Cthulhu D

Does it make more sense to play it the other way around? So 3C is the weak bad option and 2NT says 'good hand P'?

In a 2/1 GF context with a 14-16 NT, what do people do on auctions like: 1C!* - (P) - 1H!** - (2H) * Clubs or balanced hand ** 4+ Spades I currently play something like: Pass 11-13 with 2 card support or an unbalanced hand that cannot find a bit here. X - 3 card support 2S - 4 Card support 3C - weak, unbalanced, long clubs 3D - Reverse What do you do with 2NT? It doesn't seem that likely on the auction you're going to have the big balanced option. Similarly for the rest of the bids?

Please define novice. I've been playing for ~8 months and we're coming last in the club teams comp, so I probably count ;)

I probably should have clarified in the OP that it's similar to a natural 1NT overcall that doesn't promise a stopper - it's just that we have some of the weirder hands in with our 1NT overcall rather than our takeout double (which is in 1NT). Still, interesting consensus. My team mate had this problem and pulled partner's 5Sx (partner having AQJ tight of spades over the K), then misplayed it after they came up with a low spade lead for which he was mocked and subjected to the traditional 20 imps out on one board penalty of having to buy everyone a drink. At my table they just bid 6D directly which we couldn't double but went off when P cashed his aces. Afterwards the team was divided 50/50 on 6D or 5D, so it's interesting to see the results repeated.

I wish someone would tell me where in Australia where exactly you can play a HUM because it's pretty much impossible. The real reason to harmonise system regulations is they are currently absurd. If a 1NT for takeout is a brown sticker in the world championship, the number of which you can use are strictly regulated, why is it permitted without written defences in the lowest level US competitions? It's nuts. The same argument applies for 2D as both majors in the EBU compared to 2H as both majors. One is allowed in novice games and the other is not.. and it's the harder to defend one that is allowed in novice games. Australia's regulations have some of the same problems, but are very simple so the absurdities are less noticeable, and the majority of tournament games are in a very deregulated environment (HUMs are banned only). But they have the same - if my system would be illegal in the world championships (which it is), why is it legal for club games here? Someone is going badly wrong somewhere. I suspect the solution would be 6 or 7 levels of system regulation, in line with the EBU. Based on WBF guidelines they could be something like: Note - example is totally made up off the cuff. Impose a requirement that world championship qualifiers must be level 6+, then let NBOs run to whatever levels they want. Most will settle on a level without many problems. Australia will allow level 6 and cap at 4 for club games, while the UK will settle for 5 and 3 or whatever. Off the cuff possibility though.

So even if you had a bid for a game forcing two suiter you wouldn't use it?

I considered it. The 2H method is complex and brown sticker (hand types included are Weak spades, weak minors, GF minors, 24-25 or 33+ semi bal or GF hearts single suiter) but that's missing the point. The substance of the question is really: Do you use a strong GF bid with highly distributional hands? On the auction he indicated a invitational hand opposite a weak 2 in spades, and preferenced clubs if I had the weak with clubs option. When I then jumped to 5 clubs, and tabled that as dummy he was rather surprised and not pleased. (I should systemically bid 4C or 4D, but I goofed) When he had some perspective (aka after he made 5C despite a challenging 5-1 diamond break), the post mortem included "It actually isn’t a bad game force. I am just always surprised when something like this comes down. I guess it is because I expect to see more pts, but like you say, there doesn’t need to be." So I figured I'd ask - if I can open a constructive 1D or make a bid that promises a very powerful hand with a very distributional hand, which is correct.

I'm fascinated by EHAA (and it's relative? Cousin? Maybe it's the redneck cousin of Fantunes). What other differences between EHAA now and then are there? EHAA is a simple natural system.

You deal yourself the following collection all white: S: - H: J D: AQ9853 C: KQ9764 Spots exact. You have two ways to show this - as a game forcing two suiter with both minors (starting with a multiway 2H then rebidding 3D. If you've started with 2H you can also show this hand after interference by bidding any number of clubs) or you can open it 1D in a 2/1 GF short club context, so 1D promises 4+ (4 only if 4-4-4-1). Your style is to open balanced 11 counts. What bid do you make with this lot? I went the GF two suited approach (I evaluated it as a 3 loser hand), but P reckons that perhaps 1D is a better start.

I think sometimes you're going to open a weak NT (11-14) or Kamikaze (10-12) and dial out for 1100 and that's just life. An additional point to the above is probably that if you're the sort of person (or your partner is!) that gets hung up for the next several boards when you get an appalling result, you may prefer a method with lower intrinsic risk. It doesn't seem to happen that often though, but I don't have much experience with the 12-14. Does get the blood pumping though when LHO is tanking about saving you from -800 in 2CX.

I play the above slightly modified. 1NT = 4+♣ or BAL 2♣ = 4+♦ 2♦ = 6+♥ 2♥ = 4+♠ 5+♥ NF 2♠ = natural reverse Not sure what I think about KI in general - the only reasonably frequent auction I've noticed gains from is 1H-1NT!-2S-All Pass and it often lets people double 1S as lead directional.

Several of the posters in this thread have noted previously that it's becoming progressively more and more valuable for the sandwich 1NT to be natural because today the opponents could have a combined 12 count on an auction like (1C)-Pass-(1H)- ?? whereas in the days of yore they rated to have at least 18.

I'm definately not an expert, and AWM's list is really good. However, I will say that a 14-16 NT and a 12-14NT are on completely different planets. The system impacts are significantly different - for example the strong NT double is worth a lot less in a 14-16 framework. My biggest thing about a 12-14 NT is make sure you know what you are doing when they bid over your weak NT generally, and not just the penalty double (though that is important). You will open a weak NT a lot and people will bid over it the same amount. The danger auctions are stuff like 1NT - (2D)* - ?? * Unspecified major. This is a train wreck waiting to happen. However, the 14-16 NT is great fun and I recommend it a lot. It's 50% more frequent, and lots of people seem to have a brain explosion and treat it as a weak NT(?!) for the purpose of defence as well. The main thing to consider is what are you going to do with 17-19 hands. Jumping to 2NT is extremely rubbish, so playing transfer Walsh is marked. Transfer walsh also causes brain explosions from pairs that do know better.

It might be good to clarify what you mean by the Bergen Bridge philosophy. Marty is famous for two things: A) A range of conventions and Law of Total Tricks approach that emphasises showing the extent of your fit immediately, and taking a slower approach with non fit hands B) Very, very, very aggressive pre-emptive style. For reference : http://www.bridgeworld.com/default.asp?d=article_sampler&f=samppsx.html For example, green against red, Marty dealt and opened a weak 2S (systematically opened as a transfer pre-empt with 2D) with the following: S: J 9 x x x H: 8 x x x x D: Q x C: x This is a pretty extreme style, so it may be worth clarifying if you mean A, B or both.

A better word than local would be incumbent.

If 3C isn't fit showing, is 4C a fit showing bid? That seems better than 4S. Partner may have a very awkward decision when they bid 5H.

Yeah, I've always been told to pick it up at the club, I was just wondering what the rules are actually rather than the TD saying 'yeah pick up and (my partner) leads'

NAE, but doesn't this only hold really that true at matchpoints, where being exact in those game and slam decisions is less important? Then I think most people are only willing to commit to one system, so play the same thing at IMPs and Matchpoints meaning that they need a system with some science. Frequency of a weak 2 in clubs isn't that much higher than the strong 2C either, and both are unlikely to come up in a 30 board game.

Sure, but Fluffy has obviously thought about it, and if you have, surely disclosing that % is mandatory for 'full disclosure' So given that, how do you disclose it!

The point though is that it's very appealing to balance over 1S-(P)-2S where 2S is 0-7 with 4 spades - you have law protection and half the deck, and 2S will probably make or go 1 off for a very good score for the precision pair However if 2S is 2 spades balanced, 5 to 7 ish, it's not very appealing to balance. As the OP is playing A currently, it makes sense to put some of hand type B in with the type As, mostly to give the opponents an ulcer when it comes to balancing. However, he's not planning to bid 2S with all 5-7 balanced hands with 2 spades, he's just going to do it sometimes. Full disclosure of the % of hands that are eligible for the raise that he will actually do it with is probably worth full disclosure.

Hey, related question, if you lead out of turn face down (important) and everyone says 'you're not supposed to be doing that idiot' (not infrequent, because I am indeed an idiot), are you just supposed to pick up the card or does declarer have a range of options including telling you to pick up the card? The laws are not hugely clear on this point, though I have no doubt it is in there. Somewhere.

You sit North, against two decent club players. I am unable to use the BBO hand tool. (Edit: Whoops, maybe should have put this in novice/beginner) Dlr: E Vul: N-S S: T H: 8 D: AKJT65432 C: 62 The auction proceeds: (1S) - X* - (4S) 15-19 semi balanced or so and does not promise a stop. It's pretty much a 1NT overcall that doesn't promise a stop. Some stronger hand types are possible, but not that likely compared to the strong NT How many diamonds do you bid? If you bid 6D If you bid 5D there is a bonus question What do you do now? Results:

This is what I said about google (and google's P/E ratio is still not there), but yet that would have been a great IPO. Still, I struggle to see the value in FB. The model is open to total collapse at any point and their forward projections just are not there. It remains to be seen if they can avoid the myspace factor, though it appears they have.

Double here is takeout implying decent spades right? Double doesn't seem so bad, though I guess partner won't play you for having 5 spades, but on the auction having 5 spades seems to be a decent possibility.

I thin Meckwell use 2S for the 4441 hands with 2NT as an asking relay.