lalldonn

That's where we should get our advice about preempting style. From 50 years ago.

Pass for sure. They might even finesse into partner's singleton club king or queen. You might get more than your game even at this vul (people underestimate the frequency with which this happens), or you might not be making game. Take the money in these situations.

I think 2♥ is a perfectly normal bid and I wouldn't really even consider double. Often the bidding will continue 2♠ P P and then doubling on that round finishes describing my hand perfectly. Finding 5-3 heart fits is very important and that possibility is pretty much flushed down the toilet if you start with a double. I might double with this shape with really bad hearts like Jxxxx but not otherwise, unless I was planning to double then bid hearts which this hand isn't good enough for. On this hand double is just weird to me, despite a few people choosing it.

For the past several years I have played different systems over weak 2 bids depending if we were vul or not - usually something like ogust nv something like feature v. I do this with any partner who will agree. I'm sure i'm not the first but it's a bit surprising to me that more people don't do it since the style changes so much with the vul.

1H. I hate bidding 4 with a six card suit. Suppose partner has a singleton and they start tapping you right away. Good luck! 2NT might be ok but I think you are going to miss hearts too much.

Fwiw I answered on my phone without seeing there was a whole second page of replies which diverged somewhat from the first page.

I would open 3!H with JT9 or QT9, and in some circumstances wouldn't need the 9. I am a bit shocked to see that so many are apparantly happy to just pass such hands (I suppose some people would open 1!H with the QT).

Yay for barmar. The motto I live by is "whining works" and this is one more example.

I was going to type almost exactly what Phil did. How are the first two votes 4♥ and pass on the most normal 3♥ bid ever?! Also it's not right to say we have effectively a yarbrough or something lol. The heart queen can fix a 3-0 break if partner has AK, and save a trick if he has just one of them. The diamond king is obviously good. Even the clubs are better than not having them. Partner can have an honor or it may give the opponents no safe exit if partner has a singleton, etc etc. I mean we are just a clear normal raise. Not good enough for game but not raising is ridiculous, so what are we left with? There is no reason to overthink this.

Game-forcing auction? Late April Fools joke?

I find this change quite welcome. The fewer appeals committees the better as far as I'm concerned. I think, on average, they do nothing to improve director rulings, despite the logic that they should.

I was sorry to hear this as well but glad to see that you seem to be taking it very well. I was going to make some joke about 'at least you lost some weight with no effort' but I looked it up and a gall bladder only weighs two ounces so never mind that one.

If I thought I would just get away with it I might chance it, but partner is not going to be on lead and I'm not very happy if he raises so I don't see much purpose against strong opposition who can take me for a number when it's right to do so.

Is it very important? Of course not. Will we get used to it? Of course. But was it the right decision? No way. It will be a perpetual annoyance to most of the members.

Sorry I think this is so dumb I can't even leave the complaint at one post. I read your announcement post again. Is "the main purpose of this discussion board is to support BBO" your opinion or a fact that is stated somewhere? Because I think most of us would disagree with you, including the many of us who have been posting on the forums for years longer than you have worked for BBO. Please listen to your members, particularly the ones who care more!

Then, respectfully, it's a total joke. You should consider that it was so ridiculous it appeared to be an April Fools Day prank. You should also consider that what, 95% maybe, of all the posts made are now going to be less convenient, with the rest more convenient. Gwnn is right. It's always so easy to say "people will get used to change after disliking it at first" and use that to overlook that the particular change may be dumb, even if people will get used to it.

I didn't think it was the greatest april fools day prank ever, but if this many people are really fooled I take it back!

Because he thought he would get to double 3NT?

If we accept the bidding through 4♠ then it seems much simpler for responder to just bid blackwood over that since he knows his partner doesn't have the heart ace.

I will say only when w/w or w/r at mps.

I hate anything but pass.

I don't understand what you are saying with that comment. Are you suggesting he opened out of turn in hopes his partner would be barred so he could guess to open 3NT? Or are you making a legal point that you shouldn't be able to gain from an infraction?

Without regard to the result, I like the NS auction until north bid 5♣ over the double of 4♠. Despite the spade wastage he has a great hand and should pass to show interest. Essentially I actually think they should be bidding slam and north would just be really unlucky that south has everything in diamonds instead of a little more in hearts. (That is until he sees the opening lead.)

South should just raise clubs. Even if north had ATxx of diamonds so a second stopper on a high diamond lead, it wouldn't have been enough to make 3NT. South knows he is committing to 3NT with his chosen auction any time north has any diamond stopper, and that can't be good.

No UI, pointing out an irregularity doesn't suggest anything about your hand. Many/most people would point it out without even thinking about what they hold. I'm surprised to see anyone feels differently. Btw it's also been my experience that when holding a strong notrump or better and partner is barred, the player always opens 3NT anyway. I don't recall ever seeing anyone do otherwise.