VM1973

Personally I play 1NT-P-3♣ as puppet Stayman since I often open 1NT with a 5-card major so pretty much all game-going hands without a 5-card major go that route. Many people play Smolen after 2♣ or as an invitational sequence. Without a prior agreement, I would simply transfer to spades and hope for the best.

I must admit that it never entered my mind to find 3♦ in the responder hand because you should raise with that holding. You could easily buy the contract for 5♦ undoubled or push 4th seat into making a high-level guess without much to go on. It is just barely possible to find slam, I think maybe with 4♦ PASS PASS 4NT (two lower unbid) PASS 5♦ PASS 6♥... but really it's kind of a stretch. And making 13 tricks with the hands is kind of lucky. Not only do you need hearts to behave, but you also need to find the Q♠ in the pocket.

Ok, yes, you're right. You can make 5♠ with careful play. Ruff the 2nd diamond, two rounds of trumps with the AQ in hand, heart to the king, and a low heart back. If south ruffs, he ruffs his partner's trick, otherwise you win the ace, and lead a 3rd heart preparing to ruff the 4th high. BUT A) Do you think most low-level players are going to find this line? B) Do you think they should anticipate this during the bidding phase? Sure you could argue that spades might go 2-2 in which case you draw 2 rounds and it's easy to ruff the 4th heart but then again if spades go 2-2 then 5♦ goes down 1 more trick. I think the weird 1♦ overcall is what screwed them. Bids like this usually don't work out, but sometimes they do and when they do you have to pay off. I don't consider 5♠ a good call even though on this hand it works out.

Well for me, double is out (of the question) because most partners I've had play double as penalty from 3NT on up and the hand may be many things, but a penalty double of 4♦ it is not. A lot of bids could work out. Partner might have ♠Axxxx ♥xx ♦xxx ♣xxxx and 4♠ or 5♣ might play very well with 4♥ an inferior place. On the other hand, considering the preempt, a very reasonable 4♥, 4♠ or 5♣ contract might run into 4-1 or 5-0 breaks. If I had the 4NT = 2 lower unbid agreement, that would be my preferred call. Otherwise you just take one of the suits and bid something in it. There aren't many ways to show a great two-suiter with one bid starting at the 4 level. The problem with a straight shot bid of 4♥ is your partner might well have ♠AKJx ♥x ♦xxxx ♣xxxx and you get a 4-2, 5-1 or even 6-0 break to top it off. 4NT might get you too high, but at least you land in a sensible contract. Plus, if it's matchpoints, you have to face the possibility that other tables opened only 3♦ and so your hand got to bid both suits. Even a 4NT Blackwood might work out well if partner responded that he held 2 aces.

No, that was in the original post. As I said, pass is out, by which I mean that passing is not a viable option. It appears as though 4 people didn't like the post. I don't know why.

If we assume that the opening bidder has 8♦ to justify his bed and you have 0 that means the opponents should have a 10-card fit (I assume that responder would have raised if he'd had 3+♦) so assuming partner has an uninspiring 4♠-3-3-3 you should still bid because there will be 18 trumps on the deal. If 18 trumps = 18 tricks, then you can assume that if responder will go down 2 (+500) you're still better in 4♥ (+620). As to WHAT exactly you should bid, I think that depends on your partnership agreements. Some people play doubles at that high level are penalty, while others play it's takeout. If 4NT means 2 lower unbid, then that could work too, but some people might think it's Blackwood. Holding 4 Quick Tricks I'd say pass is out.

Even if you can find and buy 6♦ you're likely to run into bad breaks after the preempt. I say 3NT.

I think 1♠ is pretty automatic. As for pass and pull to show strength... how much strength could you really have? Even assuming that the opener has 5-5 or 6-4 and only 10 HCPs and your partner has a 4-4-4-1 with 10HCP for sure the redoubler has 10+ HCPs. That means you can only have, best-case scenario 10 HCPs. Anyway you're a passed hand - how much could you have? Chances are excellent that you're outgunned on this auction. I have sympathy for those who would psyche 1♥ and that might be a winning action white against red, but vulnerable it's unthinkable. As for bidding 1♦ as a lead director... I'm not sure I want diamonds led.

Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking? Just study a hand or two a day, and play a bit, and you'll be the Dallas Aces in no time.

I disagree with most posters. If you really want to get better at bridge then playing is not the way. The point of playing is A) to have fun, B) to win points, and C) to apply what you know [not necessarily in that order]. Within the choices you gave, I'd say play in the strongest field you can. But you get better at bridge by practicing and the most important thing to practice is good defense. Unless you have much better luck than I do, you're going to be defending a lot more hands than you are playing. Read a lot about defending and, if you can, get a computer game with lots of defensive hands. Defending 1NT-2NT-3NT auctions will be very profitable for you. You should defend them quite slowly and carefully count as much as you can about the hand. The declarer's point count is known, so you can practice counting his HCPs. You should not hesitate to spend 10+ minutes on the first hand carefully counting things. You will find it impossible to do this in a social or a duplicate game - your opponents will become impatient. At first it will be very hard to focus and count, but after several hundred hands it will become second nature. You will find the counting skill/habit to be very useful when you start playing hands, too. Beginner bridge players suffer unnecessary adverse ruffs all the time because they didn't properly count the trump suit. "Sorry, partner, I didn't realize she still had a trump!" Don't let that happen to you. Learning to count may not seem as interesting as learning a fancy new bidding convention, or learning to endplay an opponent, but you will never really excel at bridge unless you can count a hand in your sleep.

I'd probably bid 2♥ but 1NT is also reasonable. If you're playing MPs you're going to end up either in majors or hearts.

Everyone agrees the second should be takeout. But I feel that the first one should be penalty. Not everyone will agree.

I think it depends on the scoring system. If you're playing IMPs it's a reasonable bid and bad luck. If you're playing matchpoints (which I deduce you are) then 12 isn't enough to push to game opposite an opener. Assuming your partner opens 1 of a suit and makes minimum rebids with 12-14HCP then pushing to game with 12 HCP will be wrong 67% of the time in terms of having the magic 26 HCP.

Doubtless you meant to say "Too bad you always find yourself partnered with idiots." It ruins the fun of the game. As I said, it's best to just partner with a computer. It probably won't play the conventions I want, and I can't convince it to play in a different form, but at least I won't end up playing in a 4-2 heart fit instead of a 5-3 spade fit because my human partner didn't think to return me to the first bid suit.

It's too hard to play bridge in person. I don't know anyplace near me where people can play bridge, nor do I know anyone else who knows how to play. When I lived in Los Angeles I used to play at the Bridge Academy in Tarzana. I started there when I was 17. I had fun, but let's face it... most people suck at bridge. Even simple things like taking a preference when you've bid 2 suits is too complicated for them. Most people on BBO are also hideously bad. I think the future of bridge is just people playing at home, alone, with the computer playing the other 3 people. It's rewarding because the computer isn't that good so you can always win, if you're careful and study a bit. I don't play bridge to lose or just to be social. I want to win.

Well, I counted my losers and figured that 6♥ had a good shot so I bid 6 and got doubled to find partner with: ♠AKxx ♥Axx ♦Ax ♣Jxxx Hearts were 5-0 behind me. Bad luck? Bad system? My fault? My partner's fault?

Online play is really weird. Once I bid 3NT and took the first 9 tricks and hit claim, giving the opponents the rest of the tricks. They rejected it.

Ok, I was playing with someone I'd never played with before and there was no pregame discussion - only what showed on his BBO profile, which was the normal 5cm, 15-17NT, transfers, 3014, weak 2s, 2♣ strong. So there was no Lebensohl agreement. Secondly, everyone was red.

Holding ♠ very few ♥ QTxxx ♦ QJTx ♣ AKxx Partner deals and opens 1NT, RHO bids 2♠ and I bid 3♥ LHO passes, partner bids 4♥, and RHO bids 4♠ What's the right call?

Well for sure bidding 2♦ is out because most people play some kind of system (like Hamilton or DONT) so if you're playing DONT, for example, you have to pass and quietly take your Avg- writing it off as the price you pay for being able to disturb the opponents NT more often and at lower levels. But playing DONT over 1NT 10-13 or 12-14 is just silly. At the very least you should change DBL to some undefined big hand and use 2♣ for the one suiter, 2♦ for diamonds and a higher suit (with clubs as the highest).

As far as I know most people play 2♦ over 2♣ as waiting, but some people use 2♦ as negative. A partner I used to play with said that you should use step responses, instead. Aces are 2 controls and kings are 1. Accordingly: 2♦ = 0-1 controls 2♥ = 2 controls (ace or 2 kings) 2♠ = 3 controls 2NT = 4 controls etc. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each treament?

I always thought you were supposed to open with a 2 bid when you had more quick tricks than losers. Based on that standard it's got 4 losers and 4.5 QTs.

Double. What's the problem? You know what you're going to lead if they sit for it and you know what suit to scramble out to if they redouble you.

Yes, the hand should have one less diamond.

Holding ♠ Jxx ♥ Jxxxx ♦ Axx (correction. ♦Ax) ♣ KQx The bidding goes 1♣, DBL, pass, and I bid 2♥ Pass, 2♠, pass What's the right call?