Statto

The most attractive vul for overcalling is white v white. White v red is, perhaps paradoxically, not so good, both at IMPs and MPs. Generally, if the suit you're overcalling with doesn't have too many tops, it should have good intermediates. There are lots of other factors, e.g. overcalling 1♠ after a 1♣ opening has preemptive value, so might not be such a good suit, whereas a 1♠ overcall of a 1♥ opening really ought to be a suit you'd be happy partner leading, as there is no preemptive value.

What is unexpected varies also from county to county, club to club, person to person, and system to system. Why not go for logical and simple rules? Who am I to say what might be expected or unexpected in your club?

2NT or whatever your balanced invite mechanism is. I won't bother with Stayman, the ♥ suit is poor and the hand far too quacky to want to play in a suit contract anyway. But it does have good spots - don't dis those 8s and 9s B-)

Fit jump / strong single suit with 3♦? This hand almost seems to fall into both categories...

Only rebidding 2NT if partner bids 2♦.

You call that a suit? B-)

Penalty. No. Partner presumably has a decent hand that was unsuitable for direct action over 3♠.

Cardplay is important of course, but if you're at the level where everyone will usually find the correct plays, then bidding becomes more important.

Couldn't the various RAs just adopt the alerting regulations of WBF instead of making up their own?

You missed out 3♠ as a next bid with a GF hand...

I don't know of any method that doesn't.

XX surely can't be to play. I will bid 4♣ as West B-)

I'll buck the trend and stay. I'm bound to have some values when partner opens in 4th street, though they are probably worried that I will pass out below game. I think I need a bit more to press on.

I don't have a good raise to game in competition, not least in opps suit. What I do have is a good raise to 3 of our own suit or better. Also, short and help suit trial bids are out of the window in competition, 4♦ must be a real 2nd suit to help us know what to do. 5♣ appears to be some kind of slam try in competition showing a control. With a void in ♠ I accept the try so I bid 5♦ to show my shape, well 5-5 anyway. I hope this will not be passed, particularly at MPs. (So 5♦=other.) PS. Thought I was getting deja vu, so I posted now :unsure:

Or consider the case where you're playing in 4♠ after LHO opened 3♦ then led a ♥. You have 7 trumps in hand and a void in dummy. There are various possible splits for trumps, but one of the 6-0 splits is virtually impossible. There's obviously a bias towards RHO having more trumps, but I hope this illustrates that the more extreme splits have less 'space' to be plausible.

What passes as human is really nothing more than complex biological matter programmed to react to predetermined circumstances. Have you heard of 'learning systems'? I don't know, but you might argue that right now we are not interacting on a human level. After all, I am a robot. Anyway, I guess GIB is better at playing trump contracts these days B-)

I'll just add a buzzword: vacant spaces. And a link to a useful web-based tool with some good background info: http://www.automaton.../en/OddsTbl.htm Others have covered it well.

It's also possible they have 4♥, and X may lead to a decent save.

Odds on that 5♦ is the spot (and if it's off it's probably a good pre-empt), and I don't see a scientific route from here, so put me in the lazy camp.

I can't see beyond 2♣ for now. If partner makes a move, I'll bid up. I'm not keen on any of the options offered, for various reasons. IMPs or MPs?

I'd have taken it as GSF for ♥, so we'd be in 7♥. Great if it makes, but it probably doesn't.

Thanks, but I don't see why partner would be bidding 4♠ to make life difficult for opps. RHO has opened a weak 2, and LHO has passed, so it seems unlikely that either are going to bidding again even if it was easier for them.

Pass looks tempting, as ♥ were not bid naturally, and I can't find the re-redouble card in the box. But defending 1♥ looks hopeless. I'll start running with 1♠.

Um, yes. I know that I'm insane, but could you clarify why you think a further move is an insane bid? Sure if partner has hesitated there are logical alternatives, but that's not the case in point.

I hope not. The SAYC treatment is good here. 2NT is GF and affords opportunity for slam exploration, and potential for strain exploration. Whatever the range for 2NT, 3NT is not some other range. It is a hand with a long running suit (most likely ♣) that hopes to make on that basis. IMO. But it seems there is more than one school of thought here...