brianshark

Maybe I'm having a slow moment, but someone explain to me how a 4th club yields an extra trump trick with partner holding anything other than AJ tight (J9 for example)?

I think it's a slam you want to be in. But as advancer, I'd probably be bidding 6♣ unless I was sure 5♥ would be taken as a cue.

I'm bidding 5♦.

Hapopy birthday Fred!

4NT - the practical bid.

I agree completely.

I think you need to disclose your agreements, not what his double means based on information that you possess that he doesn't. Example: If pard doubles a bid to show one of the top 2 honours in a suit, and you hold the K, you don't have to tell opps that your partner's double shows the A. You tell them that his double shows one of the top 2 honours in the suit.

I can't see myself bidding anything other than 3♠.

Don't bid 2/1 overcall in a lower ranking suit if you have a side 4 card suit to an honour in the opening suit. Doesn't justify, just puts it out as a theory and asks people to make up their own minds. Then gives the above example hand as an example of a time where it worked out. I find Mikeh's post a pretty good analysis on why this theory is probably nonsense.

I'm a doubler also. I think it's clear and your bad score quite unlucky. I'd go as far to say I don't want to pass specifically because I've a very defensive hand given my bidding thus far and actually want to discourage partner from bidding one more.

It looks like a penalty double situation to me. Don't know whether I'd leave it. I guess I have no choice but to leave it in.

I usually just pay no attention to the 4 card suit, or honours in it and look at the rest of my hand. If I don't have a decent suit and an honour or two outside, I'll just pass. In the hand above, I have no outside tricks so I'd just pass. I'd be interested to know what the best theoretical call is here.

While I'm now convinced that 4NT is better than 5♣ for most shapes of minors that partner can have, I'm curious why you all believe partner will bid ♣s if he has equal length in the minors. Surely 4N asks partner to bid his better minor and doesn't that mean with equal length, he will choose the one he has strength in rather than automatically ♣s? ♦AKx ahead of ♣Qxx, etc?

The bidding thus far seems... normal. I believe defending 3♥x is the best call. I'm eager to see the actual deal.

I would lean towards 3♦ because while underbidding the hand for sure, at these colours in 2nd seat, it is a smaller underbid than in any other situation. 4♦ should really imply a hand that can't realistically play in 3N... It definitely makes it near impossible to play game in NT no matter how good partner's hand is. And 3N is dangerous for the reasons Justin gave above, especially in other situations where pard has to guess whether your suit really is solid or not.

Yes it is. Slam could easily be on. Way too good a hand to jump straight to game.

I think hopping to 6 with sufficiently nice hands opposite 4M is the way I'd bid it.

I don't see why you don't just bid your 5 card suit instead of making partner clairvoyantly choose between a suit you have 4 to the Q in versus a suit you have 5 to the KJ in. Or am I the only person who can see a 5th club?

Well, discounting the freak hand that our LHO pulled on us in the actual original, as an abstract problem I think I would try to buy it in 5♦ first. I might compete to 6 if opps bid 5M or I might not, depending on my mood, how confidently they bid over me, etc. And yes, I'm fully aware I'm giving them more room to exchange information than a direct 6♦. But I think the chance of buying it in the cheaper 5♦x is worth the risk.

Natural and not sure. But since everyone here seems to be of the same opinion, maybe that makes it standard.

Oh, we're vul and they are NV? Then definitely 5♣. I initially read the other way about when passing might be worth considering.

I'm not sure how happy I'll be if pard leaves my t/o double in. I think I'll bid 3♠.

2♠ is ill-disciplined and misleading. 1♠ is normal.

I haven't seen the other thread yet. This is an automatic 3N at all vulnerabilities and forms of scoring.

Maybe if he had some hearts, and hence found a cue-bid, then slam is on, but without a heart fit, game is the limit.