The "Weak 2's" are aggressive opening bids of 2 ♦ , 2 ♥ and 2 ♠ . They are hands with less than 12 HCPs and exactly 6-cards in the named suit. Weak 2's are part of SAYC, although not all social players use them.
Before playing with a new partner, ask if the new partner uses Strong-2's or Weak 2's:
• Strong 2's are used in pre-1985 Goren where a 2-suit opening indicates about 20+ points where the opened suit is the strong suit.
• Weak 2's are used in SAYC where the 2-suit opening indicates a hand with less than 12 points and a suit with exactly 6-cards. The exception is the 2 ♣ opening bid, which is reserved for 22+ points and an un-named strong suit.
There are 5 requirements for a Weak 2 opening bid:
1) Point Range: Less than 12 HCPs. There are two point ranges for this series of bids:
Weak hand - 9 to 11 HCPs Minimal hand - 5 to 8 HCPs - very risky - must have a very strong partner to be successful - strongly consider PASS in this point range
2) Suit Length: Must have exactly 6-cards in the opened suit. No more, no less.
3) Suit Strength (Critical):The opened 6-card suit must have at least 5 honor card points (HCPs) (2 of the 3 top honors). Many players forget the honors in the named suit, and end up losing the contract.
4) Suit Selection: The weak 2 openings are only 2 ♦ , 2 ♥ , or 2 ♠ . The opened suit cannot be clubs. An opening bid of 2♣ is reserved to be a strong bid, indicating 22+ points, but not necessarily clubs.
5) Tricks: The likelyhood for success is much better if the opener has at least 6 sure tricks.
When one player holds a 6-card suit, do not be surprised that at least one other player will also have a long suit (accompanied by short suits and voids). A key to success is to open the 2-level bid before the opposition has a chance to bid. The opening 2-level disrupts the opponents bidding - there is less bidding space for the opponents to find a suit to bid. This 2-level opening is referred to as a defensive bid - it makes it difficult for the opposition to bid.
After the opener makes the Weak 2 opening bid, the responder is now the "Captain". The Captain has a better idea of the combined partnership point range and will direct the bidding accordingly.