oldman5757

Run the ♣ 9 and then the J. If RHO wins either of these and returns a ♦, we need 4 ♠ tricks. Cross and finesse. If RHO wins the 1st or 2d ♣, and doesn't return a ♦, win a ♠ return in hand, and lead a ♥, playing for split honors. If LHO pops an honor, win it and force out the remaining honor. If RHO returns a ♣ after winning the K, take the ♠ finesse. If the ♣ J wins, abandon them, and play for split ♥ honors, either by finessing 2x, or by forcing out the remaining honor if LHO pops with one. This is fine if ♦'s were 4-4, and only loses if they were 5-3 and LHO started with both ♥ honors. It's occurred to me that maybe ♦ were 3-5 to begin with, but if so, I think I'm beat! I'm not sure how deep this analysis is, but I think it's how I'd play ATT. :lol:

There's certainly a very good argument for blasting 3N with this hand, and, as a fan of simple, I'd probably stick a ♦ in with my ♥'s and bid that. On the auction as given, I don't agree with the 3 ♣ call (or the later 4 ♣ call for that matter). I'd have bid 3 ♦ over 2♠, confirming a stop. The auction could obviously go in a lot of different directions from here, but a common one would be for P to bid 3♥ showing a partial stop and asking you to bid 3NT if you complete the stopper. :)

This is my first poll, so I hope I haven't messed it up. From a club game, both V at MPs, opps are silent. P bids 2♠ and you hold: ♠ ♥ K94 ♦ AKQ872 ♣ QJ64 Using the methods shown, what is the best action? Would other methods work better? :)

I don't see much point in the X. If P had 4 ♠, he'd have raised. So, for me, it's 3♦ or pass, and I wouldn't like it, but I'd bid 3♦. On a good day we can make it, or maybe they won't X (I know they did), and we'll only go -100. Of course, we may be -200 even without the X. Really close. :ph34r:

Ouch, but not really sure what the X was supposed to accomplish? If you pass, wouldn't P's next call suggest a lead? If P x's, wouldn't that suggest a need for an unusual lead, either a ♥ or ♦ on this auction. I'd lead a ♦ if he x's. Pass indicates no need or preference for unusual lead, so wouldn't you then lead ♣ A? Just asking. :P

Agree. There is just too much to find out. Does P have ♠AQ, ♥ A?, ♦ K? Wasted ♣ values? Exclusion, even if executed correctly with both P's on the same page, doesn't decisively solve all of these problems. Not to mention that opponents may yet interfere. I am much more worried about an overly complex auction leading to a hopeless 6NT or 7 ♠ than I am about whether P has the perfecto that might let us make 7 ♠, or maybe 7 ♦. Six ♠ is enough for me. :D

Some would certainly reach game by bidding 2 ♥ over the 1 ♠ call. A very large # of players, perhaps even a majority, as N would simply bid 2NT over S's 1NT response, and then game is also reached very easily. However, if a 2NT raise shows 18-19 hcp, then, IMO, the bidding is correct as shown thru N's 2NT call. With a good six card ♥ suit, however, and a working ♦ Q, and V at IMPs, S clearly owes N another call, and the only question is what it should be. While I agree that S must bid here, I think we are dismissing his problems too easily. 4♥ or 3NT could look very silly if N is 5-1-4-3, which is quite possible on this auction. To cater to that possibility, I'd bid 3 ♣ non-forcing. N will almost never pass this, and if he does, it may well be ok because we aren't fitting. Much more likely is that N will take a preference with 2 ♥, so we can bid 4, or N will bid 3NT, which we'll pass. :lol:

N is to blame. S's bidding is textbook Precision showing a strong, shapely 14-15 (maybe even a bad 16), and I agree with others that N has an easy 3♠ call, which is probably the best way to reach slam. I wouldn't even bid 3NT at MPs. I also agree that it's not a good idea to upgrade two suiters in order to open 1♣ unless you've really got some sophisticated tools to handle the auction thereafter. In fact, you could give S the ♠ J and the ♥ J and I'd bid it exactly as shown, altho others might choose to open 1♣. :)

I thought this was an interesting little hand. Anyway, yes, ruff the opening ♥ lead and play ♠ AK. If trumps are 3-1, cross to ♣ A (LHO plays the 7 and RHO the 8), pitch a ♣ on ♥ A, and ruff the last ♥. Now you can try putting RHO in with a 2d round of clubs (playing him for Jx or Qx), or better, the third round, and if successful, he is endplayed. Making 4. If trumps are 2-2, we should try to make 5. You can play along the elimination lines above, but simplest, and probably best is to play for a favorable ♦ layout. Run the ♦ 9, playing LHO for the 10. This succeeds as RHO wins the Q and can cash the A, but LHO's 10 will fall, enabling you to pitch 2 losing clubs on your 2 ♦ winners. Your play would also have suceeded if LHO started with 10xx, instead of 10x. <_<

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=s7652ha104dk4cak64&s=sak983hdj987c10532]133|200|Scoring: MP 1♣ (1♥) 1♠ (3♥*) 4♠, AP[/hv] * = preemptive Opening lead is ♥ 6. What's your plan? :blink:

Double, then double runout to ♦'s. We can probably get it 500, or maybe 800, and if not, 300 isn't a disaster. 3NT would be a much closer call if we were V. :blink:

The Aussie auction went something like this, I think: 2♣ 3♥ (transfer, promising 7 solid spades) 3♠ 4♣ (no doubt intended as a cue, but...) 6♣ 6♠ 6NT all pass One of the commentators observed that if you spend much time practicing for hands like this, you're wasting your time. There's no good way to bid 7-5 freaks especially opposite a 2 ♣ opener. I like the transfer over 2 ♣ showing the solid suit. After P's forced 3♠ response I'd like to think I'd have justed blasted 6 ♠, but I might have tried 5 ♦. I really have no idea how P would take that. :blink:

[hv=d=s&n=skqj9764hdj10976cj&s=sahkq984dak52caq9]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] This came up in Aussie match I was watching. How would you bid this in your partnership? Would anyone playing SAYC or 2/1 not open 2 ♣ with the S hand? Does that help? FWIW, N/S ended up in 6NT, which has no play since RHO holds ♦ Qxx. (Well, almost no play. If LHO leads a ♣ away from the K, you can win the J and run the ♦ J. ) Where would your partnership end up? :blink:

I'd certainly have bid 3 ♣ at my first turn. It seems right now to bid 5 ♣ whether this is an invite or advancing the preempt, but I just hate to get a minus playing 5 of a minor at MPs. Think I'll pass, and decide what to do if it comes back to me. :ph34r:

6 ♣ seems right. They are guessing at the slam level and may go down if P judges to let them play there, and we shouldn't get hurt too badly if they X. :)

At one level, this is a simple question and answer. P's 4♥ cue asks for a control and we have good trumps, the ♦ K, and should therefore show it. WTP? As a non-expert, to me the first problem is that shouldn't 5 ♦ show a first-round control, and indicate slam interest, even though my earlier 3 ♠ bid limited my hand? I don't think that my failure to bid game denies ♦ A. What would I have done with AQ10xxx, Jx, Ax, 109x? The second and related problem is that showing the ♦ K could therefore easily lead to an unmakeable slam or even a grand off an A. I'm just going to bid 4♠ in tempo. If absolutely the only thing P needs me to have, in addition to my good trumps, is a 2d round control in ♦, would he not ask for it specifically by bidding 5 ♣? Now, with the control and with my good trumps, I'd accept and bid 6 ♠. Even if P produces a monster like Qxx, AQJx, Jx, AKQJ, slam is only 50-50. Presumably if P had any ♣ or ♥ length, he'd have shown it instead of the generalized cue in support of ♠. ;)

I waffled all over the place on this one, and then missed that this was MPs. So cancel my X, and count me for 1NT. ;)

Eugene's line looks exactly right to me. There is a variation if RHO leads a 3d ♦ after winning a ♣. Now we immediately take the 2d ♣ finesse, and run the ♥ J. After it wins, we leave the ♣ A in dummy and ruff a low ♣ in hand. Since the A ♠ is still in dummy, we can drive out the ♥ Q. In this one case we could succeed even if ♣s were 4-2 to start, altho a ♠ shift by RHO is certainly much more likely than a 3d round of ♦s. I just thought this was a neat little hand. Nothing clever, just recognizing what you need and playing for it. Not too hard to see that success is possible if LHO holds ♣ KQx, but you must look a little deeper to succeed against R9x with LHO. ;)

[hv=d=e&v=b&n=sa543hjdj76caj875&s=s1098hak109764d5c104]133|200|Scoring: IMP P, 3♥,X,4 ♥ all pass[/hv] Who knows why P decided to bid 4 ♥, you can ask him later, but your job now is to make it. LHO leads ♦ A and continues with the K. What is your plan? If at some point you take a ♥ finesse, you will eventually learn that RHO started with ♥ Q832 :)

Well, so far, I am the only 1 ♠ bidder, and I guess my feeling is that, except for my xlnt ♠ suit, this is quite possibly the very worst 19 hcp I ever saw. It's really only about 15, if that. if P can't advance over 1 ♠, what are we missing? I don't see how X really helps much. Yes, I can bid 2 ♠, over P's 2 level response, and that describes my values -- sort of, kinda, but how will P possibly judge how to proceed? The favorable vulnerability makes the problem tougher, but I think I have to make a try for + 420, and IMHO, the best way to make that try is by bidding 1 ♠ now. If I get a raise, which is what I really want to hear, I can make a game try with 3 ♦. If P bids 4♠, we should have a good chance to make it, and if he retreats to 3 ♠, maybe I can make that. :)

You're not missing anything. It's just a matter of partnership agreement. I think the default in 2/1 is that 2♥ shows a balanced minimum without a good 4 card second suit, and no extra ♥ length, but playing 2NT as minimum/maximum, or playing it as showing 15-17, as I prefer, are all fine with me, as long as I know that's the way you or anyone else plays it. IMHO, it's just one of the MANY areas in 2/1 that's not well defined, so you have to agree on it, and it's the very first question I ask in any new 2/1 partnership. :)

Strongly agree with 4NT, but I have less sympathy for the responsive X. If P bids 4♥, then we are just guessing what to do next. 4 ♦ isn't forcing, and pass puts far too much pressure on P to reopen. 4NT is the most descriptive bid we can make, and if P decides to move, at least he knows that I have some probably wasted ♣ values. I think 4NT is probably making, and if it's not, who knows whether anything else is. We'll have another problem on the next round if P bids again, but I'll try to get it right on this round, so P can make a better decision. I wouldn't be shocked if my LHO now bids 5 ♣ and makes us guess again. :rolleyes:

Also, sometimes worth leading at MPs when you fear giving up an overtrick.

Easy pass, and I'll very happily take +170 right now, and will bet that even +140 will be average or better. I'd invite V at IMPs by bidding 3 ♦, but the risk of a minus is just too great on these cards at MPs. :)

I expect that is exactly what happened. If S rebids 3♦, N jumps to 5♦, and now, S will surely try 6 ♦, and get lucky. I'd be in 4♥. :)