thepossum

Will be interesting to see how elasticity of demand plays into profits/revenue this time I just avoided playing a regular ACBL tourney due to the shock. Time for a beer instead :) Also I don't think Labor market inflation can be an excuse for tech price rises - what is the cost of tweaking a few AWS (or other) service parameteres these days. A few minutes work or maybe even run by a load balancing/demand sensitive robot. It's time for them to have their easy profits/revenue clipped a bit methinks - or think of us all helping reduce load on their servers a bit, and consequent costs - could also be good for emissions. Less time spent socialising with robots too. Win Win The free tourneys are not so much fun though :( We need a graph of price changes to forum engagement

I try to bid according to the strength of my hand :) - which hopefully is reliable My disclosure stated occasionally bid on the light side :) Occasionally I will be so unreliable and have a similarly unreliable partner who gets me to 6NT with 30 points which I think is more fun for all at the table I think you would find me remarkably and disappointingly disciplined in most serious bridge But I will always make every endeavour to bid my hand accurately according to strength and shape (most of the time) I strive more than most to find an accurate bid, often struggling against systems - what would be the point in doing otherwise :) Can you not write on your card. Occasional light openings, especially at favourable vulnerability etc General approach. I have hardly ever strayed into very light but it does happen very rarely But I have bigger concerns at the moment. As I was writing this I noticed white smoke coming from somewhere in the vicinity of my laptop

I wouldn't want a 5 point range. Top is heading into 2NT territory :) EDIT - correct me if I am wrong but that could be 1 or 2 tricks

Thx Mike

Hi Not sure if this is the right forum but it would seem to be this level. Prompted by reading about Multi on another thread. I know it's a major convention Suppose you sit at a table and a pair have on their card an unfamiliar convention requiring a fairly complicated defense Can you ask for details on the convention and a conventional defense P

Occasional psychs :) More seriously though I would tend to prefer at least ore flexibility based on vulnerability :) May occasionally open many distributions in 15-17 range as 1 NT :) I have now disclosed my vague approach to 1NT Similar approach to 2NT with a few points occasionally leeway on the light side In fact its my general approach to all (opening) bids. I find many systems/styles rather conservative and am prepared to risk the occasional minus score :) I would go so far as to argue that I hardly ever psych - in the strict sense of the word - mistake is a more accurate word

Small club? EDIT my reasoning - it seems the safest Now to read the thread :)

So one proxy (even in NT) would be whether you have 6,7, or 8 losers? ...or an alternative point count to 4321 :) EDIT Just looking at the two examples you put up

I sometimes can't remember the system 😶 When something is a reverse or not. I remember the NT rebid range

Thx Helene, that's based on control strength? or with all the points in a few suits?

I was thinking specifically of the most balanced NT shapes in the exact range. - the more shapely hands have more options but I nearly always bid 1NT even with 5cM I will occasionally open a point (or even 2) lighter at favourable vulnerability but don't tell anyone - I find 17 pts very high. It was whether there are times to open a minor (or even occasionally a 4-card major :)) and how to consider adjusting up or down. What sort of criteria to choose a different bid to 1NT Whether some flat 15-17 hands look better/worse prospects than others

Here is the hand [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|thepossum,~~M43965,~~M43963,~~M43964|md|3SAQ9HJ4DAK52CAQ82,S85HA8653DQT643CJ,SJT7HT72DJ98CT543,SK6432HKQ9D7CK976|sv|o|rh||ah|Board%201|mb|P|mb|1S|an|Major%20suit%20opening%20--%205+%20!S;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points%20|mb|1N|an|One%20notrump%20overcall%20--%202-5%20!C;%202-5%20!D;%202-5%20!H;%202-5%20!S;%2015+%20HCP;%2018-%20|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|S8|pc|SJ|pc|S4|pc|S9|pc|C3|pc|C6|pc|CQ|pc|CJ|pc|DA|pc|D3|pc|D8|pc|D7|pc|CA|pc|H3|pc|C4|pc|C7|pc|HJ|pc|H6|pc|H2|pc|HQ|pc|H9|pc|H4|pc|HA|pc|H7|pc|S5|pc|ST|pc|S6|pc|SQ|pc|SA|pc|D6|pc|S7|pc|SK|pc|DK|pc|D4|pc|D9|pc|C9|pc|C2|pc|H8|pc|CT|pc|CK|pc|S3|pc|D2|pc|H5|pc|C5|pc|S2|pc|D5|pc|DT|pc|HT|pc|HK|pc|C8|pc|DQ|pc|DJ|]400|300[/hv] A lucky escape for yours truly on Hand 1 and a positive start :) - I don't know if I played it best way and it needed hearts to behave People in 2 (some) were able to make on the lead - sorry on the play :)

Thanks I ended up bidding 1NT. All those other options were bid by some. Most doubled and ended in 2nt (EDIT or 3NT or 3C - about 4 way split on contracts) It was one where you could easily overreach I even considered 3NT but had premonition of disaster

😂 I came back to edit and say that strictly it will be sorted out yesterday our time but it feels like tomorrow The Jan 6 solution. The great healing moment 😂

I'm not cynical or anything but is the Speaker issue due to be sorted today (tomorrow my time)

Deleted dup

Happy New Year😊

What types of hands, vulnerabilities, tournaments, and seats would affect decision on not bidding 15-17 NT with some kind of 4423, 4324 or 4333 shapes - eg would you consider 1m. If so why? Do you look at losers - or are they irrelevant. Hands too strong or too weak etc

[hv=pc=n&s=saq9hj4dak52caq82&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=p1s]133|200[/hv] Hand one looking for a good start :)

Happy New Year Ken and all

I read an article a little while back that a few top pairs/teams were still using Standard Blackwood (EDIT 8/60 according to Marty Bergen on BridgeBum) Is that still the case? From a personal, fairly lowly, position what annoys me most is the King ask. Tell me how many please And I think I would opt for 1304 or 1986 or whatever rather that 0413. What is it? Sorry 1403. That one followed by a standard King ask And for those who need help apparently the world's first quarantine station against the plague was built in Venice in 1403 or maybe I am thinking of 1430 when the Ottomans captured somewhere - not just somewhere Thessalonica Do people realise how many combinations of 0,1,2,3, and 4 there are I can actually understand the ordering 0123 - the weaker my hand the lower I keep the bidding :) Another question. Why are intermediate and advanced grouped together?

I double checked the tourney and there were quite a few tables that didn't make. It's true that the decision on Trick 2 is not totally fatal Curious why some people get what appears to be pure luck. Almost everyone did pre-empt though 2 or 3

Hi all I was unsure about going to 5Hx which double dummy should go down 3 tricks against a vulnerable game I was surprised to make this. Especially when East ducked the second trick to my King singleton Is that really the percentage defense? Obviously not on the layout but in a sim [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|thepossum,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|3SKHKJ86532DA96CT7,SJT8742HQDCAKJ963,SQ3HAT9DJ532CQ542,SA965H74DKQT874C8|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%209|mb|P|mb|P|mb|3H|an|Preempt%20--%207+%20!H;%205-9%20HCP;%20!HQ;%206+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|4H|an|1+%20!H;%2011-%20HCP;%2012-%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|4S|an|6+%20!S;%2016-19%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|5H|an|7+%20!H;%205-9%20HCP;%20!HQ;%206+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|D|an|1+%20!S;%208-11%20HCP;%209-12%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|CK|pc|C2|pc|C8|pc|C7|pc|SJ|pc|S3|pc|S9|pc|SK|pc|H2|pc|HQ|pc|HA|pc|H7|pc|SQ|pc|SA|pc|H5|pc|S2|pc|HK|pc|C3|pc|H9|pc|H4|pc|CT|pc|CA|pc|C4|pc|D8|pc|S4|pc|HT|pc|S6|pc|D6|mc|11|]400|300[/hv]

Its interesting that both GiB and Argine have the same tendency to take a game force to mean slam is on without checking controls Since when under any system does 2C followed by a an exchange of information and a game bid an invitation to jump to any slam What I am talking about is no extra forcing. no extra encouragement. Just a natural progression to game. What do you have to do to discourage the immediate slam bid? Just in case you all wonder the game bid said "to play" A bid to game does not usually promise extras does it. Must be a different approach. Different meaning of "to play" perhaps I accept the immediate slam bid also said to play but occasionally you need to try to escape to a less damaging slam so the play gets out of control very rapidly I understand there are a few cases where jump to slam after game is appropriate but not regularly Maybe its my interpretation of game force that is wrong :( EDIT Maybe part of the problem is that a natural progression to game and a "to play" game bid magically gives you at least an extra Ace or two, which is brutally sad when you don't have them. Two keycards missing and a useful void in (the jumped to) trumps :)

I appreciate there is a reason why Jacoby requires the 4th trump but occasionally I like to take a risk :) - especially if I think 2NT is a decent bid That's why I play "Jacoby" 2NT I understand there is a risk of missing better heart fit