Something I wrote on Another Site, but it surely’s nonetheless related, and incorporates some info not within the present solutions:

“If it appears like a balanced 15-17, open 1NT”. That’s the fashionable guideline.

All of the caveats of the previous:

• want stoppers in 3, ideally all 4 fits;
• want 2.5 QT;
• 4333, 4432 or 5m332 solely;
• no small doubleton;

and the remainder have all dropped by the wayside. People nonetheless talk about what to do with 5M332 and 6m322, however an increasing number of pairs are shifting to “put it in 1NT”. Most will bid 1NT with 5m422, even 5m4M22.

People are pushing the boundaries of what regulators contemplate “balanced”, as effectively. Something like AKTx KJ9x Ok QTxx has all the time been opened 1NT by many with “appears balanced to me”, and regulators are bowing to the inevitable. So now, gamers are saying “effectively, in fact AKTx KJ9x 7 KQTx is balanced.” Others are saying “are you out of your thoughts?” and “in the event you describe that as balanced, that is clear misinforming of the opponents”… You can see from this, or from the 7m222s that individuals need to open 1NT as effectively, simply how a lot these caveats/outdated guidelines have disappeared.

The drawback is not that any of these outdated caveats are dangerous – in actual fact, we might favor to keep away from them even now. The drawback is that in the event you do not open 1NT with a balanced hand in your vary, it is virtually unimaginable to indicate it later, or it’s a must to dedicate a lot of your system to “15-17 balanced, unsuitable for NT” that may very well be used to tell apart between all the remainder of the palms in a “12-21, 3+” 1♣ or 1♦ name (which wants quite a lot of distinguishing as it’s). Never thoughts when it goes 1♣-p-1♥-2♠; now you really need to have the ability to say “go is minimal, no 4-card elevate (if BAL, 12-14, a lot simpler than 12-16), 2NT is a giant hand (18-19 a lot simpler to deal with than 16-19),…”

It does value generally, like all selections. You will get 1NT-p-3NT off the primary 5 coronary heart methods generally. But it pays again 4, 5, 6-1 on palms the place companion can depend on you not having that hand once they strive to determine this loopy public sale.

But the stopper requirement went out with Goren within the Nineteen Sixties. You simply cannot bid commonplace sanely with it.