What should one open with this hand?

Emma

Spades:
Hearts: K
Diamonds: AJ87
Clubs: J10976432

HarryWMG

With favourable vulnerability, I woube tempted to open 3C. Perhaps experience might disagree, but there seem to be 6 tricks there, and another two if you are lucky enough to find your partner with Ax in hearts

Unknown

3C or 4C. I would probably go 4C.

Terrence

A hand with an Ace and a void OUTSIDE the bid suit is most unsuitable for a premptive opening call. Would you really want partner to bid 7C if the opponents reach 6H? A premptive bid not only shows length, it also shows lack of defense (meaning at most one defensive trick possible). This is the kind of hand that can PUSH the opponents around, and then collect the penalty for their having bid too much. Granted, a pre-empt could easily be correct, but partner may never again trust any of your pre-empts.

Terrence

One more thing -- for a well-written summary of pre-empt requirements, see http://www.mrbridge.co.uk/library/Three-level_pre-empts.pdf by Bernard Magee. :)