kayin801

We use 10-a bad 14 in 3rd seat but it's in a big club context and we open almost all all 10 counts so we aren't worried about missing game, and we then just attempt to find the best contract after that. We use a 2NT response to show a hand that might make 3NT on a long minor suit that couldn't preempt before based on vul and seat, but that's our only strong move. Playing it in 1st seat, you need to be comfortable a level higher, since you'll need to invite more frequently even when opener has a min. I thought the 15-20 was interesting since you'll more frequently be safer a level higher.

2♠ is terrible, as is 3NT. Both to blame, a bit more on North since South couldn't have called 3NT otherwise. I expect some people will hate 2♣ too but that's not even close to as bad as the other 2 bids.

[hv=d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1cp1dd2d2hp3h]133|100[/hv] See poll topic. Does it make a difference depending on the strains being considered (as in, if the opponents had diamonds and spades, or hearts and spades)? Opponents were playing a convenient minor SA style, but feel free to say if that makes a difference as well. When this (fairly routine) auction came up today I took it as invitational and that's how my partner intended it, but given the cuebids we have available I wonder if that's the best way of doing things.

I don't want to be in grand.

Adam, I like the scheme you have in general. Question: With 4=6 (or 4=7) in the majors how do you bid with and without extras after 1H-2m-? When you bid a second suit, does it outright deny 6+ in the first major or does it depend situationally? I would have guessed the latter; being forced to not find your spade fit till the 3 level when opener is 46xx seems non-optimal.

[hv=pc=n&s=s92hq96dak8743ckt&w=sakj654h8542dtca9&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=3cp3sp4cp5cppp]400|300|IMPs, MBC random opps, good partner[/hv] 1) Pass or 3♦ over 3♣? 2) Suppose you pass and lead ♦A, T-6-5 (UDCA). What do you play to trick 2? Clear ♥ switch?

sohcahtoa and I use 1♦-1NT-2M, 1♦-2NT-3M, and similar bids in some inverted minor situations in the way you describe, but we play a limited 1♦ opening, and so we use it to probe for minor suit games and/or the best strain when opener has a max distributional hand with the minors (i.e 5-5 or 5431 15 count). We like it. We don't do anything special over it since we're limited and opener has pretty much described their hand at this point, but it gets us to the correct strain more often than not. relknes: in Timo's context his side has the majority of the points, and it will frequently not be safe for the opponents to come in. The person who holds the hearts could always have a couple honors there anyway, and they're going for a number against our NT or sometimes against no game!

1♣ please not 1♥, most 16+ 1♣ openers include bad 16 point hands and agree with what Chris said. 1NT is awful.

Yeah, if I get this auction through 2NT then partner PROBABLY has 4 diamonds, so 6♦ seems better, like what Adam said, since we're control rich and less seems wasted in spades.

Is our assumption that whatever we bid, partner will pass, even if it's crazy to pass? 3NT then, at least the contract is right-sided. Hopefully this partner has enough sense to not pass something that is impossible (say, 2♠, though that's of course an absurd bid) which might let us get a little more information before placing the contract.

Can you clarify my understanding on this: On your list which shows how declarers do compared to double dummy after the opening lead, everyone is at least slightly in the negative in imps/hand. I find that to be pretty interesting since I would expect the defenders to still have an impact on the outcome of the hand. Which of these conclusions can I draw from this study? 1) After the opening lead, it's easier for the defenders to find a good defense than for declarer to find a good line. 2) Declarer is in significantly more control than the defenders after the opening lead and the negative imps reflects his/her inability to see all 52 cards and the necessity to guess sometimes. 3) The relative scoring for contracts adjusts those imps lost significantly. For example, a declarer not following the double dummy line or taking a safe line will frequently just miss an overtrick (missing a gain of 1 imp), while an error costing someone a contract or a vulnerable (doubled) undertrick usually costs more than an imp. Edit: though with #3, couldn't a defender just as easily err and allow a contract to make or chuck that undertrick? Based on that chart and the initial totals, can we draw any conclusions about the relative strength of the players' competition?

X and I pass 4♥ by partner. Hopefully he has 5 or 6 of em. Not happy about it but oh well. If I want to try to play 5m then I would bid 4♠, but on a really good day partner bids a minor anyway.

4♥, thanks for keeping us out of a failing slam RHO! Edit: I think the warning signs are there, if we aren't down off the top (a spade through partner or a spade and a ruff) then there could still be a bad trump break (likely) or the inability to pitch a loser in time (less likely). We also have the option to bid 5♣ to get our 2nd suit in if LHO tries to sac in 4♠. X could get the clubs in but severely distorts our hand and doesn't solve the spade problem IMO.

If I had a way to ask about partner's shape I would invite since if partner has short clubs I want to be in game. Some hands like AQxx, Kxx, xxxxx, x are odds on, and that's not an opener. I think there's a lot more weak NTs where we have 2 heart losers, a club loser, and a spade loser though, so I'd pass.

I admit it's tempting but I feel like X will get us into too much trouble and we won't find the right strain a lot of the time, not to mention it puts a lot of pressure on partner, and 3♠ can't be right, so all that's left is pass.

South: This is a strong club auction so 2♦ is normal. 4♦ has to be mandatory since North knows South hse club wastage and could still have a monster looking for just one card. No blame there North: I don't like 4♣ but I'm torn between 4♦ and 4♠ there. Hopefully if we bid 4♦ partner will realize his clubs are bad opposite either x or xx and despite having the fitting diamond will sign off in 4♠ with no heart honor.

x, Axxx, Kxx, Axxxx is an excellent 6♥ and I don't think partner can make a move other than 4♥ with that. I don't see a great way for us to intelligently explore. Partner could also have x, Qxx, Kxx, KQJxxx in an absolute worst case scenario and A, xxxx, Kxx, KJxxx or other 1 key card hands in some normalish ones, it's far from certain that partner has 2 aces.

Who are you and what have you done with mtvesuvius?

Looks like a good place for a psyche to me, something like 1NT, maybe I can keep them low or make them bite on a X. If I were telling the truth I'd bid 4♥ but I know I'm crazy, if they find their way to slam after that wd opps, I tried my best.

This. I don't think I can describe this hand no matter what after I open 1♥ or 2♣, and while 1♣ isn't much better it will at least give partner room for optimism after I show a 2 suiter.

I'm pretty sure Adam passed both opening bid problems :)

Re-edit: I think RHO can randomize from KT but not from KJ, since they don't know who has the T when they hold KJ and when declarer holds the T they can afford to cash a top honor in dummy to clarify the situation. Declarer wouldn't play to the 8 with the J in his hand if RHO had KT, so they know what's going on at that point.

Well maybe RHO is taking a wait-and-see approach with something like AKQJxxx, x, x, Axxx, but if he isn't and just has a "normal" takeout X, then all the signs point toward partner being 4450 with a good hand, and something like Axxx, QJxx, AKxxx, - could give us slam. That having been said, anything worse or with more points but worse controls could hurt us, and our club values look wasted, AND trumps could be 4-0, so I'm just bidding 4♥.

I would have ignored the spades, as weird as that sounds. You know what they call AKQxxxx and all that. I'm punting 6♥, I'm never intelligently finding the grand here, and it might even deter them from a diamond lead since I've voluntarily skipped RKC.

I'd guess I'm already limited if I bid the first time, so I'm not worried about partner going nuts. On top of that partner won't guess a 5 card side suit if I bid spades the second time around. I'm not thrilled at this vulnerability, but I'm going for 2♠ the first time around.