jdeegan

:P 3♦ for me. If partner is weak and has only four spades, like ♠ AQxx and out, then 4♥ is the right spot. Otherwise spades should be OK. The question is how high? 3♦ is sort of a gutless bid, but I don't feel comfortable masterminding this hand on my limited information. If I do mastermind, then how is partner supposed know what to do? Obviously, 4♦ is a possible call, but to me it suggests something more like 4-5-1-3 or 4-5-0-4 with 15-18 HCP. It is a picture bid that tells rather than asks. I need partner to describe his hand. Accurately describing my hand (assuming it becomes necessary) is hard enough, the more so if I start out with a flagrant misrepresentation. We can't both be tellers. All we need for a near laydown grand is: ♠AQxx ♥Kx ♦xxx ♣Axxx

:P Pass. I am only a king better than an average minimum. One king is NOT the two tricks needed for slam. Another of Bob Hamman's maxims is never try for slam if you need the magic hand.

:P A double is NOT in the least bit crazy, imo. Heaven knows, I have kibitzed many hands of the 'modern' game among experts on BBO. The dreaded penalty double seems underrepresented, imo. On this hand, I was 'at the table' so to speak, and I would have bid 2NT in a flash. 2NT probably makes, at least with me at the wheel against defenders of moderate ability.

:P The dude is totally bogus. I AM JESUS CHRIST. What a pitiful poseur you present! Please, in the future, do not trouble us with your sorry examples.

:P The full hand from a BBO IMP Speedball Pairs: [hv=pc=n&s=st752h876d874ct94&w=sak986ha52dkt92ck&n=sqjhkqj9daq65caqj&e=s43ht43dj3c876532]399|300|BBO Speedball Pairs IMP's[/hv] Imo, this one is not a guess (see I Fought the Law of Total Tricks for guidance). The ♠QJ argues for a pass. If you must bid, then double or even bid 2NT. My pick up partner found the amazing call of 3♣. This turned our plus into a minus.

:P It is OK to read the opponents, but not partner. You also have a right to know your opponents bidding methods down to the last detail. Asking detailed questions of the opponents is OK as long as you are not doing so in order to influence partner (the slang term is UI, standing for unauthorized information). Clearly, repeatedly asking a bunch of fairly subjective and interpretive questions to the opponents slows down the game - you can overdo it, but as far as I know, it is not illegal in and of itself. In this case, it seems fair to me. You may sometimes choose not to ask a particular question in order to avoid revealing certain information about your own circumstances to the opponents.

:P 4♣. Partner has a game going hand, and he has taken control. My hand is a POS. The stiff ♦ king is bad news, for sure. Otherwise, it is a rather soft 10 HCP with a stiff ♦. No ♦ stop, no 3 NT. This leaves 4♣ as, imo, the only possible bid. At the very least, my beloved forward opponent now knows I have 3♥ and at least 5♣. If partner has the awkward 4-4-3-2 with (as we expect) no ♦ stop, then he will properly consider himself to have been screwed. Over 4♣, he does have a 4♦ bid available. This should work to solve his problem. My most likely response to this would be 4♥. With six ♣ I would bid 5♣. With 4♠ I would bid 4♠. The source of all of the confusion among the forum commenters is simple. The support double does NOT confirm ♥ as the trump suit. It does not confirm a trump suit in other support double auctions, and it does not do so here. Plain and simple, J762 opposite 943 is NOT a proper trump suit. J762 opposite 9543 or J7652 opposite 943 will do in a pinch.

:P I love your style, but after pard responds to 3♥, I don't think in a thousand years playing for money, marbles or chalk, I could resist bidding 5♦. Put another way, I don't think it is fair to ask pard to properly evaluate his hand over a 4♦ rebid. Consider that from our viewpoint, in principle, there are about one-quarter of the high cards that might conceivably be in partner's hand. We are only needing, specifically, the ♠ queen, an ace, six small spades and some luck (or other spade situations), some other small chances, or a defensive lapse for a made game.

:P 5♣ for me. The dreaded 7-5 hand is usually best treated as a one suiter, imo. Look at it this way. If partner has three cards in your 5 bagger and one card in your 7 bagger, you have two 8 card fits. BUT, as declarer your biggest threat is getting tapped out. A 4-1 (or 5-0) trump split is much more likely than normal. Playing in the 7 bagger, you have some staying power and a fighting chance to set up your side suit. 7-5 hands don't come up very often, but just a few experiences of playing in the 5-3 fit and losing control have made a lasting impression on my psyche.

[hv=pc=n&n=sqjhkqj7daq75caqj&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=pp1sdp2c2dd2spp]133|200[/hv] :P Now what, big time lucky card holder?

:P An awkward moment for me. At this exact moment, my beloved 14 year old Cocker Spaniel is apparently dying. It happened so suddenly. She was sickly but was functioning fairly well yesterday. Tonight she can barely walk. Hope is not lost, but barring a miracle, tomorrow the vet's diagnosis will confirm the worst, assuming she makes it until morning. The loss of an animal and beloved pet is no fun at all.

:P What is your recreational drug of choice?

:P LOL. My own personal 'bridge history' is older than 50 years. Charlie told me in person one morning why he quit competitive bridge. Jake and I were friends. Also Jimbo, and Judith still is. Al was kind enough to steer me off from the two cent game at his club. Bob and I played on teams together, and he used to be my insurance agent. I played with Ira both in duplicate games and at the mansion. I partied with Omar. There are many other memories too, but relating them is becoming tiresome. Tell me again, pal, what is it exactly that you want me to read?

:P My father taught me that there are three topics verboten at a cocktail party - religion, politics and family doctors (aka. sex). This WBF fiasco is not settling down. I think it is because it can't shake religion and politics. Personally, I don't give a rat's ass about the Arab-Israeli feud. I do care about our little bridge community. It got blindsided by this mess, and perhaps because of that surprise, it has not been able to do its best job of taking care of its own, at least so far. Everyone else, understandably, is taking their path of least resistance. The Hindu Balinese want to protect their tourist industry. Indonesian bridge players of all faiths (who are part of our little community) want to ride out the crisis. The Israeli government is faced with extreme political turmoil in Syria and Egypt, so it does not want to roil the pot even in this small way. The ardent Muslim faithful in the rest of Indonesia and elsewhere want to make their political points at our expense. Forget about these assholes! (other than the Indonesian bridge players, who are by definition not assholes). Please, don't be someone's 'useful idiot' braying other's propaganda like a dumb animal. Can we, please, just get together and take care of our own? I don't see any outsiders volunteering to do it.

:P As far as the USA goes, it seems to be at some kind of historic zenith for better or for worse. Politics are benign. Food is good. The women are beautiful. The right neighborhoods are safe. The right schools are good. Business is thriving, sort of. Skilled, and/or energetic immigrants with or without money are still welcomed. Public sector corruption is sort of under control. Don't offer bribes w/o knowing exactly what you are doing, if even then. In the USA, easily given offers of friendship to immigrants or to any outsiders are almost always superficial. Still, it is always very easy, once you get in, to get established initially. Easy to get utilities. Easy to get a place to live. Easy to get credit. etc. My advice, in this generation, is to come to America for your dream job, or for some other very good reason. Coming here on spec? Well, maybe, but perhaps not so much. USA is very big. Some parts are booming (esp. oil and gas producing areas). Other parts are in the outhouse. Not where you want to go.

:P In principle one can never perfectly apply the CAPM because the variability of total returns for the totality of all asset classes in unknowable. This problem has been obvious for God knows how long. Never stopped anybody from using it in its imperfect form. The 2008 debacle happened because the variability of total returns for subprime mortgages, subprime auto loans, et.al. had not enough history to determine wtf they actually were. Beta is essentially the ratio between the two with the variance of total returns for all asset classes on the bottom. Not precisely knowing the bottom part of that ratio was the least of the problem. I was there. It was like something out of a slapstick comedy. Not only did nobody know how these new loans would perform, they put them in blind, randomly selected securitization pools just to make it even harder to figure out what was going on even after the sh*t hit the fan once the teaser rates of a zillion criminally underwritten subprime mortgages started to reset. Some people thought that buying insurance from the world's largest insurance company protected them. Not so. AIG was not near big enough. Imho, the whole affair happened because of the new innovations in financial instruments. Gotta have innovation. Can't really avoid the ensuing disasters. It was as much like the Dutch tulip bubble or the John Law South Sea Bubble as anything else. Lack of government regulation wasn't even to blame. To regulate that way you gotta have some history upon which to base it. No history. No way to effectively regulate without stifling innovation.

Your side faced a real bridge problem. No reason to fret about it. Your pard had to do something lest you be stolen from. A penalty double going all pass might be just the ticket. Lots of good possibilities. In addition, you might have 4 decent spades and a game going hand (sort of unlikely on the previous bidding). Your bid of 4♠ was automatic. I tend to be a pessimist, so I would have bid 4 ♦ with the six bagger. He has what looks might be 10 tricks. 4♦ is ten tricks. Let the other schmucks guess. Or, maybe not. Double is prowling for penalties. A territory you should learn to love. Pard has fewer spades than advertised, but who knows at this point? Your pard has pretty much whatever momma ever wanted in a bridge hand. I like his defensive tricks, but not just yet. AKQ sixth in ♦ may not translate on defense. Maybe it makes me (by just a little bit) into the unfashionable 4♦ bidder. You have to bid 4♠ as the auction went.

:P Partner has taken ownership of this hand, for better or for worse. He has at least 4 spades, you have four spades or else partner has some serious fall back position. Just bid 4♠. All other calls ZERO. IMHO.

:P heart and a heart followed by another heart after the ♦ ace. Only 8 tricks since not enough entries to the long diamonds. To make 9 you have to divine that the 1NT overcaller had a stiff diamond ace - unblock the ♦ king and hook the ♦ ten. I am a pretty decent dummy player, but not that good. As is evident by the fact that unblocking the ♦ king is by far the percentage play. I was so sure of ♦ AJ doubleton. I got lazy. In my own (rather lame) defense, I had to decide to unblock before the third round of hearts presented me with a ninth trick. When you drink and drive, you endanger the innocent. When you drink and play bridge, you only endanger your partner.

:P I see what you mean. After all, Myrtle Adkins Bennett did murder her husband John after he misplayed a bridge hand. Glad to hear it is not an emerging problem on BBO.

:P Truth be known, I did spend 3 days in Bali in 2000, nice resort, poor country. Some of our companions were cousins who were Australian military. This was before Bali 2002, before East Timor, before Bali 2005 or even the threat warnings in 2010 or 2012. Funny how the Aussie cousins seemed to get it even then. I am sure you will continue to be safe. When you are rich in a poor land speeding in a car is $50. Killing a poor native accidently is $500. Vaya con dios, bro. And may you rot in Hell for your sins. We know.

:P From the Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade This Advice was last issued on Friday, 24 May 2013. It contains new information in the Summary and under Safety and Security: Terrorism (in May 2013 police disrupted terrorist groups in West and Central Java). It also contains minor changes and editorial amendments throughout. We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the high threat of terrorist attack. You should also be aware of the severe penalties for narcotics offences, including the death penalty; some specific health risks; and risks associated with natural disasters. • Pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks. • We continue to receive information that indicates that terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia, which could take place at any time. • Terrorist groups remain active throughout Indonesia despite police disruptions. Police continue to conduct operations against these groups and have stated publicly that terrorist suspects remaining at large may seek to attack Western targets. • You should exercise particular caution around locations that have a low level of protective security and avoid places known to be possible terrorist targets. See the Safety and security section of this advice for details. • Terrorists have previously attacked or planned to attack places where Westerners gather, including nightclubs, bars, restaurants, international hotels, airports and places of worship in Bali, Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia. These types of venues could be targeted again. • Australians should avoid all protests, demonstrations and rallies as they can turn violent. • Indonesia is subject to a range of natural disasters including volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods. You should pay close attention to emergency procedures and monitor local warnings. • Visitors to Indonesia, particularly to tourist locations such as Bali and Lombok, should be aware of the specific risks from crime, and from drink-spiking and consumption of alcohol adulterated with harmful substances such as methanol. Tourists may also be exposed to scams and credit card/ATM fraud (see under Crime for more information). • Petty crime, such as opportunistic theft, is common in Indonesia. Thieves on motorcycles may snatch handbags and backpacks from pedestrians. Tourists may be exposed to scams and confidence tricks in Indonesia. Legal disputes are common regarding the purchase of real estate including land, houses, holiday clubs and time share schemes. • You should exercise normal beach safety behaviour and consider carefully the risks involved in using motorcycles, including licence and insurance issues (see under Local travel for more information). • Visitors should be aware that there is a risk of rabies throughout Indonesia, in particular Bali and Nias. See under Health for advice to Australians travelling to or resident in Indonesia. • We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Central Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and West Papua provinces where additional safety and security risks exist. Since October 2012, a number of violent incidents have been reported in Poso, Central Sulawesi. • Since July 2009, there has been a series of violent attacks in the area around the Freeport Mine in Papua province. A number of these incidents have resulted in deaths, including of one Australian. Attacks were reported in the area in March and April 2013. Further such attacks could occur. Information indicates that attacks may be planned near the area of operation of the Freeport mine. • Ongoing violence in Puncak Jaya District in Papua Province has led to a number of deaths in recent years, including most recently in February 2013 in Tingginambut and Sinak. There is a possibility of further attacks in Papua and West Papua provinces, including attacks on infrastructure and national institutions. • You should telephone ahead for an appointment before going to the Australian Embassy (See Where to get help section). • Because of the high threat of terrorist attack in Indonesia we strongly recommend that you register your travel and contact details with us so we can contact you in an emergency. • Be a smart traveller. Before heading overseas: ◦ organise comprehensive travel insurance and check what circumstances and activities are not covered by your policy ◦subscribe to this travel advice to receive free email updates each time it's reissued. Just in case you missed it on the news, other terrorist activity in Bali: 2002 over 200 dead 2005 over 20 dead 2011 threat warning 2012 planned attack narrowly averted

:P I checked all three monitoring options in the poll, but what can you do with the information? Maybe an e-mail chiding the offenders for being bad?

:P This was actually my partner's hand. His pull of 1NT doubled, as several of you point out, was marginal. His opening bid was, imo, OK. I would have done it, but a pass is not out of the question either. What came next was a 3♦ call, yoicks! The full hand: [hv=pc=n&s=sa9hkjdqt8743cq85&w=skj64hat874dackt3&n=sq852hq963dk9ca97&e=st73h52dj652cj642&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1d1ndp2d2hdp3dp3nppp]399|300[/hv] Expecting a slightly different hand with a stiff heart, AQxxxx(x) of ♦ and another card, I took a shot at a vul 3NT.

:P The first guy is Dutch. He just doesn't proofread his stuff. The second guy claims to be an American named Malcolm. I think both these guys were just drunk. Still, I have been playing indies and Speedball on BBO for years and never got abusive e-mails before. It is amusing in small doses, but I would hate to deal with it very often. Two such missives in one day seemed odd.