bluecalm

The thing is partner will/should pass with 16pc balanced hand with 5card major, because my average hand for 3♠ will look like that : Qxxx xx Kxxx Jxx He will not want to play in game opposite something like that with balanced minimum and I really want to be in game every time he has this.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=shqjt85daj63cj652]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Bidding went: 2♠ pass - 4♠ - ???? I doubled here. My partner thinks I am insane. While I admit at this vul double looks kind of crazy it still isn't that bad. I think at other vul double would be clearcut winner as I think missing 9-10 card fit with void in their main suit is just too costly. Of course sometimes we go for 800 or they make an overtrick doubled but the hands where we are making something or they are making 4♠ should be enough to offset occasional big numbers. Thoughts ? :)

Obviously not but I think there are a lot of minimum hands which partner will pass with opposite which I want to be in game. Well, game being far from cold doesn't worry me too much :) My judgment is of course nowhere close world class right now but i have a feeling there is no way any world class player would bid 3♠ (good 5-7hcp, 4+♠ but non forcing) here. Is my impression wrong ?

A hand which caused the discussion was this one : ♠T762 ♥KQT83 ♦96 ♣Q8 1♣ (16+) - 1♦ (0-7) 1♠ (may be 4 if longer minor, F1) And here I made a game forcing raise in ♠. Stopping below game wasn't (and still isn't) an option for me...

I have this argument with my friend: Me (after reaching 20% game) : "Well, if I know we have 23hcp and 9trumps I am in game basically ALWAYS". Friend : "Come back to me after 10k hands and then we will talk" Me : "C'mon, I saw enough hands of world class players and they just bash games every time there are some hcp and some shape, show me one hand where world class pair stopped below game with 9trumps and 23hcp" Friend : "It only seems like that; in reality they have expert evaluation and they see things you don't see, this is why they reach so many thin games there is underlying reason for those bids which seems to be just bashes" Me: "I don't believe in this stuff; I think on most hands wc players just bash on the basis that there will be some play and they hate missing games; I realize books are written for masses and players don't give much away but for example in Meckstroth's book he seems like a guy who just want to bid games and try to make it; he doesn't care much about nitty stuff and trying to stop on 3 level. The whole precision is build around the idea that 15+8 = game every time and 11+good 12 = game every time (2/1gf); it doesn't seem like those players are much into stopping below games" Well, who is right ? Are top players just bashers or super sophisticated hand evaluators ? :)

Both practive hands. Both butchered by us [hv=d=n&v=n&n=saqj98532hakdaktc&s=st76h97532d6ck976]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Bidding (precision) 1♣ - 1♦ 2♥* - 2♠** 3♠ - 4♣ ?? 2♥ was Kokish relay 3♠ sets ♠ as trumps 4♣ was cuebid We are not sure what is the best way to show some values after 3♠. Is this a good idea to play some kind of control showing bid here (like 3NT = A/2K, cuebids with kings) or just plain cuebids ? Here opener is likely to face no play slam oppostie something like : xx xxxx xxx Kxxx which looks to be most likely hand. On the other hand he has grand slam opposite: kxx xxxx xx Kxxx Any ideas how to solve it ? On our table it went 4♠ by opener 6♠ by responder on the basis that slam has to have some play with 3card support and stiff ♦. 2nd hand: [hv=d=n&v=n&n=saqj98532hakdaktc&s=st76h97532d6ck976]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] 1♣ - 1♦ 2♥ - 2♠ 3♣ - 3♥ (??) 4♣ - 5♣ 6♣ passes 5♣ denied cuebid anywhere (ok ?). 6♦ is claim at trick 1 basically while 6♣ is below average slam. Here we have completely no idea how to bid it. Any ideas about bidding after this 2♥ relay. It seems that it's very difficult to get any precision there...

Well, I can't see which pair. Brogeland Lindqvist are probably the least known but they have already won 2008 european championship (winning butler classification in the final rounds) and they took 2nd in butler scores in 2009 bermuda bowl. I see more "questionable" pairs in USA team. All great players but some don't have much international experience as partnerships (at least not that much as most other pairs) I think Europe team is slight favorite. I will take even money if you are interested. PM !

I guess you can pass 4♥ as partner should have 6+hearts for that (you didn't t/o double so partner won't/shouldn't bid a 5card suit there) Now ? You mean by opener or responder ?

I would double and bid 4♠ to invite slam but unfortunately chances are high partner will leave the double. I don't know what 4♣ and 4♠ would mean. Anyway I feel that my hand is worth slam invite. If have no way to make it I guess I bid 4♠

Where I live penalty doubles after 1NT - 2X are long forgotten. I didn't think any reasonable partnership still plays them. Not being able to make negative double with say : KJxx xx KJxx xxx when it goes: 1NT - 2♥ - ? Is enough form e to forget about penalty one.

Hand no. 1: ♠AQ3 ♥AT ♦AQJ82 ♣Q94 nonvul vs vul; opponents are good players; 1♣ - 3♣ - pas* - pas ???? *our agreements are that dbl would show any GF without other bid; 3♦/3♥/3♠ would be game forcing so pass is 0-7 basically What do you do now ? Hand no. 2: ♠K4 ♥3 ♦AKQ942 ♣KQJ2; nobody vul; same opponents 1♣ - 2♠ - dbl - 3♠ ????? Our agreement is that dbl is 6-7hcp any shape; Is pass forcing here ? Is 4♦ forcing ? It would be a bit easier with forcing pass but we only promised 22+hcp so I am not sure if it should be (it would suck to bid anything with 17hcp and NT shape) Anyway what do you do now ?

The way we play it should be forcing. My pd reminded me that 2♥/2♠ after 1♦ would be both 5-4+ so here I only have forcing 5-5 hand because I had other bid with an invite. I guess it's not that easy for everybody :angry:

I feel strongly about first one. It should be forcing. It's easy ( I believe) to live without a way to show weak 2suiter while it would suck to double with every strong 5-5 hand (because partner may leave which we don't want and because it's difficult to describe it later in some cases). As to the second one it seems that it can be played as both forcing and non forcing. I would choose non-forcing if it's my choice but I guess most people would say it's forcing. I wouldn't pass in casual partnership.

Ok guys :) At least I tried to introduce something "new"; will do more research next time....

There are some treatments when you use 3NT in cuebidding to show things other than willingness to play. The two most popular are: a)serious/frivolous 3NT b)3NT showing a hand without shortness and cuebids being from shortness. I think those two can be improved in the following way: -if ♠ are trumps nothing changes -if ♥ are trumps the meaning of 3NT and 3♠ calls is reversed. 3NT bid after 3♠ (which is now serious/frivolous/no shortness) indicates ♠ cue. What you gain: ♠ cue is not lost due to usage of 3nt and you don't need to go above game to find out about it. Classical version: 1♥ 2♣ 2♥ 3♥ 3NT (no shortness!) - 4♣ 4♦ - here we don't know about ♠ cue My version: 1♥ 2♣ 2♥ 3♥ 3♠ (no shortness) - 3NT = I have ♠ cuebid, 4♣ would deny it. What you lose: nothing ?! Comments ? :lol:

I think that even auctions like: 1♥ pass 1♠ 2♦ pass pass 3♣ Should be purely competetive. I can't imagine passing my 6-4 there regardless of strength... Those are probably the least clear, in your example I think everything (without jump) is non forcing.

Good to hear those are not automatic openers for all of you, I thought the world went nuts. After some more hands playing the system I am more comfortable opening some 10 counts. It's amazing how often those 23hcp 3nt's have some play :) Thanks all for answers !

Ok, this is what was posted some time ago on bbo and we adopted it without any changes (yet!) and it's our 2nd day playing the system :) I saw Greco Hampson play 1NT as hearts (and 1♠ as spades but 8+ ?). There is more space in this structure so it should be easier with natural followups. I guess we can design some kind of step structure (like MR) but I would like to avoid it if there is some kind of easy and decent solution. I know people are not to willing to give away their whole systems (understandably) but maybe someone could point out the place to start ? :) Anyway, as to the hand: [hv=d=w&v=n&w=saqjthdakqj942c42&e=s732hakq75d3cak97]266|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] We had bid: 1♣ 2♦ 3♦ 3♥ !? 4♦ 4♥ (here I was a bit scared that he will pass, i believed it should be cuebid on general principles) 4♠ 4NT (rkc and we are home) 5♦ 5♥ 7♦ Contract is good but still i wasn't happy about it all. If we played 1NT as hearts then it would go: 1♣ 1NT 3♦ (running diamonds ? not interested in other suit ?) and cubids ? looks a lot more reasonable. Any suggestions how to make it work without too many complications ?

So today on BBO the following hand occured: ♠ 732 ♥AKQ75 ♦3 ♣AK97 partner opens 1♣ 1♣ 2♦ 3♦ ????? 2♦ was 12+, 5+♥; 3♦ was natural. What to bid now ? How do you deal with this sequence ? We are very high already and don't have much space left. I dont like it that 2♦ response is that high. It seems to be very difficult to find out much about opener's shape now. Any help ? <_<

For those who has some experience playing precision (5card majors, 2/1gf, RM simplified style) Do you open the following hands in 1/2 seat: (all from recent bbo hands) 1) ♠KQ63 ♥J96 ♦KJ732 ♣2 2) ♠T9542 ♥A ♦AT9843 ♣9 3) ♠Q ♥Q862 ♦K98 ♣KJ962 4) ♠T ♥AKQT7 ♦J876 ♣875 5) ♠AK532 ♥K98 ♦T32 ♣62 If you open some of them only in specific seat/vulnerability please specify those. If you have some comments about style when playing this kind of precision you are more than welcome to share :lol: All those hands were opened by one of us but we are new to this system and to be honest opening some of those seems like (pardon the poker term) a spew. One final question: do you modify your 2/1 style ? Are most 12hcp answered by 2/1 or 1NT ? Thanks for help :P

Hello, I often watch past vugraphs and I would like to save interesting hands I come across. To do this I need a way to collect interesting hands in one .lin file. Is there any way to do this? What parts of original .lin do I need to copy paste to the big file to make it work ? How big .lin file should be structured to make it viewable with all the players names/event information visible. If someone (maybe a programmer?) could help me with that it would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks for answers! I was W this hand. I thought I should've made 4♣ jump. I just forgot to think about it during the hand. After the hand I thought partner should've gone to 5♥ but maybe I was too much into : "good opps vulnerable are bidding tomake" kind of thinking. 4♠ made. 5♥ was for 300. Average for the board was +510 for NS so there was quite a few imps to win.

I am bidding game. I think invites with distributional hands aren't worth much anyway. I bid 4♥ even if I have invitational bid in my system unless somehow it's on 2level, then I can consider it but this hand is worth too much probably. EDIT: actually I think bidding anything but game is very bad

Opponents are top national players. [hv=d=s&v=n&w=st7hkt32d83ckq752&e=sa2haj7654djt9cj8]266|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Bidding went: 1♠ - pass - 1NT - 2♥ 2♠ - 4♥- 4♠ pass... 1NT is forcing; it contains either 4-6 with support or 10-11 with 3 card support Do you like W's bidding ? Do you like E's bidding? Do you think somebody should push to 5♥ (favorable vul, will be cheap) How would you deal with this hand in your methods/style ?

Well, once you think of it (or read your argument) it's seems clearly the best to pass. I admit my first impulse was 3♣ though. Gotta work on my concentration and habit of visualizing hands before making decisions.... Interesting hand, thanks.