Apollo81

You can certainly play 2♦ as 0-7 or waiting positive.

On a more serious note I would bid 6♥

i am interested in reading the 52 pages in your notes on this ... do you have a link? Roflmao. You asked for that Apollo! I guess so =)

I have 52 pages in my notes about this auction let me check them

covering would not have even occurred to me here

5NT pick a slam

I either make a takeout double or a forcing pass depending on what double means in my partnership.

This is difficult in vaccum. I usually use whatever read I have on the opponents to solve these types of problems at the table. If I was really not sure then I would lead partner's suit.

2♥ now. Out of all the partners I have ever had I am the least disciplined with regards to preempting and even I would not open this 2♥ (and don't consider it a decision)

Red IMPs I would bid 3♥ (or whatever shows a 3 card limit raise) MPs I would bid 2♥. If I was a PH I would bid Drury regardless of scoring/vulnerability.

For better or worse, we play 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ promising 5+♠, so I guess 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ is out of the question with our methods. Yeah not many people play what I suggested. Playing 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ as art. GF, how do you show weak 5♠-4♥ hands? With what type of hands do you think the 2♥ art. game force gains? loses? I play 1♦-2♠ is a hand that would bid 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ in standard methods and that 1♦-2♥ is a hand that would like to do that but is too weak. The pluses are: (1) 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ can be used as an artificial game force (2) we can show a weak hand with the majors. We can also do that in standard if partner is sporting enough to rebid 1NT, but we're out of luck if partner rebids 2m. The minuses are: (1) these auctions require really good hand valuation skills for both opener and responder (this is not as easy as it seems) (2) 1d-2M can no longer be used as strong, weak, 3-way, etc. which are all helpful as well (3) good agreements after 1d-2M are required to ensure that you don't have system losses

For better or worse, we play 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ promising 5+♠, so I guess 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ is out of the question with our methods. Yeah not many people play what I suggested.

a. 1♠ b. probably 5♦ c. RKC Playing 1♦-1♠-2♦-2♥ as an artificial game force would help here.

partner doesnt have his 4♣ bid IMO

It's actually not the 3NT bid that was so bad, it's the 2♠ bid. This is like a reverse and shows a strong hand, and partner was obviously confused about that. You were probably trying to get out with 2NT and he thought you had an 11-count with a diamond stopper.

South gets most of the blame. Looks like inexperience with strong club.

agree

If asked to describe this bid I would say "wide ranging" xx x xxx AKJ10xxx is probably a GF Kx x Qxx KQxxxxx is probably 1NT....3♣

After 1♥-1NT-2♦, if you hold a 6-count your options are: 1. pass; this generally shows 2 or more diamonds than hearts since partner is commonly 5-4 in the red suits. 2. 2♥; the most common hand is a minimum response with a doubleton heart and less than four diamonds. Responder may also hold 3-card support for hearts but only with a very very minimum response (otherwise would just raise 1♥ to 2 to begin with) The problem with bidding 3♣ is that it is the same bid you would make with a 10-count with 7 clubs. With only 6 HCP I'd prefer one of the above options. edit: After 1♥-1♠-2♦, you can also rebid 2♠; this shows a minimum response with at least 6 of them

I'd also respond 1NT if playing this way.

I've never held 0725 shape before.

I like 1♦ because of the spade situation and the fact that this hand is sort of in between a 1NT and 2NT bid...I can't decide which.

After 5NT, I would think something like xx Kxx Kxx KQxxx would qualify for a 7♥ bid and that something like xxx Kxx Kxx Kxxx would qualify for a 6♥ bid. The actual hand is somewhere in between so I think 6♣ is fine.

I haven't and don't need to look at the hand given or any of the posts to respond to this question. Use RKC when you intend to bid slam as long as you're not off two keycards. If you aren't sure whether or not to bid slam upon discovering that you hold all the keycards, then you shouldn't have bid RKC.

3♠. Bidding 3♥ would not have even occurred to me with that terrible suit.