Three suiter

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This article concerns Contract Bridge and uses terminology associated with the game. See Contract bridge glossary for an explanation of unfamiliar words or phrases.

In the game of bridge a three suiter (or three-suited hand) denotes a hand containing at least four cards in three out of the four suits. As a bridge hand contains thirteen cards, only two hand patterns can be classified as three suiters: 4-4-4-1 and 5-4-4-0.

In natural bidding systems, strong three suiters are often difficult to describe, as — following the likely response of partner in the short suit — they do not allow for a high-level notrump rebid, nor for a reverse bid. Some systems therefore use dedicated opening bids to describe strong three-suited hands (e.g. the 2 opening in the Roman system).

The standard treatment to describe a three-suited hand after an opposing opening in a suit is the takeout double. Conventions like Kelsey and Cansino can be used to introduce a three-suited hand after an opposing 1NT opening.

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