rogerclee

Welcome to the forums. You're going to fit right in.

Ok, I'll bite. Why does RHOs pass imply that partner has one of these hands? It is certainly possible that RHO just has no values (since LHO has opened, partner has Xed, and we have 10 points!) and 4 or less clubs. Clubs can easily be 5 on my left, 4 on my right, or 6 on my left, 3 on my right, or 7 on my left... Partner can also have a doubleton club. Partner might also just have a balanced fifteen that was not good enough to overcall 1N with that is going to pass a 1D bid. It is also possible RHO just decided to pass with 5332 and no points. Also the statement "the auction is not over" has not been a reasonable bridge argument since Al Roth was a leading player unless you are trying something tactical. Since we have no idea where we want to play, our best bet is to describe our hand as well as possible rather than to try and mastermind and figure out what to do later. I would say that jumping with 10 points which is about what our jump shows does the best job of describing our hand and is not the least bit misdescriptive at all, and since it is such a good description of our hand will get us to our best contract very often. Even if 1D will never be passed out which is a dubious assertation, it doesn't make 1D the best bid. I'm not sure what the concern is by bidding 2D. If it goes all pass we should be in a reasonable partscore. If partner bids over it we should get to our best game. If partner has any of the hands you fear he has (balanced 13 or 14, or 4423) then he should pass 2D and we are in a fine spot (yes the 4-2 should play fine when we have so many HCP). I think you have the habit of reading too much into things that don't necessarily exist early in the auction rather than trying to just make the best descriptive bid possible. Just my opinion.

4♦ seems highly obvious to me.

2♦ seems highly obvious to me.

Sorry I thought it was obvious that 1♣ here was artificial and 16+.

1♣ - (3♠) - X - (P) 4♣ - (P) - 4NT What does 4NT mean? MPs, Red vs White: 1♣ - (3♠) - ? ♠QJx ♥AKT98 ♦Axx ♣Ax Your plan (if you double, partner bids 4♣)?

To me, this is a matter of hand evaluation, not searching for the best strain. Yes, there are dangers of preempting our side, but 1NT can also gain heavily when we preempt the opponents. To say that you want to keep things flexible is like saying you would open 1♦ on 4342 and a normal 15 because you want to play spades if you have spades. And we only have three spades here!

I'm a bit confused, are you saying that holding ♠xx ♥KJxx ♦AKQxx ♣KQ opener would not cue-bid over 4♣? Or, are you saying that he wouldn't cue-bid a second round diamond control without control of spades, too? Yes, opener should not cuebid (showing interest in slam), since he knows that slam cannot legitimately make (they are off two spade tricks).

You seem to be saying that - partner will play on the assumption you might have an 8 count - opponents will play you for a full opening bid Welcome to the idea of full disclosure That is disclosed on our CC-3rd seat, fav vul. Which is more than can be said for the large number of people who would open 1♥ 3rd seat fav vul with xxx KQT9 xx QJxx, but don't write anything about such tendencies on their CC. Ok, if you play a style where you have agreed that your third seat favorable openers could be on anything (which to me is fine), then opening 1♣ is totally obvious. The risk associated with opening 1♣ is considerably smaller when partner will never hang you.

I agree that upgrading this hand is reasonable, but I would never call it obvious. I think either action is fine, and I would personally open 1NT. There are a lot of benefits of opening 1NT. You clarify the nature of your hand and approximate point range to your partner, and you also take up an entire level of bidding room from the opponents. Consequently, your partner is very well-placed to make decisions after you open 1NT, while the opponents have no idea what their partner has and are very poorly placed to make decisions. The downside to opening this 1NT at matchpoints is obvious. If partner has nothing, you could go for -200 against their partscore, and you could be playing a bad 3NT while the field is in 1NT. At matchpoints, there is less of an urgency to bid game. If you were NV at matchpoints, I would call opening 1NT on this hand obvious, since there is much less risk involved with all the same upsides.

You don't double at matchpoints because you think it is your deal? You don't like to compete for part scores? I was certainly not aware of two things: 1) That partner shouldn't take my opening bids seriously, because it is winning bridge to open all hands in 3rd seat. 2) That you win a pairs event by shooting for tops. The 1♣ bidders are just taking a good bridge principle (opening in 3rd seat lighter than traditionally, because it forces the opponents to bid defensively and gets us in at a low level) way too far.

Is everybody aware that this is matchpoints? Is everybody aware that you have eight points and no reason to believe that the opponents have a game of any kind?? Is everybody aware that if you open, partner, at this form of scoring, may be very inclined to make a bad penalty double, or a competitive/card-showing double that puts you in an awful position, or simply over-compete and go for a number? Is everybody aware that if you open this kind of hand routinely, you are sacrificing the integrity of your third-seat opener for almost nothing in return (a club lead, which may not even be right)? Or that you are taking a random -EV swing against the field?

I like my odds with just singleton ♦ honor with west better. But yes, I don't really see anything more clever than this. Edit: Ok I was REALLY CONFUSED and then realized that east opened 4♥, lol. I agree with Frances, we assume he has one club, look at how many spades he has, and then just read the position/opponents.

2♦, just barely worth a raise. I do not think 1♥ has any merit, since there is no way I am showing my diamond support later.

Damn, on the one hand, they might make 3♦x (I looked this up, it is 670 points!!), but on the other hand, we have two shots at making either 5♣ (400 points!!) or 4♥ (even BETTER, 420 POINTS!!). Bridge is such a complicated game sometimes :(.

When did people start thinking so hard that they don't double on this hand?

I am very satisfied with my results when I don't open balanced 8-counts with no long suit.

Demanding of you! ♠3 ♥93 ♦AKQJ8754 ♣54 I think the ♥Q needs the least from partner.

But look at how much shorter it is to just think about bridge!

I would have doubled. As far as what I do, I would need to see dummy.

Han, You are seriously going overboard with these 1 level overcalls. I think you are taking a good idea (overcall at the 1 level with weakish distributional hands) way too far. Here you are vul against not and there just isn't much merit to bidding. If you have a game you will almost always get in anyways, you don't want the lead, it's very unlikely you want to save, it's risky that partner will bid too much in a competitive auction and go for a number vulnerable, etc etc. There is just very little merit to bidding at these colors with this hand. I would ask you what you are trying to achieve. As far as 2H, if you aren't english or dutch or under 20 years old I think it wouldn't occur to you. Oh wait...

I bid 6NT.

3♣ normal (and this is closer to a maximum than a minimum, but not particularly either), 5♣ silly. North should have figured his hearts were a liability on the auction. I would not even have taken this action at equal vulnerability, but I would bid 5♣ at favorable.

2♣ then 2NT. This hand just has too much playing strength opposite a slam try in one of the red suits.

On the way back from Poland we (USA1 and USA2) had an individual on the plane, which took about three hours.