BALANCED DISTRIBUTION

Hand distributions of 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3- 2 and 5-3-3-2 (the first of these being described as ‘completely balanced’) ie hands with no singleton or void and at most one doubleton. Hands of 5-4-2-2 or 6-3-2-2 distribution count as ‘semi-balanced’. An opening bid of 1NT usually shows a balanced hand, often with the further constraint that the hand contains no decent five-card major.