jdeegan

[hv=d=e&v=b&s=sk10754h10d752c9843]133|100|Scoring: IMP 2♣-P-2♦-P 2NT-P-3♦-P 4♥-P-5♦-P 6♥-P-P-P[/hv] :unsure: Playing IMP pairs against world class opponents. Match is close. Teammates are good pair.

B) double, wtf is going on? pard's next bid should clarify. meanwhile i need to stay engaged

B) Brilliant Still, what do you do with 5♣ and a stiff in one of the majors and a minimum hand?

B) 3♠ I'm just a puppet on a string in this auction. Who knows what pard is up to? If he were a passed hand, it would be different. Bidding 3NT sounds like I might have clubs, and do not have spades.

B) Ellllllllllllll Pasooooooooooooooo It is MP, and you have the clear balance of HCP strength. Signing off in 2♦ is a clear shot in this field. Not crazy if you need a board, but way against percentages.

:) 3♥ unless we open really light hands. A favorite for slam opposite pard's minimum: Axxx x Axx A10xxx A 5♣ game should have some play opposite most hands, and who says 3♥ forces beyond 4♣ if pard is really wretched? Of course, 3♣ is a reasonably close second for me.

:) Higamous hogamous, women monogamous Hogamous higamous, men are poligamous Dorothy Parker

:) I am a donut

:P 6♣ easy with a 30 HCP deck and a long suit

:P Good discussion. 4♠ is best. imo. Any raise is problematic. This is why we preempt in the first place.

:( Avid bridge players have always been fairly rare, even in the so-called "good old days". At my college in the 1960's, we had no more than 30 players out of a 1400 student body, and only five or six played duplicate. Poker was a lot more popular. Spades and Hearts were fairly popular too. Today's youthful "gamers" are more numerous - probably 20-30% of males and a few females. Some of these might graduate to BBO bridge if offered the right product. Providing a suitable beginners' game is something that BBO is trying to set up, but it is not there yet. My thought is that eventually GIB robots might be programmed to play with different levels of players. A true beginner could play against three such robots or two beginners could match wits with two robots. Post-mortems might even be generated by using advanced GIBs. As players progress, they could play with and against better robots. Another aspect would be to connect BBO-style "gamers" with the live game. I have not seen any indication that the people who run these two worlds want to interact. This is a shame. Together, they could promote the game more effectively. Who really cares if a bridge player learned to play online or in a supervised play class at the club?

:unsure: El Paso. Remember, pard has ♠ and did not bid 2NT. This limits him to 15HCP max, and no really long suit to boot. You got how many HCP - 40 in the deck? Is this apparent misfit your hand?

:unsure: 3NT wtp? I am a passed hand. Pard is unlikely to have a distributional hand with a stiff ♠ - that would give them 10. Moi is only a scant king short of an opening bid. ♣ should be our suit, and I have 5 - and can run to 4♣ if I have to. Most important 3NT is clearly a possible contract, and I must bid it now or never - no silly responsive double - 4♣ would be better than that, but it isn't game. Finally, there is the rule of Bob Hamman. If 3nt is a possible contract, and it is, BID IT.

:unsure: 5♦ Maybe I am getting cautious in my old age, but jdonn's initial analysis made sense to me. A strong 1NT opener with a wasted ♣ card is no better than a weak 1NT hand. Opponent's preempt has done its job. Remember, partner has another bid, and you have to decide between the three choices (5♦, 6♣ or 6♦) rather quickly and on instinct, else you create an ethical problem for pard, esp. if you select 5♦. How would you feel after an opponent's very slow 5♦ call raised by his pard? If you are slow with your choice, you have to choose the aggressive call. It's like a smooth duck by a defender. Once you hesitate, that opportunity is gone.

:) A splinter is sometimes called a "picture" bid. It paints a hand with good trump support, shortage in the "splinter" suit, and where the high card values and long side suit values to justify the game force are minimal. Usually, 4-4-4-1 shape. Here, responder has far too good and far too flexible a hand to splinter. Your reaction to a splinter was 100% correct. The ♦ ace was fine (by the way), but the rest of your hand was a minimum. Think "Splinter is a one shot picture bid to describe a very particular sort of hand". Otherwise, just bid zee hand. Good luck, and good bridge.

:) Any allowances for table feel here? Reading pard is illegal, and you have to bend over backwards not to do this, but opps are fair game. It's either jdonn's heaven or 2♣ is obvious. If you can't sense the difference you need to take up high stakes poker. I have a Tuesday night game that's just for you. Come on by.

:) Why did partner pass 3♠, then double 4♦ in the pass out seat a contract which is not even game? Has to be prepared to double 4♠ as well. Seems impossible. Where are his tricks? You have not bid. Q.E.D. he must have the ♠ ace. So, I lead a ♠ and hope declarer has one, else we are screwed. Seeing dummy pard will cash whatever round suit tricks live, and my natural trump trick will beat the hand.

:ph34r: Amen Fluffy. Little known basic rule. Walk the dog against weaker players. Preempt better players. Holds for other types of hands as well. In short, if they are good: "makem guess". If they are bad, "makem figure it out".

:P With 5♠, I wud have bid 1♠ over 1♥. Overuse of the negative double at the 1 level irritates me no end. No need to gamble, just bid zee hand. I truly prefer the old fashioned sputnick double where u can bid 1♠ on 4 pieces if they are good enuf to play opposite 3 small. I am nv and at the 2♠ level on an undisclosed and playable 7 card fit early in a competitive auction - sweet.

:P Thanks for the sensible and thoughtful reply. I very much like your first two ideas. The second would be easier to program. flags are a bad idea.

:D P or 3♣ depending on the state of the match. Pard is advertising 1-3-5-4 distribution with a good 15 up to 17 HCP. 3♣ figures to make safely enough. Chances to barbeque 2♥ look pretty good, but once in a while it will make. If we are winning comfortably I bid 3♣, otherwise with 23 HCP + or - and they have only seven trumps (usually) I pass, He did not open 1NT with 15-17 HCP, so his chances of being 2-2-5-4 are reduced. Also, he is not supposed to value finessible heart honors for his double.

♦ :D 3 or 4♦ was my choice before i saw the actual hand. You want to, (1) if possible, buy the contract in sme number of ♥, and (2) if not, set the best possible stage for either you or pard to know what to do over 4♠. Pard will infer your ♠ shortness. He can't know about your 5th ♦ unless you tell him.

:D Some of us would like to use BBO to find partners for our local games and regional tournaments. Adding a small state/provincial flag option to player profiles would facilitate that. Potential local partners could find one another and explore their parnership online. I think it would help BBO's business as well from the word of mouth at local clubs and tourneys.

Your lead?[hv=d=s&v=n&s=sa43h9865daj104c62]133|100|Scoring: MP P-3♥-Dbl-P P-P[/hv]

:angry: 2♥ That's a REALLY ugly 10.