Drury Convention
Drury is a way for a passed hand to give opener an invitational raise of a major at a low level (2
) with 10-12 points and 3+ card support. Opener may rarely be in 4th position, mainly with 10-11 HCP and 5 spades (Rule of 15).
In BidBase, "HCP" always means just high card points, and "points" always means HCP plus distribution points. Distribution points - and thus "points" - can only be counted after a fit is found between partners.
Since bidding Drury shows a fit, responder can bid Drury with less (even far less) than 10 HCP, such as with K32-A32-JT987-2.
However, in Bobby Wolff's 04-13-2022 Aces column, 875-K872-Q2-AT86 is shown and Wolff says not to bid a Drury 2C because the spade support is too weak and the D:Q "is not pulling its weight", so a simple 2
raise should be made. He says that S:T9x "might tempt me to do more."
A jump in opener's suit (e.g.: 1
-3) is preemptive and shows less than 10 points (else Drury would be used), in theory. In actual practice, it's hard to see the value in this since both opponents have already passed. If anything, a simple raise to 2 should be sufficient to keep out the opponents.
Even a pass should be sufficient since on the off chance the opponents enter the bidding, you can compete then. In fact, I have passed in this exact situation (< 10 points) and it turned out that opener could only make one.
See Karen Walker's web page under Choosing your rebid for examples of hand valuations and their corresponding bids. For example:
The same HCP, yet a two-level difference in response due to distribution points. Also, using Losing Trick Count, the first hand has 8 losers and the second one, just 5.
Karen's page also describes some other rebid strategies you may find worthwhile, including opener responding to the 2 Drury bid with an artificial 2N to which responder answers with a set of rebids that are identical to rebid responses to a Jacoby 2N.
Not every Drury player plays "full Drury".
Some of my partners only play Drury to find out if partner has a real opening hand or not. The extent of the convention for them is
P - P - 1
- P
2 - P - ...
and then opener either bids 2 with a full opener or otherwise, 2
.
Some take it further than that by using 2-Way Drury where 2 shows 3-card support and 3 shows 4+ cards. Opener then signs off in 2 of his major and any other bids shows a full opener.
Given how seldom these bids come up (see the odds at the end of this file), there is a lot of merit in keeping it simple.
Those of you willing to keep in practice with Drury (such as by working the BidBase Practice Quiz), keep reading.
Opener's responses to Drury
P 1NT
2 2
4
P-1, 2-2, 4.
Here's an example of a bid outside the box, taken from the Practice Quiz:
AQ932-K32-AKJT8-
P-P-1S-P-2C-P - ??
BidBase says to bid game with 15+ points. This is based on the fact that partner is limited to 10-12 total points, so even with 19 or even 20 total points and partner at the top of his range, slam is a stretch.
But there are certainly some 12-point hands which would make 6S.with the above hand. The problem is how to get there. You can't ask for aces with a void (unless you use Roman Exclusion Blackwood), but the 4-level is available for cue bidding or making a self-splinter, such as 4 here.
If you don't like that, you could agree that a jump to the 4-level is a control showing bid or a help-suit try -- whatever you and your partner agree to.
After Opening 4-Card Major in 3rd Position:
In 3rd position, you may sometimes open a 4-card major with a hand like AK32-QJ2-98-A952.
With 15-17 HCP, you would open a hand like this 1N, but with a hand too weak, it's better to open a good 4-card major than a minor since it has a more preemptive effect on LHO than does one of a minor.
However, if partner bids Drury 2, it would be nice to convey to him that you only have 4 of your major.
If you have 13-14 points, you can bail out to 2 of your major, even if you have a second 4-card suit. Game is unlikely and a Moysian Fit at the 2 level is not a disaster and often is a top.
If responder has 4 of your major or a good 3 (e.g.: KJx), he can bid game; otherwise, he can bid 3 of his second suit. (If he doesn't have 4 of your suit, he has to have 4+ in some other suit.).
If he cannot bid his 2nd suit on the 3 level, he should bid 3N, which denies 4 of the major as well showing that he has a 4+ card suit he can't bid on the 3 level. It's then it's up to opener to decide what to do.
If you have 18-19, game should be a lock, but it may be better to be in 3N than in 4 of a possible 4-3 fit, so if you have the other suits stopped, bid 3N; otherwise, bid your other 4+ card suit if you can do so at the 3 level.
These bids are not all-inclusive. With freak distribution, responder can bid appropriately.
An easier way of dealing with opening 4-card majors is to use Two-Way Drury. See below.
Drury in competition
Drury can also be played even if opener's RHO has bid, as long as the Drury bidder is a passed hand. For example: P-1-1-P, 2.
If opener bids 1 and responder has 4 spades, he can bid 1 instead of Drury; however, if opener replies 1N, then 2 by responder is not Drury.
Drury is always on over a double. Over a 2 interference, responder can make a "stolen bid" double as Drury.
Drury is on if 2 can still be bid, such as after 1-(1) or 1-(1N)
When an opponent makes a call after a Drury 2, opener can respond normally over a Double or can double when the opponent makes a bid opener would have bid, such as:
South's double of 2 means the same as if East passed and South bid 2.
Larry Cohen's opinion:
It is not a good idea to use Drury over interference. If the opponents double (or overcall) after the major-suit opening, you should just play "natural."
Two-Way Drury
Reverse Drury
The Odds...
BidBase found 1 Drury auction in around 55 deals for any one person in a foursome. For a specific pair, the odds are double that - 1 in 110 deals.
For one specific person (you) to have to respond to a Drury 2, the odds double again to 1 in 220 or once in every eight 27-board tournaments.
More odds... Rebids by Opener
About half the deals ended in opener jumping to 4 of the major with 15-20 points.
Another 25+% had opener showing 10-12 points. These two situations can be covered with just 2 responses by opener: (1) jumping to 4 with 15+ points and bidding 2 (or 2, if you must) with less than 15 points.
If Drury only comes up for a pair once in every 4 tournaments, then the bids other than the ones just mentioned only come up once in every 16 tournaments - that is, if you can remember the bids.
Practice bidding Drury
AQJ64 
T32 
J2 
KJ4 - [12 HCP] Bid 2
= 13-14 points plus 4+ of the suit bid. At one time 3+ HCP in the 2nd suit was required, but it was rolled back to 2.