Modified Responses to Michaels Cuebids

When the opponents open one of a major and your partner bids two of that major (Michaels Cue Bid), what do you do with a good hand and a fit for partner?

"Standard" procedure in this auction is to bid 2NT (asking for partner's minor) and correcting partner's minor suit bid to three of his major with a fit there, or raising the minor suit call to 4 with a fit there. This seems pretty ungainly to me. So I've accepted a new set of responses.

Let's say your left-hand opponent opens 1S, partner bids 2S, and right-hand opponent passes. Here's the response structure I prefer:

2NT = game try in partner's minor
3C = pass with clubs, bid 3D with diamonds
3D = game try in hearts
3H = to play
3S = heart raise with spade shortness
3N = to play
4C = heart raise with club shortness
4D = heart raise with diamond shortness
4H = to play
4N = bid your minor

It's basically the same structure over (1H) 2H (P), except you have the possibility of playing 2S:

2S = to play
2NT = game try in partner's minor
3C = pass with clubs, bid 3D with diamonds
3D = game try in spades
3H = stopper ask
3S = preemptive raise
3N = to play
4C = spade raise with club shortness
4D = spade raise with diamond shortness
4H = spade raise with heart shortness
4S = to play
4N = bid your minor

You may wonder how I am able to make all these game-tries opposite the standard wide-ranging Michaels bids. Well, that's easy-- I've stopped making Michaels bids with bad hands. In my bridge youth, when I was dealt Jxxxx xx Jxxxx x, I was thrilled to throw in a 2H bid over my righty's 1H. I considered it unlucky the first ten times pard went for a number at a low level, or overvalued my hand and pushed to a no-play game, but after that I started wising up. These weren't unlucky hands for the method, they were reasonable results playing a bad method. My buddy Roger suggested a fairly strict set of rules for Michaels two-of-a-major bids and Unusual 2NT bids, which I've (mostly) stuck to:

When you're at favorable vulnerability, have 7 HCP in your two suits;
When you're at equal vulnerability, have 9 HCP in your two suits;
When you're at unfavorable vulnerability, have 11 HCP in your two suits.

Note that this doesn't say anything about total hand strength. At unfavorable, I'd happily Michaels with AKTxx xx AT9xx x, but wouldn't think of it with Txxxx AK T9xxx A.

Since I started playing Michaels as good hands (or at least two respectable suits), my partners have been going down in silly contracts a lot less. Not forcing them into dumb spots is a good way to keep partners happy!