losercover

"I have seen intermidediate+ players making limit raises of 1M on hands like AJxx Axxx Axx xx because it is 8 losers". Your sample hand, is worth 3 1/2 cover cards, which is a limit raise. Using Klinger's control loser count evaluation (controls * 3.33) - points = +7 or enough to consider the hand 7 losers. This is a hand that we respond 4M, enough to be in a game but lacking the 4 to 4 1/2 cover cards for a forcing raise. We have found that using losers and cover cards, get us to good major suit games that would be bid using HCP points. If you start tweaking the hand evaluation for support points you can justify a more aggressive bid. Ultimately true losers and cover cards are a lot more accurate than a convuluted point system.

Using a standard 1NT opener, I can't see any meaning for a 2NT call over 2H. 2H to us would be a 5 card suit and less than 10 HCP. Anything stronger, including playing strength, we would use check back stayman. We play 19-21 HCP 1NT, so 2NT over 2H would show 15-16 HCP. With 17-18, We would raise the 1NT to 2NT.

P P 1NT (weak) what do you bid? ♠ Q 6 5 2 ♥ K J 9 2 ♦ A J 10 7 6 ♣ — We don't have a lot of experience over weak NT, so we play 2C for majors, double with equal strength hand and everything else is natural. I bid 2D, went down and missed a 5-4 spade fit.

4S with that hand and a splinter with a better hand.

Loser count only applies when there is a fit. If my partner shows a two suited hand, I either look at my cover cards in support of their two suits or outside aces. If I think the contract should be in my suit, I bid based on lack of support from my partner and the likely cover cards they can supply. On a misfit, 4 losers opposite 4 losers may not make game.

I started playing losers and cover cards when the Romex book was published. Some of Rosenkrantz's definitions of cover cards were BS, i.e. a king is a cover card when you know your partner has the ace. His next book said kings were a cover card. Fast forward 22 years later (including a 11 year bridge break). My partner and I frequently disagreed on cover card evaluation. I got Klinger's book and he added some reasonableness to evaluating loser count. Rosenkrantz said qxx was 2 losers and Klinger said 2 1/2 losers. We started to use either cover cards or loser count to evaluate a responding hand or a rebid by opener. We adopted Klinger's 6 loser count for a jump raise by opener instead of Rosenkrantz's 5 losers. This made are auctions more precise. I recently bought some of the new Rosenkrantz books and he has put his loser count evaluation more in line with Klinger's. He has also refined his cover card evaluation based on the length of trump support. I also looked at Lawrence's book on hand evaluation and the overall texture of a hand and where the honors are placed are also important. I wouldn't be happy going back to points based bidding, but no matter the approach there is a lot of hand evaluation required.

I south had opened 1NT and west passed, with 6-1-1-5 distribution a Texas transfer isn't unreasonable.

Wikipedia definition:A contract that a player cannot fail to make with best play on both sides is cold. My definition: A contract that a player cannot fail to make unless they do something incredibly stupid.

We would have the same auction and I don't see anyone to blame. The auction could go 1H, 1S, 3H (a little light for us)or 1H 1S 2H. Followed by 4H by North. 4S (leap of faith by South), 4N KCB, 5C. North knows that hearts are solid (more likely when the jump was made and partner has cue bid AS, 6H. When N bids 4H, South can't determine the strength of North's hand no matter if he had bid 2H or 3H. 4S puts the contract in jeopardy, but is the only way 6H can be reached and North needs to know it is an Ace not a void.

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We play 3S as constructive (less than a limit raise).

We have played 1NT as 19-21 HCP (no singleton or void) for a long time. That solves the problem with 5 card majors and 15-17 HCP. I am more inclined to open 1NT with any 5 card major than my partner. The only other adjustment required is PJS by responder with a weak hand, so opener doesn't get passed out in a 3 card minor.

With that hand, 2NT. With a better spade suit 3S.

We would open the first 3 2c and the last 1c. Our 2C is 19+ and 4-5 losers, 16+ and 4 or fewer losers or a freak. The suit is good enough. The last hand is a minor suit so the hand needs to be better to opne 2C,

Depending on my partner's EAST rebid: 1H 1S 3C 3S (which would cause an argument) 4H P (which would cause another argument if 6H makes) 1H 1S 3H (would expect a better suit) 4H 4N (partner loves 2 suited hands even without a fit) 5H 6H The same auction as presented ending up in 6H.

I had a hand similar to this with a better spade suit. It was a hand that would bid 1S and then rebid 2S. I opened 2S, got the contract and a bad result.

We play checkback and it shows 10 points and a 5 card major. Supporting your partner after 2 clubs is not forcing. A jump raise is forcing. A minimum fit can be played at the two level. The only new minor forcing we play is 1m, 1M,2m; a bid of the other minor shows the same as the checkback.

We had a hand almost exactly like this is a recent sectional. I opened one 1H, pass , my partner passed and the opponent bid 2d, passed around to my partner who bid 2H. The 2d bidder bid 3D, I bid 3H and was doubled, making 3.

[hv=pc=n&n=sat75h864dak86c64&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1h1s]133|200[/hv] What do you bid? Is there a standard/conventional bid for this hand (5 card majors)?

We only raise on four card support. If the major bidder has 5 and 10+ points, we use check back (2C) over 1NT, the other minor over 2m, and 4SF (which is a whole can of worms). We use to go crazy with game tries, but now 2M shows more than 6 losers or minimum opener, and 3M shows 6 losers or a better than minimum opener. Responder only bids on (most of the time) with 7 or fewer losers over a 2M bid.

Our bidding would be the same thru the 4S bid. I expect my partner to have a 7 loser hand. With 6 losers they would have bid 3S. The hand is a very nice 7 loser hand. South has a 5 loser hand so the potential is 12 tricks. I would bid KCB and go on to 6 spades.

Is there another 2/1 forum at this site? Our general style is 2/1 using losers and cover cards for hand evaluation and trying to limit one bids to 18 HCP. Started using the 2/1 from the Romex book and have been reading Lawrence's 2/1 workbook.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa432hkjdj863cqt8&n=s8haqt75daqt754c5&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1dp1sp2hp2np3hp3np]266|200|The reverse shows 11+ HCP points and 5 or fewer losers.[/hv] Should N pass 3NT? Should S bid 3NT?

Our reverse shows 5 losers with a minimum of 11 pts, so I open 1c, rebid 2d and pass the 2s rebid. Partner can't expect me to have many spades.

I've been playing bridge a long time, but stopped from 1998-2009. Over 1m 1M NT, 2c is checkback stayman showing 10 plus points a five card major and is a one round force. Over 1c 1M 2c, 2d is NMF and played the same as checkback. (I thought this was called NMF, but found out it isn't) 1D 1M 2D, 3C is the same but requires a better hand. We play 4SF as game forcing