well prepared.Multi-Landywill handle bidding with two-suited hands far better than natural bidding, and leaves you well placed to defend against the gambling 3NT. Sorry, I couldn't get the comments. Definition: A Gambling 3-NTis a pre-emptive opening bid. The bid is used to describe a hand containing a Minor suit of at least 7 cards in length headed by the AKQat minimum. The hand must not contain any more than an outside Queen or two Jacks, else it is strong enough for a standard opening bid of one-of-the-Minor. “Standard” 3NT openings show 25 – 27 HCP and are so rare as to be virtually non-existent. Instead, use an opening 3NT call as “Gambling, as follows: Opening Gambling 3NT. A 3NT opening shows a solid Ace-high 7-card minor suit and no outside Ace or King, i.e., 7 solid trick and nothing else – 9 or 10 HCP. Requirements for a Gambling 3NT Your suit must be solid – this means seven cards headed by the AKQJ. With eight cards in the suit you may drop the requirement for having the jack. 'This leaves several options for opening 3NT. One is to play it as a solid major (Kantar 3NT). Another is to play it as a 4-of-a-minor preempt (this works well in conjunction with NAMYATS-an option/upgrade to LC Standard). Lastly, is what I recommend: GAMBLING.

This conservative approach has lost popularity, though, because it is less preemptive than the other two styles. The aggressive hand type is also more frequent than a running minor suit with ALL side suits stopped, which appears about as often as Halley's Comet.

That said, the disadvantage of an aggressive treatment is that it may wrong-side the contract when partner holds stoppers (read: tenaces) in the other three suits.

Why play the Gambling 3NT? The following tournament deal is an example in all its dice-rolling glory.1 (Hands rotated for convenience.)

North
KQT3
AT872
West—East
A95AJT28742
QJ6543K9
JSouth8543
Q94J6K73
—
AKQT9762
865
Gambling 3nt in bridge

South dealt and opened 3NT, which was passed out. Sitting West was Philip Alder, expert player and former bridge columnist for The New York Times. A heart lead would have set the contract by two, but Alder led the A to take a proverbial look at dummy. This immediately set up declarer's spades for overtricks! Fun times.


Partner will normally pass an opening 3NT. However, he is allowed to bid if it's deemed necessary. There are several flavors of response schemes to choose from. Below is a summary of some common approaches.

Responder's BidMeaning
4 There are a couple ways to play this:
  1. A weak bail-out bid, asking partner to pass or correct to 4.
  2. Artificial, strong and forcing. Shows interest in slam. Asks opener to clarify her hand.
4 Again, a couple ways to play this:
  1. Gerber, asking for aces. Responder should have a clear vision of what the final contract might be.
  2. Artificial, strong and forcing (if 4 is weak).
4 Natural, showing a good 6+ card heart suit.
4 Natural, showing a good 6+ card spade suit.
4NT Quantitative, inviting 6NT.
5 Bail-out bid, showing major-suit weakness but good support for both minors. Asks opener to pass or correct to 5.


Opener's Rebids After a Strong 4

There are multiple ways to define opener's rebids in response to a strong 4 ask.

Approach #1

Gambling 3nt In Bridge

RebidMeaning
4 Gerber.
4/ Cue bid showing a side-suit ace.
4NT Minimum strength.

The same rules can apply over a strong 4 response, except that opener cannot use Gerber.


Approach #2

Alternatively, opener's rebids may describe suit length.

Bridge Gambling 3nt

RebidMeaning
4// A singleton in the bid suit.
4NT A semi-balanced hand, i.e. 2-2-2-7 or 2-2-7-2.
5/ Natural, to play.


  • If the opponents double 3NT for penalty (how unsporting!), responder may bid 4 as a runout bid, askingopener to pass or correct to 4.
  • If the opponents overcall, a 4NT bid by responder is natural. It is neither quantitative nor Blackwood.


Bridge Gambling 3nt

Defense to the Gambling 3NT

Expert Ron Klinger suggests the following approach to dealing with an opposing 3NT opening.2

Gambling 3nt Bridge Convention

CallMeaning
Double Penalty-oriented.
4 Takeout for the majors, with a preference for hearts.
4 Takeout for the majors, with a preference for spades.
4 Natural.
4 Natural.


1 ACBL. Daily Bulletin, Volume 61, Number 9. 2019.

2 Klinger, Ron. Bridge Conventions, Defences and Countermeasures. London, Weindenfeld & Nicolson, 2017.