rmnka447

I think this hand is worth a DBL of 1 NT. Your side has the balance of the points even if pard is a mimimum. If pard has a reasonably good opener -- solid 13 or 14 points, LHO may need to do some running. It looks like we've got 2 of the 3 other suits covered. In any case, 2 ♥ may not be a good contract if pard has just a doubleton. That may raise the aura -1 DBLd or down 2 which are terrible matchpoint results. If you had some good ♥s instead of ♣, -- ♥ AKxxx -- then there's no problem bidding 2 ♥.

Yes, I would reverse into 2 ♠ with an 18 HCP, 3 loser hand. After partner raises to 3 ♣, a ♣ contract comes into view. Partner should have at least 4 ♣s and values. I'd continue with a 3 ♠ bid. Pard might still want to play 3 NT if holding some fitting cards and ♦ stoppers. If pard has the right cards for game or slam in ♣s, the ♠ bid hleps define where my values are and implies ♦ shortness.

Play frequently with 2 partners. One prefers small from 3 small, one prefers middle. However, I think small is best. At least pard is not likely to confuse it for a doubleton. Most of the time leading from 3 small is not a preferred choice. But if the opponents have had a tortured auction and a passive lead seems right, it may be necessary with tenaces in the other suits.

Although I normally play preemptive raises in competitive auctions -- (raise to 2 5-8 and 3 trump, raise to 3 5-8 and 4 trump,etc.), unfavorable, I would simply raise 1 ♥ to 2 ♥ over 1 ♠ and pass over 2 ♠. If partner finds a double over 2 ♠, I'll bid 3 ♥. ♠ 987x might or might not be worth something defensively against a ♠ contract. I also don't see the dangling Q and J in the hand as worth much. Partner could be down several at the 3 level versus a simple partscore their way. With some supporting intermediates or a better card combo like a K10x(x) in a secondary suit, I'd be more apt to compete to the 3 level.

There's nothing wrong with having some cold feet at unfavorable vulnerability in IMPs. A clear pass. If you impose yourself into this auction, most of the things that can happen to you are bad. Looking at a stiff ♠, partner is likely to hold some spades -- 4 if the 1 ♠ bid was made on 4 of them. So 2 ♠ may not be exactly a pianola.

You do have some values but Pass is right. Q432 with the suit bid behind you loses some value. It may even not be stopper at NT. You have tolerance for partner's suit but not a good fit. Since partner didn't double, it's unlikely that partner has enough for game (i.e. double and bid ♣s). Partner might also have doubled instead of bidding 2 ♣ with something like ♠ Kxx ♥ Axxx ♦ x ♣ AJxxx, so there is some reduced likelihood of a ♥ fit.

While quite a few posters are drooling over defending a ♣ slam, defensive prospects may not be as bright as you think. If the 2 ♣ opener holds something like ♣ AQ10xx, you may not have a ♣ trick. The hand ought to be pretty clear to you once the 5 ♠ bid is made. It forces to at least 6, so responder must have a ♠ void, a big club fit and a source of a lot of tricks. From your hand, you can see that must be solid ♥s. Unfortunately, you don't have a clue exactly what the ♣ situation is, so you've got to pass.

1 ♥ followed by 2 ♦ Just to note -- There's a school of thought that with a 5 card major and a doubleton in the other major that you shouldn't open 1 NT. The reasoning is that partner may transfer you to the doubleton suit and you'd end up playing a 5-2 fit at the 2 level instead of a better 5-3 fit.

What game contract is likely with your "opener" opposite partner's 1 NT rebid? I think a couple things favor bidding 3 NT -- - neither opponent found a 1 ♥ overcall even though the auction went 1 ♣ - 1 ♦ - partner has to have at least 2 ♥s, else another rebid would have been made.

I would expect partner to be making a fairly disciplined weak 2 in 1st or 2nd seat red vs. white. We're looking at least an 11 card fit. 5 ♦ bidder probably has at least 6 ♦s, so pard can't have many. 4 ♥ looks like a maker to me. Seems pretty sure we can't beat 5 ♦ enough to cover that. So, without looking, I'm bidding 5 ♥. If I'm wrong, it's only 1 board. After your double, I think pard has no choice but to sit.

Pass, even with 10 major cards. The hand has 10 HCP of which 4 can't be counted at full value. Besides that you have only 1 QT, this isn't an opener.

I totally agree with this analysis. Think about the action that advancer took and what wasn't done. Advancer didn't cue bid 2 ♦ guaranteeing something like an opening hand. But advancer did bid 2 ♠ showing probably 8+ points. It is possible that advancer has made that call on a decent 4 card ♠ suit. Advancer might also have bid 2 ♠ holding 4-4 in the majors in order to facilitate showing both majors. So it's important for doubler to be able to identify the value of his/her hand AND the extent of the spade support held. Doubler shows extras by making a free bid or call directly after opener's rebid. Since Doubler guarantees at least 3 cards in each unbid suit and can't possibly hold a penalty double hand -- double must be extras with 3 card ♠ support. 3 ♠ then shows extras and 4 card ♠ support. Advancer then has some idea how to proceed if opener makes a call. With the equivalent of a minimum opener, doubler can pass over 3 ♦ and let advancer decide what to do. If advancer has 5+ ♠, he/she can compete to 3 ♠. If advancer has only a 4 card ♠ suit and maximum values, he/she can double or and bid a new suit.

You can't tell what partner's hand is. You only know partner thinks 4 ♥ is makeable or close to it. IF partner holds the right cards, you might have a couple tricks. But still that doesn't necessarily mean slam is makeable if partner has been a tad aggressive. So I think you sit for 4 ♥. Change your hand to something like ♠ xx ♥ Jxxx ♦ Axxxx ♣ Axxx which looks like a couple sure tricks and you can make a move toward slam via a 5 ♣ cue.

Thanks --- A cow flew by!! 2 ♦ would be right if I were UNPASSED, but double is correct for a PASSED hand as partner couldn't misread my values. I'm sure I'd get it right at the table.

Pass for now. Bid 2 ♣ or 3 ♣ next round if they find a fit other than ♣s. I'll sit for 1 NT passed back to me or for a reopening Dbl by partner.

I'd bid 2 ♦ over 1 ♠ to limit my hand. 3 ♠ and above, I'm passing. Not sure what I'd do over 2 ♠.

I normally play that over a reverse 4th suit or 2 NT whichever is cheaper can be either natural or the start of a signoff. Assuming the opponents are silent throughout, 1 ♣ - 1 ♠ 2 ♦ - 2 ♥ 2 NT - 4 ♣ 4 ♦ - ? Notes on auction so far -- 2 ♦ shows longer ♣ except if 4-4-4-1 normally not balanced but could be 2-2-4-5. 2 NT - presumably something like 2-2-4-5, if you think opener could still be balanced for this bid, then 3 ♣ could be an alternative. 4 ♣ - 3 ♣ would be a signoff, so all responder previous bids are natural. Responder shows ♦ shortness, and a big hand, slam interest. (Responder could simply have bid 3 ♣ positive with a lesser positive hand.) 4 ♦ - a ♦ control. After ?, it depends on your cuebidding style, but you should be able to get there. In the old fashioned(Aces first), non-mainstream cueing style used with my best partner, it would go -- 4 ♠ - 1st round control in ♠s, denies a ♥ 1st. 4 NT - waiting bid, not RKCB, has further slam interest, implies no more than 2 ♥ losers. 5 ♥ - 2nd round ♥ control and implies a ♣ honor 6 ♣ to play. Also note: the reverse also implies the exact ♣ holding held at a minimum -- with say ♣ Q10xxx opener would not reverse.

First of all, opener started with ♥ AJ4. Counting points, partner has somewhere between 9-11 HCP depending on what the 2 NT is (assuming 20-22 HCP). Any switch you make might finesse partner for opener. So I'm continuing a ♥ with ♥ K. Hopefully, partner will catch that signal as show a preference for a ♠ return. Also, there is a slight bonus in that partner can make an informatonal discard on the continuation.

In relatively standard bidding, 3 ♥ is right for this hand. Even with the the 4 ♥ 18-19 balanced, 3 ♥ unbalanced approach, I think 3 ♥ is right. The 4-3-3-3 distribution offers no ruffing value and is not quite worth what a balanced hand with a doubleton is. Over 3 ♥, responder, with a 4-3-3-3 hand, can offer a choice of games with 3 NT.

I'll bid 3 ♠. Even though it's a 6 loser hand, ♠ suit quality isn't that great. So I'll be a tad more conservative bidding this one.

Well, there's being stuck and there's being stuck. I'm marking West's 4 ♠ bid as the most egregious. Has anyone considered that West just might rebid 4 ♦ instead of raising ♠s? It allows East the most flexibility in bidding his hand. On certain hands, it even let's East bring ♥s into play as a possible strain. On this hand, it happens to work like a charm. East can infer that West must hold some ♥ honors from the cards he holds. So he can initiate the slam search via either RKCB or a 5 ♣ cue.

Certainly 1 ♠ is right for your first call. Interestingly, Mike Lawrence in his book on overcalls advocated overcalling in a 4 card suit when holding a similar stack in opening bidders suit. So I guess it's OK to make an overcall with a 6 card suit. After the 1 NT call, I'm thinking that LHO (responder) probably has some ♣ length because there was no negative DBL. Since a 4+ card diamond suit was opened, opener probably doesn't have more than 4 ♥. So it looks like partner has at least 4 ♥ and likely 5. I'm thinking this hand isn't going to play well whoever gets it as declarer. So, I think I'm passing 1 NT.

You can't know if 6 ♣ has any play at all. Also, you really can't be sure who is saving and who is sacrificing. So pass the decision back to partner by passing.

No, it's a pass. You have an 8 loser hand and the opponents are advertising a probable minimum 23-24 points. 2 ♠ is unlikely to deter the opponents from bidding game if they have it. But you are almost assured of being Dbld if they let you play 2 ♠. Even if you get really lucky and find partner with cards to cover 2 of your losers, you'll still be down at least 1 at the 2 level. That's not good enough to compete vul.

I think this is a clear pass. Even if opener is extremely aggressive you rate to have at least 25 points between your hand and opener's hand. That leaves about a max of 15 between the other 2 hands. If the points are evenly split, the hand is likely a part score hand. If partner has enough values for game than responder probably doesn't have enough to make a call and partner will be able to balance.