jdeegan

:P Perfect analysis imo. Our presumed 5-3 ♥ fit is a dog's breakfast if partner has a stiff diamond. 3♦ is a great bid because it jams their spade auction, but I'm afraid it may mislead partner. What will partner take this bid to mean? The hand seems too strong to be a classic WJS.

:D 6♠ is about all you can do now. 6♦ is an interesting bid, but I wouldn't do it because it will put too much pressure on partner who (aside from the ♥ ace which he can show by bidding 6♥) won't know what is needed for seven. I don't want to waste his energy stewing over an impossibly ambiguous question. I think you missed a good bid on the previous round of bidding - try 4NT. You do not have two quick losers in any suit. If you play RKC, as most do nowdays, the answer will tell you all you need to know. When partner shows two controls, you bid six, when he shows three, you find out about kings. You have no worries about the trump queen since you have 11+ spades. Either red king is the thirteenth trick. This is a hand where you are in the catbird's seat and must take control of the auction ASAP.

:lol: Sounds like you are pressing a bit too hard. Bridge is a highly competitive game, but unlike physical sports, it doesn't burn adrenaline. This is why trying too hard can work against you - although you have to remain sufficiently motivated to win. A leading woman player of the 1960's and 70's - Imogene Hawes from Ft. Worth, Texas - explained this to me once. When you achieve the right mental combination of engagement and detachment - constructing 'representative' hands is not too hard with practice. Indeed, Larry Cohen's advice for applying the LOTT over a preempt and partner's double is to start by assuming partner is 4-4-4-1 with the stiff in preempter's suit. In the problem hand we have here, we know quite a bid about partner's hand. 4+♥, no more than 3♠, 8+ HCP, but likely less than 12 HCP. You don't need to construct that many hands to see that most leave you at least three losers. N.B. Always remember Hamman's advice - never make a game or slam try that requires the 'magic' hand.

:) Pass Doesn't anyone construct hypothetical generic hands for partner anymore? Like - the perfect 8 HCP or a random 10 HCP. Perfect 8: 4♠ could make, but unlikely-we are down one or more in ♣ or ♦ xx Axxx Jxxx Kxx Random 10: We are down one at least - they do not rate to make 4♠ Qxx Q10xx Kxxx Kxx Other Hands: We almost never make 11 tricks - they occasionally make 10 LOTT: 18 or 19 tricks - We usually make 9 or 10 - only the our 9 when total tricks is 19 combination favors bidding on. If I pass, and partner has something unusual, then HE can take a push.

:) 3♠. IMO partner's 2♠ bid was automatic. Sound bidding wins the board with the actual hand even though the spades were 4-1 and pard had four small. The LOTT suggests 17 or 18 tricks. Justin and his pals bid the same way with no apparent reservations. Whadda ya want for further evidence, a 100 hand simulation?

:) I bid 'other' so as not to affect the forum's vote. On the actual hand, my partner made the atrocious bid of double. My hand:[hv=d=w&v=n&s=s542haj976dj93cq8]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♥-Dbl-1♠-P 1NT-Dbl-2♥-Dbl P-P-2♠-Dbl P-P-P[/hv] I hit 2♥, and when 2♠ came back to me, I envisioned partner as being 4-0-5-4 or 4-0-4-5 or the like with 13+ HCP, so, DUH, I hit 2♠. We held it to three.

:) A 1NT rebid shows a minimum opener and a balanced hand (4-3-3-3 or 4-4-3-2 or 5-3-3-2 or possibly 5-4-2-2 or even 4-4-4-1 [with the singleton in partner's suit] shape). Its range should be your minimum opener up to the same hand plus a king. Adjusting the Milton Work 4-3-2-1 count to reflect real bridge hand valuation is one of the steps involved in moving from the intermediate to the advanced skill level. The ability to count hands with some facility is the other.

B) You have produced an excellent example hand to illustrate the advanced art of modifying the classic Milton Work 4-3-2-1 point count method to reflect the true worth of a bridge hand. I suggest the following adjustments: 1) add 1/2 point for each ace - aces are undervalued in the 4-3-2-1 count 2) subtract 1/4 point for each queen or jack - these are overvalued 3) add 1/4 or 1/2 point for useful 109 or J10 or J109 holdings in combination with higher honors in a suit. 4) add 1 point for a small doubleton with three trumps in support of partner's suit - (also, tho not applicable to this hand: 11/2 with four trumps - 3 for a small singleton with four trumps - 5 for a void with four trumps) On this basis, your hand is worth 15 and 1/2 or 1/4 adjusted points for no trump and 16 and 1/2 or 1/4 for spades. A suggestion made in a previous reply to this thread that you open the hand for 1NT playing a 15-17 range is right on target, and it would have avoided the awkward situation you find yourself in now. Of the choices now, 1NT is a considerable underbid. 2♥ virtually guarantees a six card suit with a minimum - not at all what you have. 3♠ is OK strengthwise (it shows 16-18 support points for spades), but you should never bid this with only three card support because it commits the hand to be played in spades. 2♠, a slight underbid, is my choice - but if it goes pass-pass and the opponents balance, don't bid 3♠ just because you have extras - you probably do not have enough trumps.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sk98hkda10762ck1043]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♥-Dbl-1♠-P 1NT-???[/hv] MP's against typical opponents opposite competent partner.

;) I normally like the idea of placing partner with some (i.e. more than one) generic hands when analyzing bidding problems. My problem with this one is that versus most experienced opponents, it doesn't exist. With nearly half the high cards and a nine card heart fit, they haven't raised hearts. True, lho may have a 6 or 7 bagger in hearts, but this is low percentage. The odds that partner is strong and off-shape looks greater than normal. If I bid 1♠, the odds are small that it will go all pass, and we will be in a bad contract - my main worry. So, 1♠ makes sense to me.

:rolleyes: 2♠. More ways to beat the hand. Partner's expectancy is to hold two cards. Heat lead requires ♥KQ. Club lead requires ♣ AQJ + length. ♠ 2 lead requires ♠A OR ♠Q and ♣A. Declarer's tank could mean anything, but given his apparent lack of a ♦ filler, it is consistent with a shaky ♠ stop like Qxx. Please don't tell me that the ♠Q shows up in the dummy.

:) 4♠ seems clear with 10xxx in ♦. Slam is too remote. You need the 'perfect' 19 HCP - nothing wasted in ♣. "Never buy gold on the end of the world" - anon. "Never try for slam if you need the 'magic' hand" - the world's greatest bridge player

:) No reason I can see not to open 1NT - it is good you don't have any minor honors in your short suits. I can offer three observations about opening 5-4-2-2 hands with one 10-12 HCP NT. (1) the LOTT works just fine for 5-4-2-2 hands. Your odds of not having an eight card fit are 6% versus 9% when you open a 4-3-3-3 hand with 1NT. When you open a 10 HCP NT first seat, the opponents will have a significant edge in high cards about 1/3 of the time. You may have to escape into your eight card fit, so it's great that your odds of having one is higher than average. (2) once in a while your partner will have a mirror hand with the same two doubletons as you have. If the opponents double, your escape is easy, but when the points are evenly split and it goes all pass, the opponents may run the first ten tricks. I still remember the first time this happened to me. (3) minor honors in your doubletons are potential bad news, esp. if you are vul. and the opponents are capable. These may become negative adjustments in your LOTT equation. The opponents double, and you escape into an eight card fit only to find yourself in a 14 or 15 trick hand.

:) 2♥. Classic strong jump shift. Just ask yourself three questions: (1) Will this hand produce a laydown small slam opposite a perfect minimum(s)? (2) Do I have a two suiter such that the final strain is in doubt? (3) Is my suit long and strong - a good source of tricks? If #1 is yes - and a small family of "perfect" mins is much more better. If #2 is no - don't use up bidding space you may need to establish your best fit If #3 is yes - pard will value minor honors in your suit like aces and kings. Then the classic jump shift is for you when playing SAYC. Playing 2/1 is another story altogether.

:) :P 6♠ with the worry that it might propel them into a makable grand in clubs after a spade void-showing forcing pass. If they bid seven clubs and partner doesn't double in front of me, I'm taking the push to 7♠. If they have the spade ace and 13 tricks and bid 7NT, too bad. LOTT promises lottsa tricks. We seem to have 12 ♠. They likely have 9 or 10 ♣. There is a spade void. All this adds to 22 or 23 total tricks, so our save figures to be cheap enough.

:) :) :D The vote for Pass versus bid was 7 versus 10. I think this reflects the fact that this hand is, given the adverse vulnerability, on the cusp. In this particular case, balancing worked out well for us, only because the opponents were extremely 'moderate' in their defense and allowed our poor contract to make. [hv=d=w&v=b&n=s753h765d8ck109854&w=sk42ha43daj94caj2&e=sqjhqj108d7653c763&s=sa10986hk92dkq102cq]399|300|Scoring: MP 1NT-P-P-Dbl P-2♣-P-2♠ P-P-P[/hv] Decent defense gets 3♥, 2♠, 1♦ and 1♣ for down two. Perfect defense can do even better.

[hv=d=w&v=b&s=sa10986hk93dkq102cq]133|100|Scoring: MP 1NT-P-P-??[/hv] ;) :) MP's against moderate opposition. You are not playing any convention in the pass out seat over 1NT. Do you balance? If so, how? Also, do you recommend playing a convention in the pass out seat on this auction? If so, what? Would it change your bid on this hand?

B) B) :P [hv=d=n&v=n&n=skjhk72daj103cj832&w=s107542h105dq74ca54&e=sa9863haj4d98ckq6&s=sqhq9863dk652c1097]399|300|Scoring: MP 1♦-1♠-Dbl-2♠ P-P-3♦-3♠ P-P-P[/hv] The full hand should have turned out to be pretty pedestrian. LHO took the easy push to 3♠ and the auction should have proceded as shown. Alas, North found the nullo call of 4♦ (despite spade honors and only four ♦) - passed out for down three (might have been down 4) - -150 vs. -140 in 3♠.

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sqhq9863dk652c1097]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♦-1♠-Dbl-2♠ P-P-???[/hv] :( :( Playing 2/1 with competent partner against moderate opponents. Partner could have bid either 2NT or 3♥ (good/bad 2NT) to show four ♥. Am I too weak to compete?

;) The situation you mention was, indeed, the case here. However, I think partner's hand was way below expectations. With four, much less five, cards in one of the red suits, LOTT favors us at the two level. If pard had had four good clubs, she might have passed for +200 for us. I wanted to bid over RHO's 1NT, but I couldn't stand clubs. Plus, I had no time to think, as a slow pass is the worst possible bid in that situation.

:D Thank you for such excellent responses. To summarize your lessons: (1) the safety and flexibility of a 2♦ call slightly outweighs having superior spot cards in hearts (2) bid cheerfully - never telegraph any distress These are subtle points, but they represent valuable bridge lessons for players trying to learn the game. On the actual hand, my partner - an excellent player who recently won a National pairs event with a non-pro partner - decided on 2♥ and was not quite poker-faced. My RHO, with a recent club championship to her credit, found a matchpoint double with: x A9xx 10xxx A10xx The defense was opponent-proof for -200 versus their part score. The entire hand: [hv=d=e&v=b&n=sa62hj543dakj9ckj&w=s3ha962d10875ca1042&e=skq854hkqdq2c9753&s=sj1097h1087d643cq86]399|300|Scoring: MP 1♠-P-1NT(forcing)-P 2♣-P-P-Dbl P-2♥-Dbl-P P-P[/hv]

[hv=d=w&v=b&s=sj1097h1087d653cq83]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♠-P-1NT(forcing)-P 2♣-P-P-Dbl P-???[/hv] :) MP's against average opponents with competent partner. LHO's 1NT response was forcing. Early in the session. What do you do with this discouraging collection?

Niceties will not prevent getting slammed for the arrogance of proclaiming "all bridge knowledge" in your post. Obviously, the point in reversing is to force partner to bid again, but since he is going to do that already why waste room with an ignorant rebid on a 5-card suit if you are lucky (don't even get me started on the 4441 hand.) :) :) :D And to anyone who says reverse should not show extra, I'd say to them I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell them - I'd point out the error of their ways but they'd be too dimwitted to understand it so why bother. :P :D You would be arrogant too - if you were me. Actually, I am only summarizing Mike Lawrence. When it comes to 2/1, Mike is, pretty much, "all bridge knowledge".

:P 5♦ looks to me like the best shot. Give partner a seven point min like: xxx Qx Qxxx Kxxx and we are down one versus their 4♠ probable make-stiff ♦ and no club lead - were you expecting a club lead? One extra trick, and we make the vul game. Of course, we could get killed when 4♠ and 5♦ both go down, but I expect pard to be at least 4-4 in the minors even for a one level neg dbl over 1♥-1♠-dbl - is this a reasonable assumption?

[hv=d=s&v=b&s=sj72hkq42da9caj72]133|100|Scoring: MP P-P-1NT-P 2♦-P-2♥-2♠ P-P-???[/hv] :) MP in a BBO indy. 15-17 NT openers. UR bid.