rogerclee

I wouldn't bid 4C even if that was an option.

Pass, there are passed hands that I would bid again with, but this is not one of them.

I don't know what you are trying to persuade me of. If you have the option of a small minus score, or a large minus score some high percentage of the time or a high plus score some small percentage of the time, then it is better to take the small minus score. This is a fact, not an opinion.

If anyone judges to always play to make their contract at IMPs regardless of the number of undertricks that will occur if they are wrong...well let's just say they are bad at math!

Phil the point was that on the auction 2H X 4H 4S, the play problem is the same, but now you have a decision to make as to how likely RHO is actually 3433 (or, possibly, 3424). Remember you are down 2 if you are wrong. IMO, whether you should play to make on the auction 2H X 4H 4S depends on a lot of factors and is not a B/I problem.

I disagree!

This hand is pretty complicated, but the most important thing to realize is that 3C is a ridiculous underbid. 4C is too much, partner didn't promise anything and east has a lot of defense against 3H. Getting to 6C is very hard, I think the auction should start 1D 1H P 2H X P 3H P 4C P 4S P (4S can't be an offer to play on this auction) If east has last train (4N) available, then that's perfect, but for most partnerships he has to either drive to slam or sign off. It's not obvious to me what's right, a hand like Kx xxx xxx KQxxx is on a spade hook through the heart raiser and a bit more, but a hand like Kxx xxx xx KQxxx is quite a good slam, and Kxx xxx xx KJxxx is a marginally good slam.

[hv=pc=n&s=skqt84h83da73ct52&n=sj653h7dk82caqj94&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2hd3h4sppp]266|200[/hv] Playing IMPs, all vulnerable, LHO leads the ♥K and then quickly shifts to the ♦Q. Once you have figured the above out, how should you play if the auction had gone 2H X 4H 4S?

Playing in a cash game, NS are dealt [hv=pc=n&s=sk6hqj8dt987caj32&n=saqj92ht2daj42c84&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=p1h1sp1n2h3dppp]266|200[/hv] The bidding proceeded this way 1) When south bid 1NT, north alerted it as "forcing" 2) After west bid 2H, north looked at the table and said "oh sorry, I thought I opened" 3) North thought for about 4 seconds and bid 2D 4) East rejected the insufficient bid, and north corrected to 3D 3D just made for 110. West argued that the UI suggested that south pass, since he knew his partner had 4 diamonds most likely, and asked that the result be adjusted to 3N-2 (spades were 5-1). West asserted 3N was actually clear in his bridge judgment. South argued that this wasn't necessarily true, that in fact the UI that partner had an opening bid actually made bidding more attractive. He also felt that 3N was a poor bid, and if anything the alternative was 3H. How do you rule?

Let's assume that in the auction posted (1S 2C 2S X XX ?), pass is a suggestion that we defend 2Sxx (this is my meta-agreement anyway, even though it is obviously bad in this auction), and 2N is not natural. When we can't bid hearts and don't want to defend, then our options are to bid 2N, 3C, or 3D. 1) 3D has to promise a strong hand because (to me at least) partner didn't show diamonds. Partner often has 4+D on this auction, but there are many handtypes with 3 or even 2 diamonds (3523) where partner has to x in order to get hearts into the picture or show some values. To me this is the same reason everyone now plays 1C 1S X doesn't show diamonds, but people will disagree. 2) We can bid 2N with 4 or more diamonds to get diamonds into the picture. This is the other reason that it is largely unnecessary to bid 3D with diamonds, we have a bid to show the minors. However with (332)5 hands, we have to run but can't bid 3C, so these hands also go through 2N. It would be great to be able to pass with these hands, as a side note. 3) Given that we bid 2N whenever we have 4 diamonds or (233)5 shape, partner should use his judgment with 5-3, bid 3D with 5-2 or 5-1, bid 3C with 4-3, and bid 3D with 4-2. So now there is a question of whether we should be able to bid 2N with 3-6 in the minors. The answer is no, this makes it impossible for partner to choose the right minor when he is 4-2. As for bidding 3D with the actual hand, I think that can easily be dismissed; even if the double shows some diamonds, 2N is surely better. I thought the real question was whether we should bid 2N, but if you agree with the above the answer is that you have to bid 3C, because partner will choose wrong too often if you offer diamonds. You pay off to 2551 or 2461 but I think it's necessary, since to me, the most pressing concern on this hand is to be able to play 3C when we have a 5-3 or 6-2 (or even 6-3!) club fit.

Win the king in hand and draw three rounds of trumps ending in dummy, and then play a low heart towards hand. If RHO flies jack we are done, if he plays low then we duck. Assume LHO wins with the non-jack, then we fall back on a major suit squeeze against west or 3-3 hearts.

It loses to the king and a diamond comes back, LHO showing odd count.

[hv=pc=n&s=skt75hdjt3cak9843&n=s83ht863daq852ct2&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=1d(0+)p1hp1sp1n2h3cppdpp(slow)p]266|200[/hv] Lead:♥2, RHO plays the ♥K

Never mind.

I would bid 4C at all colors except r/w, in which case I would just settle for 3C.

If you made the spades something like JT9xxx I would be all for 4S, but with xxxxxx we just need 3-card support from partner too badly to do anything other than bid 3S.

I don't think you can do anything more than the extra showup squeeze chances of Qx in whichever is the short hand, depending on the count.

GIB cannot pull 6NT to 7 of a suit.

I think we have too much for 2S, I would just bid 4S.

You won't believe what just happened to me. My opponent sat for 2S doubled holding an amazing 7 card suit and a spade void and zero defense in a situation where his partner would double 2S with a wide variety of hands, most of which are not even close to beating 2S in his own hand.

I wouldn't pass!

it's on like donkey kong

It seems pretty likely that they have 9 clubs actually. If they have 8 clubs then LHO must be 4324 (so RHO is 3514 or maybe 3424, see below), which would make his bidding insane, but I guess it's possible depending on how bad/aggressive your opponents are. What is also clear is that at least one of them has diamond shortness, since giving LHO 4324 and RHO 3424 makes both of them bad/crazy. With this information I don't think it is necessary very often at all to lead any particular card. We can be aggressive and lead a spade, but that could easily be disastrous and does not seem necessary at all, since often they will not have a useful pitch, and we can do it later anyway. A heart is not going to accomplish anything either for similar reasons and might blow the suit. Also a diamond is similar and might blow a tempo. In the end I would lead a club, not because I think I am going to get a ruff like rhm does, but because it's just as passive as a heart or diamond but without the downside. Also if our opponents are nuts we might get our ruff, so that is an additional upside. A heart is the worst of the non-spade leads, and a spade lead is clearly the worst.

I like the method where 3C is the catchall weak hand or minor slam try (Wolff style, forces 3D) and bids of 3D or higher are then logically game forcing transfers. The slam auctions are easier because on an auction like 1D - 1H 2N - 3D 3H we have agreed to play in hearts, and opener can bid 3N to deny heart support (or 3S to show 4 spades).

Depending on the vulnerability you don't actually need very good IMP odds at all to just defend. -180 is not so bad when bidding will probably result in -200 or worse.