wombatica

In duplicate, nobody vulnerable, I'm playing SOUTH. The bidding began with my partner: PASS - 1 ♠ - ? I hold: ♠ A Q 10 xx ♥ A K 10 x ♦ A ♣ K 10 x I'm pretty stumped, and realize that there has to be a "best way" to handle this, as it's very improbable that my partner and I have a ♠ fit. At some point, I've seen the advice that when an opponent opens your strongest suit, you should pass and see what happens. (I kinda feel as though explaining this might send some clarity my way.) What are my choices? PASS - I really hate that with this hand 2 ♠ - is Michael's, right? Showing ♥s and a minor. 1 or 2 NT or Double - these scare me with a singleton ♦. 2 ♥ - forecasts a five card suit The least detrimental bid seems to be 2 ♥ (which is what I bid). Is the the choice most would have made? My partner jumped to 4 ♥, after which we all passed. We made 6 ♥, as did so many others... except most of them bid the slam. Should I have continued on to 2 ♠? (I miss slam bids constantly.) Thoughts? Advice?

With ♠ K3 ♥ xx ♦ AKQ109xxx ♣ Q In second seat, vul, I opened 4D. Before shooting me for that (and I actually defend it on some level), what should I have bid after partner responded 4NT? Should I have assumed it was Blackwood? Is 4NT ALWAYS Blackwood? I generally interact in beginner's forum (or squat there), but I am hoping for some more diverse opinions. Thanks,

Thank to all. Very helpful.

Hello! This is my first post here. I've been a member for about 4 months. I played bridge, oh, a VERY long time ago (as a wee lass) and did quite well. After my teacher/mentor moved away, I really never found another steady partner. The places I lived (after NYC) had mostly daytime games, and I had some disastrous "pickup" partnerships. Since I worked days (mostly), there were very few sessions that I felt comfortable attending as I "got my feet wet" again, as most of the evening sessions featured scowling serious players coveting master points and totally out for blood. And my master points have expired, and my expertise has faded (and OMG, the systems I see now are so much more sophisticated... I wish I had pressed and preserved my old convention card as a relic). Anyway, here I am wondering if a positive experience without cheating is possible online. (When I played lesser card games online, I mean, I just KNEW that my opponents were on the phone with one another...) And although I'd love to hear thoughts about that, I'm really writing about something else: After playing many, many, many games with three basic robots, I became very familiar with the GIB system that they use. (And as I'm certain everyone knows, the basic robots do some TRULY BIZARRE things... but, I did learn that anthing resembling yelling at them is rather a waste of time and energy. Ahem.) I'm not sure how to progress at this point to playing with, um, non-robots. And I don't know whether, or how, to break out of the robot's system and to choose something else, or to modify it... I read here about what seems to be a "description of play style," (did I come across it in the "Player Profile" section?) And while I am pretty comfortable with the basic conventions, I have learned a few new things from the Robots. I guess it is best to find a partner, discuss the conventions we would like to include... but the path to that point is a mystery. There are a number of system names, and I have no idea how to differentiate amongst them, nor how to choose one, nor how to adapt, nor how to play the zither (oops, skip that last one). Also, I've been playing on an iPad, but have a desktop system... Does playing on the PC have any distinct advantages? Okay. I'm shutting up now, and saving a myriad of questions for another time. Thanks in advance, and... oh. I THINK I played with the "create a signature" thing. If it attaches, it is temporary so please do ignore its ludicrous nature.