rogerclee

I still don't believe you, please stop trying to trick me...

No, I don't believe it, how can you throw a high card or trump away, they are the ones that take the tricks!!

Yes it was clear, I would pass now.

Responder is asking partner to bid slam with a stiff spade, 5N with a guarded SK, pass with 2 fast losers in spades, and cuebid with the SA/void. This is a textbook auction for that jump. Responder usually has a hand with 2 spade losers.

Seems normal to me.

Pass! It is possible I will defend when cold for 6m this way, but I think it's more likely that we will go down in 3N and I want the sure plus. I don't consider this a close decision.

[hv=d=s&v=b&e=sthkj987d87caqj32&s=sk97hqt653d963ct4]266|200|Scoring: MP[/hv] You are South, and the bidding goes: P - (2♦) - 2♠ - (3♥) P - (4♦) - AP 2♦ was 5+♦, no 4cM, 11-15 HCP. LHO is an average club player. Lead: ♣5 playing 3/5 leads, UDCA. You drop the ♣T at T1 under the ♣A, declarer playing the 8. ♠T off dummy at T2; your plan?

The result was that I made fun of Han, but stopping in 3♣ seems right on the actual set of hands. I forgot what I actually held, sorry, but I was 3-7 in the blacks.

3♦ is preemptive unless you play 2♥ is michaels, in which case 3♦ is strong michaels. Edited because everyone told me I was wrong. Sorry. There are three schools of thought on this: 2♦ = natural, 2♥ = michaels 2♦ = natural, 2♥ = normal 2♦ = michaels, 2♥ = normal Any of these three agreements is basically fine, and it's up to you and your partner to decide which. The shorter their diamonds, the more likely I am to want to play the first or second defenses. Playing the first two defenses I would just bid 2♦, playing the last I would pass and then bid diamonds next.

North lost his mind, very easy raise to 3S after 3C.

MPs, All White, Fourth Seat ♠AKxxx ♥void ♦JT9xxxx ♣x (1NT) - P - (2♣) - ? What's your plan?

Unusual. A side note is that a lot of players now are playing 1S p 2S 2N is hearts and a minor because of the importance of partner knowing you have hearts because you might still have game, and LHO might be about to bid 3S. Obviously you lose when you have the minors if you play this.

What else can a guy do but double? If partner bids 4S it might well make, if he bids 4N or 5C we can go to slam, if he bids 5D we should be a favorite to make that. If he passes we should beat them, probably several. What is the alternative?

Really surprised at how many people think this is a weak 2. Not really close for me vul.

I don't get it.. I would bid 3D. If 2D was GF 3C can contain a very good hand ie Ax xx Jxx AKQxxx.

Fred what kind of hand do you play 3N shows? I would expect much better hearts, probably not a balanced hand, and I would be slightly worried about losing spades. Do you play this is just a choice of games with 6 hearts?

On the hands where we can make game (which is a lot!), this is the best way to start. I am willing to get too high occasionally in order to sort out the best strain, and on the way, I will also bid a lot of good games that the 3♥ bidders are missing. This is just wrong, we will lose spades whenever partner has six of them and has to pass 3♥.

Forcing to game is a serious overbid. Why? It allows me to sort out 3N vs 4♥ very easily without losing spades, and I don't miss game whenever partner has two hearts and some working values. I also don't play 2♣ in my 4-3 fit when I am cold for 4♥ or 3N! I understand 3♥ if you think it is worth it to lose some very good games in exchange to stay out of some bad games, but I don't understand 2NT, which basically commits to playing NT (this hand is suit-oriented, and we can get to 3NT later), or 2♣, which is just begging to produce a bad auction (why is 2♣ then 3♥ better than a direct 3♥? why do I want partner to pass on random 51(34) medium-strength hands?).

I have no problem with forcing to game.

This is not close at all, we are white/red, partner could just have 7 spades and out or something. Easy Pass.

Here is the main reason why bidding 1N then 2S is harmful to your constructive bidding: Partner will play you for a doubleton spade and will pass with hands that would have game tried over a 2S raise. Hands like 5431 15 counts and 55 14 counts that are strong hands when they find an 8 card spade fit but not that great otherwise. This is fine when you have a hand with 3 trumps that would reject any game try, but when you have a full 9 count that will accept game tries you are underbidding your hands potential for spades. What are the supposed reasons for bidding 1NT? Well, playing 1NT is going to be impossible, so even if that is better given our soft cards and flat shape, it is going to be impossible. The only time we will ever get to play NT instead of spades is when partner is strong enough to drive to the three level (or higher). In this case, partner is going to bid over 1S p 2S anyways and we still have the optin of getting to 3N. In fact, we will be better placed to judge whether 3N or 4S is the right contract at that point because partner will already know we have 3 spades. Even if you call that a wash on times we get to a good 3N whether we start with 1N or start with 2S, we have gained nothing by bidding 1N. Also, if partner has a hand that will pass 1S p 2S we are a wash because he will pass 1S p 1N p 2x p 2S. So the relevant hands are only when partner would bid over 1S p 2S but pass 1S p 1N p 2x p 2S. I think we will come out as a big loser by bidding 1N since we are going to be missing games more often as we have misdescribed/underbid our hand (see the beginning of this post). For 1N to be right you have to think that you get to significantly more good 3Ns instead of 4S by starting with 1N, enough to compensate for the times you miss good 4S games by bidding 1N. There is no way this is the case, and it's not close. It is a myth that we should bid 1N to show our balanced hand and slow values, it shows neither (as han said). And as jdonn said, 1N then 2S cannot contain a hand with 9 points and 3 spades, and that misdescription WILL hurt you as shown earlier in this post. Frankly, I am amazed that I had to write so many words to try to show what is so blatantly obvious. Roland, you are right that most things in bridge are not black and white. However, some are. Opening 1N with a 4333 16 when playing 15-17 NT is one of them. Raising 1S to 2S with a 3(334) 9 count is another one that is equally obvious.

Why wouldn't jdonn rebid 3S in this auction with 5134? I definitely don't think 3S promises 6.

I would bid 1NT with the first hand playing forcing NT. Please don't yell at me B).

Partner has no idea what you showed, and you have no idea what you showed, but it's okay, because you stretched to show whatever it is you didn't know you showed? I thought we established that nobody knows what 5NT means, so I'm not sure what hands partner is bidding on with or passing. I usually prefer to stop in 4NT.

♥3, there is no great reason to assume that trying to establish spades is better than hearts, and in fact, it will very very often present declarer with an extra trick. I don't think there is any alternative to this lead, and I would not like to play bridge with someone who routinely tried to make genius leads like the ♠K here with no reason to do so.