masonbarge

NS Vul. EW Not Vul., W Dealer E 3♦ N Pass W Pass S ? ---- ♠AJ1032 ♥A96 ♦9 ♣Q863

Double except playing with the GIB. You'd end up in 6♠ across from Kxxxx in spades.

Playing IMPs, why not lead to 10♦?

4♦ sets the trump suit. That 6NT nonsense is going to earn a dirty look, or worse, from partner for taking control of the hand. By sheer fortune, 6♦ makes and East has really messed up :) I agree with the 2♣ but I'd bid Blackwood over 4♥. Then East passes 5♦. Or I can shoot for a top with a slam even off one ace.

You have to bid 3NT. It is the correct Bergen bid - there is no requirement of stoppers, just balanced distribution. If you "operate" instead of making the correct system bid, you will have problems in the future.

That's not at all what I meant. Give me a little credit. Your 8HCP are may be concentrated in your suits, but it's still 8 HCP. Or put another way, out of 20 HCP in your suits, you have less than half. You have no idea where the ace and king of spades are. If you pass you will certainly lose a double game swing sometimes, but if you bid you're going to go -800 (or more) in some cases where the opponents are headed down. The state of the match might make a difference. If you think you're behind, the argument for bidding becomes stronger. But it's an odds-off gamble. If you have confidence in your team, a pass is better.

When the heart ace hits the table those clubs are going to be garbage unless you can pull trumps.

Yes, your mighty five card spade suit will render all those aces and kings meaningless.

You have 8 HCP! Your partner passed at the two level! 4S or 5C could be down 2000 points, NV. If it takes you more than two seconds to pass this, you need to stand in front of a mirror and say "PASS" one hundred times before every game.