Garbage Stayman

Garbage Stayman is a rare but fun little variation of the Stayman convention. After a 1NT opening by partner, a 2 response shows a weak 3-suited hand that's short in clubs. Playing a strong 15-17 1NT, Garbage Stayman shows 0-7 points. The ideal distribution is 4-4-4-1 or 4-4-5-0, although 3-4-5-1 or 4-3-5-1 is also okay. Note that with a weak hand containing a 5-card major (e.g. 5-4-4-0 shape), responder should simply use a Jacoby Transfer instead.

Some examples of hands suitable for a Garbage Stayman response:

T987
A984
87532
--
Q653
Q432
T975
J
J872
JT4
86543
9

With each of these hands, responder bids 2 like in regular Stayman. However, responder intends to pass at his next turn. The idea is that the partnership will either locate an 8-card major suit fit, or a probable 8-card diamond fit if opener does not have a 4-card major.

Opener's Rebids

Opener's rebids are the same as in regular Stayman:

2 - Denies a 4-card major
2 - Shows 4 (or rarely 5) hearts, and may have 4 spades
2 - Shows 4 (or rarely 5) spades, and shows fewer than 4 hearts