jdeegan

;) Pass or 2♥ depending on the opponents and the state of our game. I think it is fairly close with Pass making a bit more sense against good opponents. The arguments for Pass are: 1. It avoids 2♥ doubled, down a trick or two, esp. if LHO has a stack 2. The hand is shaping up to be a misfit, and the opponents may have no place to go over 2♦. The big argument for 2♥ has been well stated by Justin and others in this forum - it's matchpoints guys. I must ask, would pard ever bid 1NT with a singleton heart?

;) To answer your original question, I would open 1♠. My logical analysis originally said to pass the hand, but I could not bring myself to actually do it. Opening 1♠ feels OK to me, but Pass makes me feel uncomfortable because there are too many ways the auction can get out of control. 1♠, by contrast, feels safe because the hand has so much playing potential.

:P In a game where RHO knows my habits, I'm going to have to split from KQx at least part of the time. What are the odds now, Prof. Bayes?

B) Why not look at it this way: South's 2♣ bid was psychic. When queried, the responder gave a correct, but incomplete answer. West did not press for further information. The ploy worked because East, with 18 prime HCP and a singleton club, never bid. You can make a note that N-S used a psychic bid for future reference, but I can't see giving E-W an adjusted score.

:D 6♠ on the first one. I echo Justin's sentiments exactly. Pass on the second one, and hope pard has something in diamonds. When did pard show enough extra values to make slam a good proposition?

:D When it comes to playing the Q from Q10x, isn't the correct answer always? Otherwise declarer will always go right since the nine is by far his percentage play if you dont 'split'. In short, you convert a sure loss into a possible win. Educate me, show me where I am wrong. jdeegan, MA, PhD, PDQ, ASAP

:P Why not bid 4♣ over pard's 3NT? If I don't get 4♦, showing the ace, then, I think that it won't be my place to drive this auction to slam. With one sure loser, the prospects of an internal loser in spades (or even hearts tho less dangerous) is worrisome. If pard has extras, it will be his place to push the hand. After 4♦, I can bid the obvious 4♥ on my way to six or even seven, probably in clubs, given any encouragement at all from pard. I figure to have a decent play for six (clubs or spades) even opposite a shabby min like: QJ9xx KJ9 A10x 10x

:) Perfect analysis. 4♦ or 4♠ commits to spades too soon given my monster club suit. 6♣ or even 3NT may turn out to be the right spot. I can always fall back on 4♠ (this may be the spot even with a 4-3 fit, though pard will nearly always have a five bagger + on this bidding) if the ensuing auction turns unpromising.

:) 2♥ and Pass. :) The very idea of bidding again over 4♠ after a 2♥ overcall smacks of a loser's desperation mentality. No doubt it would have worked on this hand, else we wouldn't be seeing this so-called 'bidding problem'. Assuming that our side should have bid beyond 4♠, it strikes me that the blame, if any, likely falls on my partner, given that I bid 1 or 2 ♥ the first time. Bridge is a game of percentages, and one cannot expect to achieve the best possible result on every hand esp. when there is a competitive auction.

;) I wouldn't think of it as forcing. An opener (who may be on a dead minimum) opposite any single raise hardly promises the balance of power. Pard knows your hand is oriented toward defense and is high card heavy for a single raise, and he did not double. Your redouble is far from the top of the range defensively. Put your heart honors in other suits and substitute three small in hearts, and you would be better defensively and just might double three diamonds at matchpoints on pure speculation. As it is, I'm happy with three diamonds and would be pleased to pass.

;) Pass. I gotta go along with Free's analysis. You shudda bid 1NT the first time. You have made your bed, so lie in it. Your hand has half its high cards in the opponent's suits. Pard figures to have some club length, hence less length in spades or diamonds, and very few high cards (the delayed alert notwithstanding). Unless you have a diamond fit, the hand will be a mess for whomever gets the bid. Why risk going for a number? Just pass and settle for a small plus score (most of the time, anyway). You made a bad bid the first time, and it may lead to a poor result for you, but compounding the error by doubling now makes no sense to me. Look at it this way, if RHO opened 3 clubs and LHO (who never lies) looked at you and said "I have an opening bid in terms of high cards and a decent fit with partner plus a heart suit", what would you do?

:( Too good for a WJS? Not good enough for a free bid? Can I make a negative dbl and bid hearts later? If I do that what would it mean? Don't tell me to play negative free bids, because I don't, won't and never will utilize that instrument of darkness.

:angry: Your question is perfect. Think of yourself as a mental athlete, and counting hands as a mental skill that you must develop the same way as a physical skill, e.g. golf or skiing. In the beginning it is very hard since you are using your normal memory methods to consciously keep track of the cards. Gradually, it begins to become something different (you may go through a period where you make errors, as in 14 card hands and suits etc.). Eventually, it becomes something that you record automatically as the play unfolds, but don't really recognize consciously unless you need it. Lay off bridge for even a week or so and this ability begins to fade. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, my boy, practice.

:angry: Since you asked. The first double stinks. The responsive double is textbook. The 3♥ bid suggests a mind totally devoid of bridge knowledge. The final pass is perfect.

:) Some number of ♠, but not four. I would need a seven bagger to bid four. Pard is a passed hand, and I have 12 HCP, so I would like to propose a 4♠ save AND barricade the bidding. 2♠ is probably the best, but 3♠ or even a quiet 1♠ look OK to me. I do like my 6-4 shape and spade texture a lot.

:) I am curious. Why does 3♠ xfer to 3NT, and 3NT show minors? It looks to me like one gets an extra bidding step by reversing the bids, which is the normal practice.

:) Pass. What me worry? I'll just stay fixed.

:) 1NT. wtp

:) The bot, oh lord the bot! Stories abound, and at a penny a point too boot. The auction went: * = a human 1♣*- P-1♦-P 2♥ - P - 3♣ -P 3NT - P - 7NT -P P - Dbl all pass The bot on lead with the diamond ace found the double. I guess bots don't play the dreaded Gerber convention and 4NT would have been quantitative. Qx Q K10xxx KQxxx I found a first chair pass nvul vs vul, opponent bot passed and my bot bid 1♠. My human doubled, and I redoubled which went back around to the other human who rescued with 1NT. I made the obvious double which rolled around to the human who rescued to 2♣. I put the hammer on it while musing what I might do when the opponents found hearts. Not to worry. My bot now bid 3♠. OK, OK I'll just settle for my easy game and bid 4♠. Funny thing happened. My bot tabled: AJ10xx A9x Ax xxx I wonder what subroutine produced the 3♠ call. Down one after my bot, having gotten an opening spade lead from the other human, forgot to ruff one heart with dummy's second trump. Alas. If only I could only arrange to play for a penny with a bot and opposite two bots, I believe I could make a modest living off it.

;) 1NT, wtp. W/O a club fit, I have a 9 HCP hand. Over 3♥, I have to bid 4♣. Is there any reason to lose my seven bagger? I don't think this is the spot to play the 4-2 heart fit.

;) 6♣ is, indeed, the spot. I just don't see how to get there outside of blundering into some lucky bidding choices. BTW one player I gave the hand to wondered what a 3♦ bid would mean over 2♠. I didn't know, but at the table, I would have surmised 10 or 11 red cards. Finally, at the table, my pard, who was having a bad day, chose to bid 3♣ over 2♠. I was tempted to give him a raise, but did not. Had my LHO balanced with 3♠, I had decided to bid 4♣, but it didn't happen (partly due, I'm afraid, to my too transparent table presence).

:)

:P Thanks for the plethora of insightful comments. [hv=d=n&v=n&s=sa104h86dj108c108752]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♦-1♥-1♠-P 2♠-DBL or 3♠-3♠-3NT (I guess) or 4♣[/hv] Either Dbl or 3♠ will work since the clubs are 2-2 (and the ♦ king is onside) so 3NT makes 11+ tricks. Would you pass pard's 3NT call on the auction given above? Most times, the Dbl will work better than 3♠ (but what if pard leaves it in) since LHO won't jam the bidding with 3♠.

:) [hv=d=e&v=n&s=shakj93daq54cak94]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♦-1♥-1♠-P 2♠- ???[/hv] You overcalled 1♥ the first time. Now what??

:) [hv=d=e&v=n&s=shakj93daq54cak94]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♦- ???[/hv] Playing in a strong field in a side game at the Nationals with a reliable partner using the normal defensive structure for pair games - 2♦ would be Michaels, jump overcalls weak, 2NT for minors. If you have a case for any bid other than one heart, please elaborate.