gszes

interesting question how many of that 63% would advancer be able to x in po seat?

IMHO 3n is hoping for too much especially at MP. P is passed the odds dramatically favor us NOT making game. That means we should be looking for the best way to (compete in a partial) OR defend. Competing for a partial with this major suit holding seems to border on suicide so passing becomes a clear stand out. The decision to bid at IMPS is closer but still favors pass. Remember that p has heard the bidding and they may still back in (probably with X) and does anyone have a calculator to add up the points for the opps being in 3cx???? The important point here is that when p has the power for 3n to work there is a fair chance they will x (Axxx Qxxx Kxxxx void) and we will be happy we did not bid 3n.

+ 1 for cyberyeti. He displays the concept of imagining losers to help determine the overall best choice. I only add that ALWAYS take into account any other clues provided via the bidding that might provide insight as to the best choice (between low to the T or low to the Q). The bidding goes 1n (15-17) p p 2s (by you) and that ends the bidding. In this case the auction strongly suggests leading small to the Q is superior unless there are other clues provided in the play of the hand that suggest otherwise. Say lho leads AK AK and switches to the J of the 3rd suit. LHO can no longer mathematically hold the trump K (thank them for being so helpful in your head not out loud) so we should either bang down the trump A or play cute and lead low to the T (merely to show off) expecting both plays to end up with the same result while playing low to the Q now becomes dramatically inferior (though it could still work)

available if you wish i can seek a partner (they never let me do that before but it seems more common now)

There are advantages/disadvantages to ALL bidding styles. The N hand has a ridiculous problem if they regularly overcall for lead directional purposes. If the partnership is usually sound (ie somewhere close to an opening bid) they will not be able to compete as much but that style allows for a much easier 4s bid by N. There is nothing inherently wrong with passing even if it means you lost a lot of imps on that board if it allows your partnership to reap benefits on other boards. Choose your style of play and have no regrets when bad things happen. Change your style when too many bad things keep happening (I am not sure but I think that is called learning).

MANY (sigh) years ago I read a post that went something like this-- :That's what I like most about this forum (BBO), while most posters are passing at the 2 level, there are others thinking about the possibility of slam and explaining why: IMHO there are far too many posts that answer a simple question with a simple answer even though the TOPIC is one of reasonable complexity. It is nice to note that a World Class player(s) chose a specific action BUT it is USELESS information for someone reading that answer because it does not provide the THINKING involved in the decision process. I see far too many simplistic replies and not enough EDUCATIONAL replies. That makes BBO a far less useful tool for someone trying to LEARN how to play bridge. I hope MIKEH comes back and provides more of his in depth type of analysis. I did not always agree but at least I would try to explain WHY. The personal attack issue is important BECAUSE IT IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME FOR SOMEONE TRYING TO LEARN (damn caps lock). Stop wasting the readers time with ANY form of personal attack. Make your arguments in a quiet (ok go ahead and use caps lock for emphasis) logical fashion and let the facts of your argument speak for themselves. Quit worrying about WHERE a post belongs sheesh. New players do NOT KNOW ENOUGH to properly post things in the best spot. The last thing we need is a bunch of :experts: yammering on about why they have to read these improperly placed posts. Just get on with your life and move on to the next question if you have nothing useful to add to the discussion. This endless ranting discourages new players from posting questions and that -by definition- is a BAD thing for any forum that is trying to grow.

thank goodness i was in a huge sweat trying to figure out how to send barmar partner name in the is and js all look alike sigh. Btw did u send gszes or gszeszycki (i realy like the gszes (g says) for forum purposes but the dual identity sometimes creates a problem)

all i can suggest is barmar and partner runempard and i plan on being around at close to 130 eastern time and i will try to coordinate with susina if nothing else develops

we seem to have lost our coordinator that is only 3 of us and I still have no clue if there is a match today

Strategy can change significantly depending on form of scoring AND vulnerability of both sides. I personally play x as penalty over weak NT at the 3 lvl since stopping on a dime using x as takeout is tough. These hands present differing problems depending on the vulnerability AND form of scoring. Hand 1 If WE are vul at IMPS I prefer trying 3n. The presence of the 5 card minor and p having a greatly improved hand due to the bidding (behind the opps likely power outside clubs) increases the chance of a vul game bonus enough for me to make a risky call. If we need a squeeze we at least know which opp to try and make it work against. Hand 1 IF OPPS are vul at MP I would X (for penalty) I would consider x too risky at any form of scoring at IMPS. Hand 2 pass no matter the vulnerability or form of scoring. While I have no reason to think I can set 3c I have even less reason to assume 3M is safe and that we can get p to stop at 3M with a fit and a max.

available

ok

available

4s You know where at least 9 of partners cards are and the promise of a good suit (nicely filled in with your Jx) puts us at worst 9 tricks on a high probability of success club finesse. Yes indeed we might have 4 losers and no play but that seems horribly unreasonable unless advancer is bidding with something like AQT9xx xx xx Kxx almost any other holding will give us a game so we go with the odds. Who knows maybe someday the spade finesse will work and trumps break 32 hehe haha roflmao :)

a charming bidding sequence (no op int) 1c p 1h p 1s PASS OUT anyway gib hand was x QJxx Qxxxxxx xx. So not only did gib bid 1h instead of 1d it left me in a ridiculous 41 (known) trump suit. A side thought might be to have gib bid its longest suit with weak hands so they have some semblance of a rebid if things are looking grim. 1c 1d 1s 2d would have been light years better than the path chosen even if playing some form of xyz a 3d rebid (weak) would have been light years better than the chosen sequence.

Bidding 2N with this collection is a gambler's bid. 1. SOTM we need a top near the end of the session (sometimes happens). 2. The opps are so superior to us we will do almost anything to keep the board from progressing normally. 3. Partnership has agreed to play top/bottom bridge. The hand is not totally hopeless but it is a serious gamble with few sources for tricks unless p has a HUGE fit. You would not dream of opening this hand at the 1 level (i hope) so why make a bid that forces the partnership to the 3 level so early in the bidding? If p does not have a decent fit there is a chance we are looking at a TEN ELEVEN loser hand. That is a LOT of negative especially if the opps would normally only bid a part score. We know nothing at this point so it would seem vastly more prudent to wait and see if there is any degree of safety in showing this hand.

This is just me yelling at the wind but far too many totally stupid leads work wonders when they computer miraculously finds its partner with just the right totally unexpected distribution. Come on put some parameters in the bidding to force the computer to make NORMAL RATIONAL LEADS when the bidding calls for it (you know stuff like leading partner suit etc etc.. stop messing with people that know how to bid effectively and will only lose to what amounts to cheating think about it.

available in case a match is pending

low heart too many frozen suit combinations include a defender having T8 for me to be happy with spades or diamonds. I would lead a club ONLY if we needed a top or if our partnership agreement was to always play top or bottom leads (most of which will fail rather spectacularly). P had a chance to compete in PO seat and their failure to do so greatly increases the probability they are balanced since they are at least as strong as we are.

pass (other) U decided to not play 2n and your p has decided to correct your 3c to (a probably) more makeable 3d. It is a simple suit preference nothing more. We have nothing special in our hand to suddenly make game look any more palatable than it did over 2n.

NF shows around 5s 4h and asks for fit and around 2 aces for game too many hand types to show them all

available

if LHO looking at that dummy cannot find a club switch they deserve their sad result. Now if we can only figure out a way to also give the poor bidding a deserved negative score :)))))))))))))))))))))))))

good luck

couple of clarifiers---OPENER bid 1h after the pass it is now RESPONDER's turn to decide what to BID. This bid is not made in a vacuum. The system in use can make a huge difference. That means the question is not easily answered as one would have to provide an opinion on at least 3 systems if not more making the poll unuseable. I would use whatever system bid i had to treat this hand as invitational unless playing a system where very sound opening bids are in use then I would create a GF auction.