bravejason

If one keycard, stop; if two, slam; if three, grand! Surely, such a poetic response must succeed! :)

I agree with all of this. Point count systems can be made very accurate, but then it becomes complicated and requires a lot of mental effort. I think is better to consider all the factors and then sum up the evaluation in a word or two. I like to use phrases like “minimal”, “invitational”, “full opening bid”, etc.

Given the amount of points between the two hands, I would ask for aces after finding the spade fit and then bid the slam or not accordingly. I doubt I would bid 7, but if I was inclined to do so, I would do so only if my side had all four kings. The opponents potentially have 8 points between them and I want those points to all be queens and jacks rather than risk holding Axx facing Jxx and the opponents having the guarded K and Q.

It sounds like Jack was seeing North as a minimum (2NT) or slightly better than minimum hand (3NT) that is a misfit for South. Hence the passing of 3NT. I’d probably jump rebid NT as North. I know you have doubleton pair, but they are strong and South has hearts. It’d work out fine in this case, but there is always the chance partner has the same doubleton(s) and down you go.

In an uncontested auction, how does responder show invitational, game, and slam hands when supporting opener’s second suit? Examples: 1D-1H 1S-? 1H-1S 2D-?

Initially, you can do a straight scaling to convert between the point count systems, but it will be off and you’ll have to experiment and practice with it to figure out the proper conversion factors, bearing in mind that each honor may have its own scaling factor. Another approach is to deal hands and count the points both ways. If you do that enough, and perhaps run some analysis on it, you’ll figure out how 4321 translates into Banzai. I’d definitely scour the Internet looking for a schedule of points. Presumably, someone has already figured out how many Banzai points are needed to bid and how many are needed for game and slam.

East says she has hearts and clubs. Why shouldn’t West name a suit when he has a clear preference? A double asks East to decide and if East bids clubs, then West can only hope that East has great clubs.

My plan would be to duck the club lead. Cash the DA. Finesse DJ. If it wins, finesse the HJ. When the diamonds are set up and before all the other stoppers are played, play to or lead the SK to set up the SQ. Fundamentally, I’m working to win 2 club tricks, 4 or 5 diamond tricks, 1 or 2 heart tricks, and 1 spade trick. I’m at a loss for a good plan if west has no diamonds.

I like the precision that comes with a NT bid. Responder can immediately judge if the partnership likely belongs in part-score, game, or slam. If you open one of a suit, responder has to hear another bid or two before being able to judge and even then opener’s strength can sometimes be unclear.

Suppose partner has a strong hand with 3 hearts. With the reverse, you might run into this problem: 1D - 1S 2H - 4NT Maybe you convert 6H into 6S and luck into an 8 card trump fit. Maybe you are doomed to a seven card trump fit regardless. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe your partner wouldn’t barge into Blackwood like that.

How do check on the 4th spade?

What is the explanation of the 4NT and 5NT bids? It looks like South started a Blackwood sequence, but North simply dismissed it and said ‘pick a slam’. Is that what happened?

This has been helpful. I like the saying about an 8-card suit!

Playing SAYC or similar in an uncontested auction. Opener holds a minimum hand (e.g. 11 or 12 HCP) with a 7 card minor and a 3 card major. After opener bids 1 minor, responder bids the 4 card major for which opener has three card support. For openers rebid, does opener rebid the minor, raise responders major, or do something else? Would it be appropriate for opener to jump rebid the minor? Suppose openers RHO makes a simple overcall or negative double. Would that change openers rebid as compared to the uncontested auction?

Agree.

Pass all of them. However, at the table I might talk myself into a bid on a couple of them, especially if I had had nothing but poor hands up until then. When you spend all your time passing Yarboroughs, an ugly 11 count starts to look like a forcing 2 bid!

What makes you reluctant to lead a D from the Q?

Off topic from the OP, but a pair of questions I'd like ask. First, Instead of 2NT should South have bid 5 clubs? Second, doesn't 2NT by responder invite game in no trump and ask North to either bid 3NT or 5 clubs? Maybe I'm misunderstanding something but I thought responders 2NT in a sequence like this was a strong bid.

Playing SAYC or similar, and a major suit trump fit has been found, if either responder or opener knows there is enough strength to be in game, but not slam, and has a balanced hand, is it normal to offer a choice of games by bidding 3 no trump? Suppose the suit in question is a minor suit? In either scenario, the 3NT bid would be the first time no trump was bid.

You could try 5 hearts. That'll surely be interpreted as a slam try. The drawback is that responder might (will!) assume opener has 11 sure tricks and bid one too many. As South, I'd probably assume North had 11 sure tricks because who pre-empts to 5 of a major? I'm reading this on my phone and I only see 9 hearts for North and 12 cards for North. I'm assuming North actually has a 10th heart (the 2 or 3) to bring hand total to 13 cards.

Evaluate your hand based on the presumed contract. If you are going to transfer, presume that suit will be the trump suit and gauge the strength of your hand accordingly. Also, you can simultaneously take credit for both short suit and long suit points. It does not have to be an either or proposition. So, you would count the long suit points in addition to the short suit points. The idea is that the long cards can be set up to take tricks regardless of the trump suit. For now, it may be worthwhile to stay with the LtPB method for consistency with the program.

I'm of the opinion that if 1of a major promises five cards, then you need to open 1 of a major whenever you can. If you have a good enough hand to reverse then you can look at other options. If you don't open the five card major then partner assumes you have four at most and it becomes difficult to communicate that you have 5 unless your system has a backdoor way to let you show the 5 card major. So I'd open the OP hand 1 heart and if partner can't support hearts, rebid diamonds until the cows come home.

I've read that the Work point count was developed for use with Whist. Given the similarities between the two games, applying the point count idea to bridge bidding would have been quite natural. How the sytem was developed for use in Whist, I've no idea. There were many point count systems invented for use in bridge. 4-3-2-1 is the one that survived. I think its simplicity was the reason why. There are more accurate systems, but the improved accuracy was apparently never enough overcome the additional complexity except for the more serious players. I've briefly experimented with alternate systems, but I'm not very experienced and I found that it is too much effort to apply a more complicated system and still have enough brain power left to think about other aspects of bidding like should I raise or show a new suit or overcall or pass or do something else. Give me a simple way to judge the strength of the hand and I can go from there. Give me a complex system and I get bogged down in the minutiae of the point count and miss the critical big picture understanding of if I need to be part-score, game, or slam and in what suit should I be in.

How about 5 spades, gambling that partner has hearts and spades? Might be a great call. Might go down, down, down, down...

I like 2NT. It describes opener's hand very well. It also gives responder an opportunity explore for the right contract, which could be 2NT. I think avoiding 2NT on account of responder having a singleton or something is overthinking the situation. If responder has that, she'll be able to offer another suit or rebid hearts and then opener will have the opportunity to correct as needed. Otherwise responder can go to 3NT or pass 2NT if the 1H was a courtesy bid made on a really weak hand.