Hanoi5

Well if double means two places to play, that's OK. But if you double and partner bids 3♦ over 2♠, what will you do? 2♥ turned out to be a terrible choice in this particular hand, does it make any of the 2♥ bidders change their mind towards a more 'flexible' bid?

Why did I bid 4♠ on this hand? Are clubs and spades mixed? I pass and lead a small club.

What was partner's hand? Would 5♣ have been better?

3♥ from me, too. Maybe 2 is enough but our hand was very close to not passing before. Problem with 3♥ is that partner won't be able to bid 3♣, so 2♥ could be better.

Well I simulated 100 hands where opener had from 7 to 9 hearts headed by at least KQJ or AK and up to 12 HCP while advancer held 6 to 8 spades and 11 to 15. According to this simulation you score for your side 85 times if you let them play while you only score 48 times if you play at the 5 level. However, you win 23 imps (total of 100 hands) by bidding on instead of doubling; this is of course because in 15 deals they'll make 4♠x which is REALLY bad, especially since you could save. So do you look at the imps or at the plus side of your score card? I also checked what happened if you didn't double and then you'd win more than 300 imps by bidding on (compared to doubling). I suppose the imps are the important thing anyway, right?

I'd double and lead the ♣K.

Maybe this calls a singleton/void asking bid, which I believe is 4♦. However many things can be wrong, especially 'cause we don't have a source of tricks except for our hearts, so a pass might be in order if I can't ask about shortness (and maybe even if I can).

I voted for 2♠ probably for the same reasons as Mosene, but on second thoughts 2♥ might just be enough since partner has quite a number of spades (probably) and just a few HCP. With better suits (T9's in both ♥ & ♣) 2♠ would surely be better.

I'm really bold or crazy in this sort of situations and usually get to 6, either by keeping on trying or by just jumping to the slam. It's certainly not a good approach, especially with this hand, terrible things could happen, some of the most obvious are that KJ of spades are badly placed or the ♦K lead might be even ruffed by preemptor's partner! Our hand has LOTS of points but as someone said once, points don't take tricks, and in this hand we might even be playing against a 'mirror' hand and then there might be no way to make the slam. Of course, you could say that this is a very pessimistic approach but being over-optimistic is just as bad. I think this all boils down on partner's style or level. By bidding 3♥ partner showed a really bad hand (0-9 ?), but would he cue-bid on: Kx Qxxx xxx JTxx or could he have: xx Qxxx xx QJxxx Both of which give us a fairly chance of making 6 (I believe...). So partner's style is important, he should cue-bid on most hands where slam is on, and since he didn't cue-bid and I'm oh so crazy I'll give it a try again with 5♣, or 5♦ if the other cue-bid could sound some-how natural.

I'd be in dummy in this position: ♠--- ♥--- ♦AT87 ♣--- ♠x ♥--- ♦Q64 ♣ I'm gonna play a 'low' diamond from the table, and hopefully let it get to LHO, whom I deem as the holder of the ♦K. If RHO plays the ♦9 I'll have to play the ♦Q and then decide whether he had ♦J9 or ♦9x or ♦9.

This hand came up yesterday: ♠AKQT98 ♥AQ9x ♦x ♣Ax Partner was a passed hand and you opened 3rd or 4th with 1♠ and partner responded 2♣ (natural, no drury). Should you show hearts or rebid spades? At what level? Suppose your partner's next bid is 3NT, would you leave it there? I'm not sure what should be rebid with the above hand, though I'd prefer rebidding the spades. I would also prefer playing 4♠ over 3NT.

I've always had an idea of what this sequennce showed. Let's assume the double complies with the 3 normal requirements for doubles: - Very few cards in their suit(s). - (near) Opening-bid strength in HCP. - At least 3 cards in the unbid suits, usually 4 in unbid Major(s). Therefore there should be a tendency by advancer (doubler's partner) to bid unbid suits and bidding NT should be serious. So, in the sequence shown: 1S - X - Pass - 1NT Where 1S is any suit, what does 1NT show? And why?

What's 4♦? I don't think I want to gamble bidding 3♥ and then losing a game 'cause partner thought ♦Qxx was a bad holding. If 4♦ shows a 5 card support with a better hand than 1♥-4♥. I think I prefer to bid 1♥-4♥ if the previous 4♦ is not available. Would we lose a slam? Maybe, but losing a game is more likely, I'd say.

1♣-1♦, easy 1♦-1♥ or Pass. I prefer 1♥ but I'd tell a beginner to Pass as you might end up playing in a 4-3 (moysian) fit. 1♥-2♦, though having so many hearts might not be good. 1♠-2♦. Double is for people whose partnership agreements allows them to bid 2♦ over partner's 2♣. On my methods that bid would show a very nice hand, therefore I'm not doubling. 1NT- ??? It really depends on your methods. Playing DONT 2♦, but there are many possibilities besides it. I think only over 1♥ and 1NT I'd have a look at the Vulnerability, but maybe not.

Yeah, I meant that RHO had 5 hearts so he was more likely to have 3 clubs (!).

Why don't you get accreditted? Are you charging for these classes? And yeah, do it. We certainly need more people.

Half your partner's HCP's were in your suit, he had a worthless doubleton in his RHO opponent (so if anyone had values there it was you), he had a finessable honor in his LHO trump suit. Double was pretty bad, IMO, a MP decision it appears.

Very nice but you forgot something I also forgot at the table, if LHO has 5 hearts and RHO 3, and RHO has 4 clubs while LHO 3 it is better to cash ♣AK before ruffing the first heart, ain't it? So what I thought was, if RHO opens 1♥ play AK of clubs, if RHO opens 1♦ and raises partner hearts (so the lead comes from the other side of the table) then the proposed line (club to an honor, heart ruff, club to the other honor another heart ruff).

From what I understand students would pay BBO which in turn would pay you (the teacher). I think it should be easy to allw or disallow whoever from watching or taking part in a class. I think this would be a wonderful idea and we'd have a new place in BBO for teaching and/or taking lessons. I believe 10% is a good amount (from the teacher's perspective).

I'd take a shot at the 5 level in both, too. Yesterday I watched about 3 or 4 1♣-1♠-2♦ reverses in just 24 hands, amazing.

Is it too difficult? :) C'mon the lead is a heart, the Queen.

(2♠) - X - (4♠) - 5♠ - (P) - 6♦ - All Pass Although 3♦ by South is also possible and then we have Dick's auction or something like that. It's easier here than at the table of course, although if you're playing concentrated it shouldn't be so hard.

Weird, but funny. Quite a bridge personality.

I open 1♠, especially if we play drury, although expecting partner to have 3 spades might be too much.

I don't like my chances of beating 4♥, so I think 4♠ is not that wrong. True, partner might have up to 5 hearts but we might only win 3 tricks in that suit and then what? Or two and another somewhere else, or maybe the double just alerts them to the situation. Too many things can go wrong, I rather pull to 4♠.