1♥ Opening bid

♣  ♥  ♠ ♦

See Major openings

BETA's 1♥ opening supports 2 important hand types:

Responses  need to  take care of both possibilities:
A simple raise to 2♥ requires 4+ card support
A response of 1♠ shows 4+ cards & denies 4+ hearts. 

Other Exclusions from a 1♥ opening: These include 'weak 2's', pre-emptive bids from 3H upwards, potentially game going hands & highly distributional hands.

A hand with 5+ Hearts and without a 4 card 2nd suit and LTC <= 3.5 is     opened with a 2♣ bid.
A hand with 5+ Hearts and with a 4 card 2nd suit and LTC <=5 is opened with a 2♥ bid.
Any hand with 6+ Hearts and LTC <=5 is also opened with a 2♥ bid.
Any hand with 6 Hearts and LTC >5 & <=7 may be opened 2♦ (rebid Hearts) - a classic weak 2 opening.
Finally any 55+ hand with 5+ Hearts & 5+ cards in any other suit and with an LTC <=6.5 & with:-
 - Pls see 5-5+ for further details:

1NT Strictly 12-16HCP is an important rebid by opener specifically denies any 4-4 card major fit. However 5-3 & 6-2 fits can still be located.
Any suit rebid by either player in BETA shows a 6 card suit.
    BETA uses Crowhurst to determine any 5-3 Major fits. Responder must bid 2♣ with 9+ HCP or rebid a 6 card major; with a 5 card major  await partners response  to 2♣ - its imperative that a Major response exposes any 3  card Major support.

The importance of being able to show 4-4 in the Majors if present is of imperative importance. Also be aware Majors precisely 4-4 shows  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 suits! The most likely distribution of these 8 cards is [3-3-2] and somewhat less likely is  [4-2-2 or 4-3-1].

Be aware that a 2NT opening bid 21-22HCP MAY contain a 5 card Major & and will not include a S|V Also any strong 5-4-x-x: is still  preferentially opened by 2Ma and NOT by 1♥ or 2♣.

It can be clearly seen here that BETA is providing more clarity than what's found in any other bidding system by the 2-level!
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 these 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 its precise definition. This bid therefore also reduces the load placed on our 1♣ opening significantly.
(iii) Many opponents, an ever growing list, who make use of a 1♣|  opening when openings of 1N and 1Ma are not available, 5 card Majors and a strongish  NT  face an increased load carried by their 1♣ opening & more difficulties to unravel their best denomination. Please take time to study your overcalls that can be made, some of which are BETA opening bids!:...But please study all your possibilities here some o'calls:-
E.g. 1C-1D Shows a heart Opening; 1C-2H Shoes a 2H opening; 1C-2D(multi) could mean holding a weak 2 in Hearts.
(iv) Beta's transfer responses also save valuable bidding space and allow BETA's claim of locating any Major fit whether: 4-4 or 5-3 or 6-2 by the 2-level. While also getting the the RIGHT hand to play th contract & the lead from his right.
 (v) Beta's 2Ma  opening bid marks a strict upper limit for any BETA 1 Major opening bid.
 The lower limit is a 5 card heart suit or 4-4 in majors and strict minimum of 10+ useful HCP and some DP. Given the overall structure of BETA's openings of 1 in a suit, it turns out that the duality of our 1♥ opening has proved  seriously advantageous.

Here we show important sequences when we open 1♥
1♥ - 2|3♥:  Shows 4+ card Heart support
1H-[2any opp]-2N(Jacoby) Showing a good raise to at least 3H
1H - 1S: Denies  4+  card Heart  support BUT shows 4+ spades
    2|3|4 Spades natural limit raises
    1N: Shows 12-16 balanced. Crowhurst sequences follow
       2C: Shows 9+ HCP - all other responses are natural non-forcing
    2N: 17-18 balanced. Puppet sequences follow
    Raises in spades are  limit  raises
1H - 4mi: SWISS bids
1H-3any: Break-outs usually 7 card suit (good 6 carders also allowed). Do not show strength.
1H -2S 5+cards, 14+HCP
1H-2mi Natural 4+ cards, denies support or spades 10+ HCP
    If followed by a 4H  rebid. Then this sequence is a DGR sequence pinpointing important values in the side suit and game values in Hearts.
1H - 1N: Denies 4+ card Major, shows weakness 6-9 HCP
 A rebid of a suit by either partner ALWAYS promises 6+ cards.
Jump rebids by opener show 15+ HCP and 6+ cards  & LTC >5

Third hand openings can be a shade more relaxed...but must follow all of the above structure.

When Opponents open the bidding:-
Please take note of our defence to opponent's openings of 1♣ or 1♦ that may be short but not necessarily but do carry opening values.
See BETA's defence when opponents open 1mi.
BETA describes our use of all of the following bids: P, *, 1N, 2♣, 2♦, 2Ma, 2N, 3mi.
Also 3Ma, 3N, 4mi and 4N which all lie in  pre-emptive territory.