Practice on Cuebids
Practice auctions that start from stronger balanced hands and require strain decisions.
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Last updated
2026-07-31
What is Puppet Stayman?
Puppet Stayman is a version of Stayman that can uncover a five-card major in opener's hand. It is common after a 2NT opening or strong notrump rebid.
Responder starts with 3 and opener describes whether they have a five-card major, no major, or one or both four-card majors depending on structure.
Over 2NT, the 3 ask promises at least game-going values. Responder does not need a long major: even three cards in one major is reason to ask, since the point is to find a five-three fit that a direct 3NT would bury.
Puppet over 2NT
- 3 asks opener about major-suit length.
- The exact responses are partnership-specific.
Why use it
Standard Stayman finds four-four major fits. Puppet also protects against missing a five-three major fit when opener has a five-card major inside a balanced range.
Puppet fits alongside the rest of a 2NT structure: in most partnerships, 3 and 3 remain Jacoby transfers and 4 and 4 remain Texas transfers, so 3 carries the whole major-suit ask.
Response memory
Puppet structures differ, but the standard skeleton separates five-card majors from four-card major holdings. After 2NT - 3, opener bids 3 with five hearts, 3 with five spades, 3 with at least one four-card major but no five-card major, and 3NT with no four- or five-card major.
After opener's 3, responder bids the major they do not hold so opener can declare a found fit: 3 shows four spades and denies four hearts, while 3 shows four hearts and denies four spades. Responder bids 3NT with no four-card major. In the two-tier structure used here, 4 shows both four-card majors with game-only values and asks opener to choose a major game, while 4 shows both majors with slam interest.
After opener's 3 or 3, responder raises to game with three-card or longer support and retreats to 3NT without a fit. Many pairs treat a bid of the other major here as a slam try agreeing opener's suit, but that continuation needs explicit agreement.
- 3: at least one four-card major and no five-card major.
- 3: five hearts.
- 3: five spades.
- 3NT: no four- or five-card major.
- After 3, responder 3 shows four spades and responder 3 shows four hearts.
- After 3, responder 3NT denies a four-card major.
- After 3, responder 4 shows both four-card majors with game-only values in this structure.
- After 3, responder 4 shows both four-card majors with slam interest in this structure.
Opener shows four-card major interest
- 3 shows at least one four-card major and denies a five-card major in the common structure.
- Responder now shows a four-card major indirectly or bids 3NT without one.
Puppet examples
Puppet Stayman is valuable because opener can have a five-card major inside an otherwise balanced 2NT range. These examples show the common branches responder must remember.
Opener shows five hearts
- In many methods, 3 shows a five-card heart suit.
- Responder raises to the major game with enough support or suitable values.
Opener denies a major
- A common treatment is that 3NT denies a four- or five-card major.
- Responder usually passes unless looking for slam or a special minor-suit contract.
Responder shows the other major
- After 3, many Puppet methods make responder bid the major they do not hold.
- This keeps opener declarer when a 4-4 major fit exists.
Responder has both four-card majors
- In the two-tier structure used here, 4 shows both majors with game-only values.
- Opener chooses the better four-card major and becomes declarer.
No fit for the five-card major
- Opener shows five spades, but responder holds at most a doubleton there.
- Responder retreats to 3NT, which opener normally passes.
Check even with three-card support
- Eight points opposite 2NT is enough for game, and a direct 3NT could bury a five-three spade fit.
- Bid 3 first: raise to 4 if opener shows five spades, and settle for 3NT otherwise.
One four-card major after 3
- Game values with exactly four hearts and no five-card suit.
- After 2NT - 3 - 3, bid 3 to show the hearts; opener bids 4 with four hearts or 3NT without them.
When Puppet is not worth it
Puppet gives more information than regular Stayman, but it also has more memory load and may reveal responder's shape. Use it when the partnership really needs to find opener's five-card major; use regular Stayman when the simpler structure is enough.
- Puppet is most common over 2NT and very strong balanced rebids.
- Regular Stayman is often simpler over 1NT.
- If either player cannot remember the 3 follow-ups, missed fits and wrong-siding accidents are likely.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the response structure after 3.
- Using Puppet when standard Stayman is the partnership agreement.
- Revealing responder's major shape unnecessarily because the follow-ups are misremembered.
- Raising 2NT directly to 3NT with a three-card major and game values, which can bury a five-three fit.
FAQ
Is Puppet Stayman only over 2NT?
It is most common after 2NT, but some pairs also use it after strong notrump rebids.
Why not just use regular Stayman?
Regular Stayman does not always find opener's five-card major.