effervesce

Is this the same game as 'spades'?

There are conventions in 500 - 6 bids are cues, 6NT either shows the joker or a hand that wants to play in misere.

What a brilliant idea! Why don't we all play stone-age bidding methods-no conventions allowed! Then it would solve all such MI situations, saving director time, aggravation, etcetc..... Seriously, where would you draw the line? Include stayman/transfers, nothing else? Jacoby? Two way checkback? Inverted minors? In any case, we're playing with players all around the world. Are you going to stop Polish players playing a Polish bidding system? English and New Zealand players from playing Acol? Chinese players from playing precision? Oh wait, SAYC is the only 'natural' system and everything else is 'artificial' and 'designed to confuse their opponents'. :)

South can't know that north has so much playing strength- his bidding seems normal. North's first two bids are fine - can't reverse, 3♦ is an overbid while 2♦ I guess is a slight underbid, justified since partner bid 1♠ which doesn't look good for his hand. 6♦ is just a ridiculous bid-ridiculous bids pay off once in a while, but just because it works on one hand doesn't mean it's right. Tough hand to bid to 6♦ legitimately though, unless north makes a 3♦ overbid.

I like a heart lead. I don't have an entry so I want to try and hit partner's suit.

You can pretty much use a standard 2/1 framework in precision - the 2/1 method I use is 2/1 spectrum from Overview http://www.firesides.net/spectrm1.htm NT and minor suit bidding (not really needed if you're playing precision) http://www.firesides.net/spectrm2.htm Forcing NT response http://www.firesides.net/spectrm3.htm 2/1 GF response http://www.firesides.net/spectrm4.htm Summary http://www.firesides.net/spectrum.htm I like their structure as it fits very well (in my opinion) into a precision setting (as compared to other 2/1 styles). The links given are useful in that it also points out discussion points that you may want to talk about with partner - for example, the advantages/disadvantages of using 1M-2NT as perhaps a balanced GF, to make 2/1 bids 5+ suits, the use of bergen raises in a 2/1 context or invitational jump shifts, the impact of your NT range on your major suit opening, slow/fast arrival, constructive raises.

Just to get things straight. We are talking about what North would do with: ♠xxx ♥Axxxx ♦Qx ♣K10x after North South Pass 1♦ 1♥ 3♣ 3♦ 3NT ?? To me that seems a non problem pass. Huh. Non - problem pass? After that 1♦ and 3♣ jumpshift, GF, opener is extremely likely to hold 10 minor cards - 6-4 or 5-5. With the 18+ jumpshift, I'd be thinking his hand is can easily have Ax x AKxxxx AQxx or Ax x AKxxx AQxxx

I'm shocked! I thought you prefer overbidding to underbidding :P

I'd prefer 3♥. 10 tricks is a long way if we can't bring in those hearts, or have too much wasted values in clubs.

Personally, 4NT was my first thought too. It's not like you weren't going to bid to 5m anyway. What was the vul? At IMPs 3♣ then 4NT showing this 6-5 could be a better route, but this is MPs.

I hate 3♣. Give partner a heart stopper, and a diamond honor and 3NT has plenty of play. Partner is unlikely to be able to have values to bid game after you bid 3♣ - thus there appears to be almost no upside to bidding 3♣ imo - what, you want to play a partscore? 2♠ is certainly not making many tricks... +110 is worse than +150 at minimum if it gets passed out in 2♠.

Would it have been ridiculous if he had said 5/9 instead of 55.555%? Ah sorry - I didn't realise that the actual real probability was 5/9 - then in fact, 55.556% is better than 56%, but 5/9 better than either.

The problem is is that if someone says a number as xx.xxx, it technically means that they know the answer to that number of decimal places of accuracy - for example, if I said 10.00mL as instead of 10mL, 10.00mL means (at worst) 10.00mL plus or minus 0.05mL, while 10mL means 10mL plus or minus 5mL (at worst). Hence, when the kibber said 55.555%, he's technically saying the probability is 55.555% plus or minus 0.005%, which is ridiculous. For example, if a person said they walked half a kilometer - did they travel 500.000m? No, they meant 500m, plus or minus 100m (200m?) or so.

The book you refer to does omit a few things: it omits the 1C-1D response as including the 4441 8+ impossible negatives, has no systemic opening bid for a 4414 hand shape, and has the inferior 5+ clubs 2C opening. It also suggests 8+ responses to the 1D/1H/1S openings (it has been conclusively shown that the higher baseline for responding is losing bridge, and 6+ is better). Other than these few points, it's a reasonable introduction.

I'm torn between passing and 3NT gamble. RHO would often raise with Hx, so partner has reasonable chance of having a heart stopper. I'd probably pass at the table, especially at this vul-you can easily go many off. X may be right if partner bids 4m, but the chances of that arent worth the risk IMO.

3♥, inv+ with spades. 3♠ NF is underbidding, yiou could have a whole ace less for the bid.

I'm lost as to what this is about. Are you asking about pros/cons of inviting/bidding 3NT, transferring to clubs, or something else? If so, this looks like a normal pass of 1NT to me.

Revision club is perhaps not the best system for 'learning precision' - it's nowhere near how precision is commonly played, and is a bit complicated for beginning to learn to play a strong club system.

We play all of those situations as raises. 2NT isn't that great a spot to be able to stop in, and a natural 2NT bid can X then bid 2NT anyway.

Responses: 2♠ shows spades, 2NT shows a balanced invite, 3♣ shows clubs, 3♦ shows diamonds, 3♥ invitational with heart support. Bidding on here is at least invitational to game, or you'd have passed 2♥. You can make a case that new suit bids are game tries for hearts and 2NT an artificial ask though I guess, but it wouldn't be 'standard'.

Pass. You don't have great shape, and you don't want to hang partner for a perhaps enterprising bid (or help the opps bid a slam).

Whoa, you doubled 2♦ with that hand? I'd have been confused if I was your partner too - I wouldn't have expected a spade void either.

100% South. After 3♥ by north, south has an automatic 4♣ bid.

4♥ looks like an offer to play in a Moysian. Ewwwww. I don't want to play in a 4-2 super-Moysian.

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