rogerclee

1♠, non-problem. I am not sure what is dumber, opening this 2♣ strong artificial or opening this 2♣ 11-15 with 6+♣.

No.

1♦ totally obv. I am all for tactical NT bids, but this doesn't qualify. I am not unhappy at all if the opponents declare (especially when they are red), and my hand sucks.

No. The screens are up during the play of the hand.

Standard is forcing, many people play transfers here.

For me it doesn't. AKQJT 765432 AJ void = obvious 1♥ opener. Lying about having a 6-card minor is silly. Lying about a 6-card major is inexcusable. In fact, any opening hand with 5♠-6♥ I open with 1♥.

2N is an overbid because this is more or less the worst possible 12-count I can hold. I have nothing in partner's suit, no suit of my own, an overvalued ♠A, and ♥QJ doubleton. I play a 1NT in competition here is around 8 upwards to a bad 11. I think this hand is about as good as an average 11-count.

2NT. Kind of an overbid, but what else?

1♥. This is a non-problem. I don't see how partner's status as a PH affects my decision in any way.

2NT = 9? 3♣ = 8? lol Anyway I think passing is too serious a position at these colors. I will bid 4♣, since 5♣ should play quite well, and if 6♣ is on, this is the best way to start.

When I think of a sick bid, I think of a bid which isn't by the book but has some tactical merit which makes it worth considering. This isn't sick, it's just dumb.

I would never double 1♣, which is what I assume the OP meant.

I think my game is really inconsistent. If I am on tilt, or just in a bad mood, or nervous, I am capable of making very bad decisions. Also my declarer play = suck.

The "reverse" part of the Drury agreement comes from the fact that Drury, when it was invented, initially had 2♦ show the sub-minimum hand and 2M show the full opener. Reversing these two, which makes way more sense, later became adopted as standard.

But in the parens part he does say "in comp". So, in competition, would you ever do it? No, but I do not have agreements with my partners that 2♠ can ever show a really awful hand. I do it occasionally when partner has overcalled 1♠, particularly if RHO just made a negative double.

Never in an uncontested auction.

Pedro Interesting to find out that I have been playing a nonstandard version of Jacoby 2N all this time, which I thought was standard :).

Why is this harder?

I would pass WTP on both of these hands, and if East doubled, I think pulling with the West hand is completely nuts.

1) Double. 2) Takeout of ♠. If this were diamonds, I would bid 4♣. 3) Double. Partner has spade shortness; my hand is huge.

Would you consider upgrading to show a 3♠? 3♠ shows a good hand with extra trump length but no shortness (or improvising with 18-19 balanced, but anyway, I do not think this hand is good enough).

I think this is an above-average 17. 3NT is the normal bid to show this hand.

Double looks totally normal.

Pretty much only 4441 with pretty beefy suits.

I would bid 4♥. This seems to be a slightly safer contract to me than 3NT, with both well within the 90+% range of making.