rmnka447

At first, I wasn't sure that cashing 3 rounds of ♥ was best. Possible alternatives might be taking the trump finesse first or possibly trying for a discard on the ♦ by finessing and playing for ♦ to be 4-3. The diamond finesse option can be dismissed fairly easily as the conditions necessary -- 4-3 ♦ with ♦ Q onside would be less probable than a 3-3 ♥ break. I think the thing that makes cashing the ♥ so attractive is that it works almost all the time declarer's RHO has only 2 ♥. If RHO ruffs with ♠ K, you pitch the remaining ♣. If RHO ruffs low, you can overruff and play a ♠ to the ♠ A. Then there's only a problem if LHO started with 4 ♥ to the J and ♠ K10x. It seems like the probability of this line is much better than that of the immediate ♠ finesse (about 50%). Something like 36% for 3-3 ♥ plus near 24% for 4-2 ♥ (RHO doubleton) plus some % when ♥ 2-4 (LHO doubleton) AND LHO holds ♠ K (maybe 10-12%?).

I'm more in the 1 ♦ camp although I'd have no problem if someone opened 1 NT I wouldn't be critical. However, in any follow up bidding, I not apt to be turning down any invites and may be a bit more pushy than usual.

I'm bidding 1 ♥ to start because I hate to ever suppress a major suit. If partner can rebid 1 ♠ or 1 NT, then he/she doesn't have the 4432 hand and a ♣ contract should be good. Since partner has opened a minor, it seems likely that the opponents hold 9+ ♠ (unless you always open 5-5 black hands 1 ♣). Also, 4 ♥ could still be a very viable contract. The downside is that LHO may bid 1 ♠ over 1 ♥ identifying the ♠ fit. But 3 ♣ immediately also may be a spur for the opponents to find their ♠ fit. Pay your money take your choice.

Generally, you have to have a reasonably good holding in your suit to overcall at the 2 level. Something like KQ10xx, AK10xx, etc. are fine but not Axxxx, K10xxx and the like. Also, you ought to have a good 10-11 and up. Leave the 6 count overcalls for the 1 level.

1 ♥ now because if partner gets on lead that's what I want led. May bid ♣ later, if possible.

I agree with Jinksy that at this point in the actual auction opener should pass.

I don't think that the strong jump shifter necessarily has a long and strong ♥ suit. Typically, strong jump shifts could be any of the following "big hands": - a big hand with a strong at least semisolid suit (which posters here are positing), - a big hand with an extraordinary trump fit for opener's suit, or, - a really big NT type hand. These are all hands where unless opener's hand is extremely light or really bad that slam should be bid. This is the main reason opener should temporize and let the jump shifter tell his story. Then the strain and ball park for the hand come into view.

I'm assuming this pair is playing strong jump shifts. The question OP poses comes from opening bidder in this auction rushing to use RKCB without having a clue what kind of hand the strong jump shift bidder has. The proper answer is don't use RKCB until you've learned more about jump shifters hand. You can do that by simply making a 3 ♣ rebid. After a 3 ♣ rebid, the jump shifter can now make a rebid that will tell something more about his/her hand.

I also think West has to balance on this auction. South has passed the 1 ♠ response which certainly makes you suspect a "light" opener. 2 ♣ would be my choice. The pass of 1 ♠ certainly implies some ♠ tolerance, so letting them play 1 ♠ isn't likely to get a good result. ♣ are something I'd like to mention, at least lead directing if nothing else. It's OK to open light in third seat. This time it worked out, but I agree with wank this wasn't a good hand to do it on.

I'm going as passive as possible. Since dummy looks likely to have a long runnable suit, it would seem to be ♣. My worry is that any other lead may help declarer. ♣ 10.

I'd open it 1 ♠ -- 2.5 QTs and 11 HCP is enough. In addition, the points are working together and are in the "longest" suits. Also, the ♥ 10, an intermediate, is a positive as it is working with the ♥ K.

Can I count 13 tricks? No. Do I have any idea how my hand fits with partner? No. Partner also may be pushing for a big swing and might be delighted with my hand. I'm passing.

I agree with pass after 3 ♥ as the hand appears to be a misfit at that point. But once partner reopens with a double after 3 ♥, it mark him/her with some extras and willingness to play in other suits -- 5 ♠=1 ♥- 4-3 or 6 ♠=1 ♥-3-3. At IMPs, I'm pushing to a vulnerable game.

I don't have any problem with passing throughout either. It looks like you're on track to take 5-6 tricks against 3 ♦. At IMPs, any positive in a part score should be considered par. OTOH, any contract you bid over 3 ♦ looks pretty iffy at best. Missing six to the AJ10 in a heart contract, you look to be losing 2+ ♥ tricks unless you get a very favorable lie of the cards. It also looks like 2 possible ♣ losers and a ♠ loser. As for penalizing 3 ♦ at IMPs, you have to be sure it will go down if you double, else you've given away a big swing. Neither you nor partner can know whether it will make or not. So passing it out is OK.

I think 3 ♦ which is forcing is fine. You have a hand where slam can be on the horizon when partner has fitting cards. So here describing what you hold is better than showing something you don't hold. By bidding 3 ♦ your showing a hand with at least 5 ♠ and 4 ♦ but often 5-5 or more distributional. By showing 9+ cards in the suits bid, you're also implying some shortness in the unbid suits. Ask yourself how you'd react to a 4 ♣ or 4 ♥ splinter with opener's hand? You hold the A and values in either suit, positive for the A, but not for the other values. And you don't have a clue about partner's holding in the other suits. OTOH, when 3 ♦ is bid, you have to be thrilled with a big fit in ♦, the side suit controls and ♠ honor doubleton in opener's hand. Since you've "agreed" on ♦ after partner's 4 ♦ raise, ♦ should be the keycard suit. As it turns out, anytime partner can show 3 keys, you'll be willing to bid 6 ♠. The complication comes when partner answers 2 keys as you don't know if partner holds the ♠ K or not. Then, you're either missing an A and need ♠ to come in without a loser or missing the ♦ K and need ♠ and ♦ to come in with no more than 1 loser total between them. You might consider just bidding 5 ♠. 3 ♠ would be invitational with 6+ ♠. Typically, Texas transfers are used for hands in which you are only interested in game. But many good players add a small wrinkle to using Texas that solves the 4 ♣ Gerber or not issue you bring up. If you use a Texas transfer and then bid 4 NT, it's RKCB for the transfer suit. Then a transfer followed by 4 ♣ is never Gerber. Likewise, a transfer followed by 4 NT is always quantitative. Both those sequences are ones that people often get confused about otherwise. Also, if Texas is for game only hands, a simple transfer followed by a game bid in the major is at least a mild slam try. Some of the other regular posters will have some additions or other possibilities. My comments are pretty basic.

Pass! I'm looking at a very poor 12 count. Partner can't find a bid over a 2 ♥ raise. Some possibilities come to mind: - partner has a poor hand and both opponents are just short of pushing on, - partner has sort of a heart holding and no good suit to bid, or even, - one of the opponents has misbid. Part of the art of matchpoints is to pick the spots where you choose to compete. I don't like the prospects for this hand.

Is the agreement here that 2 ♥ doesn't necessarily show any thing extra? If so, 2 ♥ seems right. If you raise ♣ and partner bids 3 ♥, then you can't be absolutely sure whether 4 ♥ is right. Partner might just be showing a stopper trying for 3 NT. The other alternative is 2 NT which gives away the least information. Partner still has the opportunity to try for a major which probably leads to a good contract (3NT, 4 ♥). But if partner decides to bid 3 NT, it doesn't highlight which major to attack.

+1 for Mbodell's response. An immediate 4 ♠ may get you too high if partner bids a major. Double keeps 3 NT in play if partner can find that call. And I can bid ♣ over other bids.

What you bid depends upon your agreements. For me, 1 ♠ in this auction can be as little as 5-6 HCP and 4+ decent ♠. It's upper bounds are marked by failure to make a jump to 2 ♠ which is something like 12-14 HCP and a good 6+ card suit. Most often 1 ♠ is definitely less than an opener, but there might be the odd occasion when it seems the right bid with an opener versus jumping to 2 ♠ or Double. So I'm going slowly and bidding 2 ♠. By reopening, partner with less than an opener is taking advantage that my hand is marked with some values typically at least 10 points. So I'm discounting the first 10 points as having already been "bid". If partner pushes on and shows a better hand, I'll get more excited. I do have 2 1/2 QTs and my ♣ length means partner is in position to not be overruffed if both he and his RHO are short in ♣.

I'm in with the 2 NT crowd. It isn't great to have to bid it as NT may be a terrible contract because of transportation issue. But what's the alternative? OTOH, unless LHO has made a 2 ♣ overcall on a really bad suit, partner ought to have some good ♦ values and possibly something in ♥ beyond anything held in ♠. 2 ♠ was a forcing bid after all. 2 NT also frees up the whole 3 level for partner to describe his/her hand. If partner rebids a major we play game in that suit.

+1 for Cyberyeti.

Occasionally, hands come up where reversing into a 3 card suit is the only way to show the strength of a hand. It probably comes up more after a minor opener because of the additional requirements to opening a 2 ♣ strong hand opening with a minor. There are hands where you're just too strong for a jump rebid in the minor but not strong enough for opening 2 ♣. So, the logical thing to do is reverse and rebid your opening suit. Sometimes, you only have a 3 card suit with which to do this. Hence, the "hasty ♦" reverse bid here. Because of this 3 card reverse possibility, it's one of the reasons there's a strong prohibition to jumping directly to game in the reversing suit with just 4 card support. I agree with seeing your a good possibility of slam with your hand. But more information needs to be exchanged to determine if slam is there. Since partner has started telling you about their hand, a good plan is to make a positive response and let partner complete his story. So, a simple 3 ♦ raise is sufficient at this point. It shows values and 4 card support. If partner's next rebid meshes well with your hand, you can start pushing towards slam. If not, you still have enough to move toward game. BTW, I'd be much more likely to rebid 3 ♣ or 3 NT (if it's recognized as a gambling 3 NT based on a long runnable suit) with opener's hand. While a good hand, it seems a little shy of a reverse to me.

Pay your money, take your choice. Good point about possible RHO opponent 5 card holding, but hardly something to hang your hat on. If RHO holds 5 and bid only 3 ♠, it would seem to indicate an otherwise flat hand. With 5 and outside distribution, RHO is likely to bid 4 immediately if weak or possibly splinter with enough for a limit raise. Best guess with no other info is 5 with LHO, 4 with RHO putting 4 in pard's hand. Acting on a greater or lesser number is projecting a holding into partner's hand -- generally not a good thing to do. Also, the more cards partner is likely to hold in their suit, the more partner is likely to hold some of his/her total values there which reduces the amount held for enhancing the trick taking power of your hand. How many As and Ks do you expect partner to have when limited to maybe 8 HCP against a light opener and a bit less against any more solid opener? As I said, pay your money and take your choice, just trying to point out some other things to consider.

Pass. 2 ♣ is too much of an overbid for me on this hand. If we get a bad result because of it, I apologize to partner and take the blame. That said, I've got to wonder how we'll make 4 ♠ when partner still has to make a game try opposite something like a limit raise plus hand. I do have 2 QTs, but chances for a short trump hand ruff seem remote limiting potential trick taking in ♠. I'm passing now. If partner has enough to bid 4 ♠ anyhow, my hand won't be a complete disappointment. If not, we should have some prospects for defeating 4 ♥. Partner need only produce 1 ♠ trick and a well placed card in a side suit to beat it. Also, I'd hate to be in 4 ♠x off 1 when others are making a ♥ or ♠ part score.

PASS If the explanation (limit raise) were correct, think about the implication. You are looking at an 11 HCP count. LHO probably has at least an 11 HCP count and RHO something like a 10 HCP count. Adding all three hands up, you get 32 total HCP accounted for, leaving partner with a possible maximum of about 8 HCP. Unless your opponents are very aggressive light openers, they'll be a great deal of the time that LHO will have more reducing your partner's possible point count even more. Being an inveterate point counter isn't necessarily a good thing. But here on an order of magnitude basis, doing the math tells you that holding about 19 HCP max for a 4 level contract which typically requires something like 25-26 to make isn't a good thing. Additionally, your points are mostly quacks (Qs and Js) which have limited trick taking potential. If you take this into consideration, you're looking at more like a 9 point true count hand versus an 11 actual point count hand. Partner is marked with ♠ length which portends a possible misfit for the opponents and reduces chances for a big fit with partner. Lastly, the opponents big hand is behind you making all your points less valuable. If it turns out LHO made an incorrect explanation because of an honest error (forgetfulness, misunderstanding), then that's the "rub of the green". But even if it's a preemptive raise, it's still right to Pass rather leap in at the 4 level with the size of LHO hand still unlimited. If partner can find a call when 3 ♠ is passed to him/her, you'll be happy to bid.