Manastorm

I pass. Partner didnt show support or values. If we cash 11 tricks in hearts, perhaps we should pass with trash more often.

I try 4♥. Passing seems risky when partner could have a nice hand. We could make 3NT or 4♥ easily and sometimes 4♠, 5♦ or more. If I pass now, I omit really nice contracts, which we can find easily. 3NT is possible, but hiding good hearts makes me unhappy.

4♥ seems clear. You have huge playing potential, but you cant really show what you have. Just blast what you want to play and the ideal way to do it is as quickly as you can. Your opponents have a big fit also and points are divided 50-50, dont let them realize it. Dont worry about the maximum plus score for you this time. West has 6-5 pointed suits and some values, he is not playing bridge. He passed 3 times, even meditating monk couldnt pull that stunt.

2♠ is an easy choice for me. No clear support for any suit, not enough values to invite NT, dont have my own suit and 5-2 spades with JT should be ok, maybe partner finds another bid, then I got something. 2♥ is an attempt to find a miserable 5-1 fit. I dont think 2NT is as bad as some say, my 3rd choice actually.

I would bid 3♥. I would like to end auction right there, 2♥ really asks for competition. Opener has void or singleton ♥ and is going to bid almost surely, if he gets an easy chance. Perhaps opener doesnt have too much playing strength and passes. Perhaps I should bid 4♥ right away, without 1NT perhaps I would do it. Nonvul vs vul I would bid it without thinking.

Non vul vs vul suggests aggressive pre-empts in my book. I would try to find any excuse to open as high as possible, 7th heart is clear 3 or 4♥ depending other aspects. The same treatment for 6 carders. A 5 card minor is only excepition which I possibly could have as it is more 2 suiter than 1 suiter. I do not know what I would bid. I have seen people open 4♥ with hands like that, I havent tried, but maybe it is the right thing. I think it is a rare hand and I doubt it covers most hesitations. I dont think I can have much to tell after I have squeezed the most of my hand in the 1st round. The 3♥ response is wide range, which doesnt really encourage to think about bidding. I think 4♠ doesnt make so often after sequence of bids like this that is why thought of defending it doubled is possible also.

It is hard to understand why hesitation would suggest west to bid more. This is how I think about the bidding from east's point of view. 3♥ was wide range and the purpose of it is to make hard for the opponents to bid 3♠ making and 4♠ perhaps not making. Yes partner could have 3 cards support and very weak hand. But it is clear to me I am not thinking about saccing. I mean at best 3rd level is right for us according to the law, so I cant expect 2 levels higher sac be nowhere near the right level. What I could be thinking after 4♠ is what a nice hand I have, if partner has values for X. A big mistake to hesitate like that, but to forbid the sac from partner is not right. The hesitation didnt suggest to bid more. Did partner really think that a quick 4♥ would press ops to bid 4♠ and then it is harder to bid more because of possible hesitation by east which clearly suggest to bid more.

What would happen, if the same sequence of bids come twice, but shifted by 2 seats. The first time you find out that it is 5 and the second time you dont ask expecting 5, but it is actually usually 5. Maybe during the 1st time the word always is mentioned several times. So you make the wrong assumption when you declare. You ask opponents what is going on, they shrug and say you should ask the meaning of the bid, you oppose and say you heard it once before, they shrug again so we have different styles.