1♥ Opening bid

♣  ♥  ♠ ♦


Requirements

There is a critical need to get into the auction holding either a 5+ card Heart suit or when holding both majors 4-4 and sufficient 'opening values' - In BETA a good 10 HCP well placed is considered sufficient for 1Ma openings.
For minor openings Beta stipulates  <= 7 1/2 LTC however for Major openings, this may be relaxed to <=7.5LTC &  >=10+HCP.
More specifically:
 The importance of showing a 4-4 in the Majors if present is of imperative importance. Consider also that declaring Majors precisely 4-4 shows 8 cards and just 5 cards in the minors - highly likely to be [3-2], while opening a 5+ card major leaves up to 8 cards in the other 3 suirs! The most likely distribution of these 8 cards is [3-3-2] and somewhatr less likely is  [4-2-2 or 4-3-1]. Holding a 4 card 2nd suit provides a simple rebid without a NT call.
Note: 5-5+ or better hands are never opened with 1H :-  3D shows H-S Majors, 3C shows D-H Red suits & 2D with 3C rebid shows H-C.
Strong hands with 5+ Hearts  nay be opened  with  2C  <  4LTC or  with 2H with 4-5+ LTC or length
Weaker hands can be opened with 3+ H pre-empts with >= 6 LTC and usually 7+ cards.  Also 2D (multi) can also show 6 Hearts weak with a non-forcing 3H rebid as well as a 5 card heart suit with strength.
A The upper limit of a 1H opening is limited by distributional hands. Direct raises - therefore <=5.5 LTC  Finally a 2NT opening bid 21-22HCP MAY contain a 5 card Major & and cannot include a S|V Also any strong 5-4-2-2: is still  preferentially opened by 2Ma and NOT by 1H or 2C.

It can be clearly seen here that BETA is providing  more clarity than any other bidding system!
Note:  3rd hand openings with marginally weaker hands is permitted with a 5+ card Major but the 4-4 rule for the  Majors cannot be relaxed. 

FYI: BETA's inclusion of opening with 4-4 in Majors is important for 3 reasons:
(i) With 5 card Majors & both 4 card Majors brought 'on the table' from the off respects BETA's philosophy of "Majors before NTs before minors"
(ii) Our 12-14 balanced 1NT opening is also more closely known thanks to elimination of any 5+ card holding in any of S, H or D or 4-4 in Majors. This also allows our very precise responses in our gently modified Stayman! where the response can be a 4 card Major 2Ma or 2D showing precisely a 4 card Diamond suit - or a 4 card club suit or even a 5-6 card club suit. Major holdings can only be only: 4-2, 3-3, 3-2 & 2-2: this allows for a precise determination of BETA's 1NT opening as regards BOTH Majors & minors.
(iii) The close interlocking of all BETA's 1-level openings narrows our view of a 1♣  opening significantly and introduction of Major transfer responses permits the discovery of any Major fit, whether 4-4, 5-3 or 6-2 by the 2-level!   Major holdings to 4-2, 3-3, 3-2 & 2-2 this allows for a precise determination of BETA's 1NT opening as regards Majors & minors BOTH.
Beta's 2♥ opening marks the upper limit for a 1 Heart opening bid of < 5LTC (strict counting!) and shape constraints of either 6+ cards OR 5+ Hearts and a 2nd 4 card in any other suit - thats: Spades or a minor.
 The lower limit is a 5 card heart suit or 4-4 in majors and strictly 10+ HCP. Due to the structure of our openings of 1 in a suit, it turns out that overall an opening of 1♥ is likely to be: approx 94+% with 5 cards & <=6% 1/16 7 HCP  with  10+ HCP and with 4-4 in both majors.
Third hand openings can be a little more relaxed...
Also see Defense when opponents open the bidding 1♦ before you: a 1♥ overcall is always 5+ cards - (unless 4-4 in the Majors, shown by *) and 10+HCP - requirements just like for an opening bid.  
If opponents open 1♣ and Major transfer o'calls are agreed then: with 10+HCP: of 1♦ shows 5+ Hearts & 10+ HCP, a 1♥ o'call indicates 5+ Spades & 10 HCP and 1S o'call shows 5+ Diamonds ) & 2♣ shows 4-4 in the Majors. There are also other defensive & attacking options...see 1CResp for many other overcalls [1N, 2D, 2Ma, 2N, 3mi] also 3Ma, 3N, 4mi etc are all pre-emptive.

When opener opens or imply bids of 1♥ and subsequently rebids 2♥ a 6+ card suit is always shown. However when responder rebids their suit then this is also shows 6+ cards BUT this also shows weakness... <=9HCP which may contradict initial expectations opener had initially announced.

If your LHO overcalls your 1♥ opening or overcall, for partner's responses see Intervention.

When opponents open the bidding with 1♣:
With 6+ Hearts and a weak hand overcall with our 2♦ multi bid.
With our strong 2♥ opening overcall 2♥ - this is not a pre-empt!
With a qualifying 5-5 overcall either 3mi or 2♥ as appropriate
With 5 hearts  Call 1♦
With 4-4 in Majors Call *
A 3 Heart pre-empt is also available as well as a distributional limit bid to play of 4♥

When opponents open 1♦

Over call naturally with 1♥ with 5+ Hearts or with 4-4 in Majors.
Weak jump o'call of 2♥ or 3♥
With a strong 2♥ opening call: use a T-O * and rebid in Hearts

With 5-5 Call 2|3♦ with both Majors; 1N with ♥+♣; 2N with ♠+♣

BETA Responses to our Natural 1♥ opening are as follows:

Some Responses following opponent intervention:

When RHO overcalls partner's 1♥ opening see handling intervention
4♣/♦ show sound raises to at least the 4 level respectively;
2N (Trustcott style) shows a sound raise to at least the 3-level.
Jumps in a NEW suit are weak & long 6+ card unbid suits;
Double showing interest in unbid suites & values commensurate with the level of the intervention; and finally
Redouble shows 8+ HCP (10+ if 1♥ was an overcall).

Rebids by opener

1♥-1♠-
1NT            Denies 4 card spades & 6 card Hearts. Shows 12-16 Balanced. A 2♣ Forcing Crowhurst inquiry which must be invoked with 9+ HCP. All other continuations other than 2♣ are non-forcing
2♣|♦        Shows a 5-4 Hand - confirms a 5+ card Hearts.
2♠             4 card fit 10-14HCP
3♠             15+ DP
3♣|♦         (15)16+HCP with a short suit (2-3 cards) with usually two top honours - not a support bid - a single suited hand with 5+ hearts or possibly 2524 or 25{33}distribution. Denies a singleton|void.
2♥             6 card suit  11-14(15)
3♥             6+ card suit invitational
J2N           17-18 Balanced
4♣|♦         Splinter - shows shortage (0-1) agreeing spades 4 cards, FORCING [Note: in BETA splinters are only valid over a response - they are NOT available directly in response to an opening bid]
PASS         Not desirable, but may be the only option with 10-11 and minimal spade support

1♥-P(op)-2♣|♦-?  
Note: A subsequent rebid by responder of ♣|♦ is a STOP bid, weak, <9 HCP otherwise usually (9)10+ HCP

Responder's Rebids

A rebid of his initial suit response shows 6+ cards AND shows <= 9HCP - i.e. weakness. This denies support  for partner's suits and shouldl usually be passed. E.g. 1♥-1♠-2♦-2♠-P
A rebid in NT's denies support for partner's suits however should normally possess 2 cards in partner's suits, 3 in partner's 2nd suit. 2N shows: 10-12(13) HCP, 3N shows: (13)14+ HCP. Natural limit bids.
A rebid in a new suit is strictly forcing. Shows support for opener's 2nd suit unless support previously indicated for opener's 1st suit. Promises a control in the rebid suit. Length of rebid suit is indeterminate. E.g. 1♥-1♠-2♣-2♦-?
Raising partner's 2nd suit shows 4 card support and shows sufficient DP values. If previously support is shown for partner's 1st suit then no preference is being made and opener will choose the declaration in cases of a double fit. E.g. 1♥-2♥-2♠-3♠-? or 1♥-2♥-3♣-4♣-?
DGR Sequences: E.g. 1♥-2♣-2any-3|4♥ Show game values and support in ♥'s & a genuine 2nd suit (♣ in example).