mtvesuvius

This is a tough hand. As East, I expect the bidding to come back to me with some number of Hearts, and then I can introduce Spades, completing the hand description. However, when partner raises there will always be a problem now. I would probably bid a practical 3♠, however I think this decision worked out better. I think I'd bid 5♥ over 5♦ as East. Perhaps I'm resulting a bit, but I think that if partner had Heart values, he would be doubling 4♥, and partner cannot have the KQJ of either pointed suit... So for his 5♦ call, I am hoping for at least two Aces, perhaps more. 5♥ on the way will give partner a bit of encouragement if he holds something like Ax xx Axx AKxxxx I hope as well.

I got burned on a similar hand last night... I'll Keycard, and opposite partner's assumed 1 KC, I guess I'll queen ask. Not thrilled about it, but I expect a bit more than KQxxxxxx and not much outside. Opposite 2 with the Queen, I'm not bidding the grand. AKQxxxx is a definite possibility. Side note: What would 5♠ mean here? I think maybe this is a case for being a trump cuebid (Meaning a void lol), and asking partner to evaluate opposite a void. I've had about 3 hands similar to this come up recently, and have yet to get one right.

I have never discussed a 2N call here with most people, so I have no clue what type of responses you are talking about. However, I think this is a pretty decent 7♥ call at this point. I really don't see a scientific way that we are going to find out the necessary information to judge whether a grand is right. I don't really see how to get partner to evaluate ♠ shortness or the ♠Q enough... The only possible route is something like: (1♦) - 2♦ - 2♥ 3♦ - 3♥ 4♦ - 4♥ 5♠? I have NO clue what this would mean, but I think it has to be something like: "Do you have the ♠Q or less ♠ then expected? If so, please make a Grand Slam try. If not, please sign off in 6♥" I suppose 2N here could be used as a "Major Suit ask," where responses show the # of Hearts, then can ask again for # of Spades...

2♠ seems fairly wtp here. I think it should set up a forcing pass, but as mikeh said in another thread, we're not going to plan our actions as if the auction will come back to us on the 5 level.

Anyone who plays Precision can use this, as well as Polish Club etc... You're missing the point. Your system is fundamentally flawed, and no matter what responses you use, especially treatments that are used in a standard precision or 2/1 context, it will not change the fact that this system just plain will not work... No matter how many times you make a raise to 4M that I can do the same with. No matter how many weak jump raises you make.

Not a problem, and thanks 655321, I'm still getting the hang of the new forums as well, the multi-quote thing still kinda baffles me, lol.

I am referring to the 16 tables the result is compared against, not the forum.

Opposite a passed partner? With no values in the majors? W/R? Yikes.

[hv=pc=n&s=sak64hdakt943ca62&n=sqj93hkj953dck987&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1hp2dp2sp3sp4sp4np5d(0/3)p5h(Q%20ask)p6c(Yes%2C%20cK)p7sppp]266|200|Trump lead to the Ten and Jack, plan the play.[/hv]

Playing postmortem bridge never ends well.

Good point. The more I consider this, the more I think 2♠ is better... But unfortunately I don't have 2 days to think before making a bad bid :(

Can't get to 1♠ without the 1♦ call... lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canap%C3%A9_(bridge)

I didn't even make it past the reverses... I disagree with every call in this auction. Perhaps a first for me, LOL

There is a very clear, and simple answer to this hand: Reversing is terrible. From the +110 thread: Reversing on these hands completely distorts your values, and therefore I abstain.

I thought this was pretty clear as well, but this is related to another hand... We'll go there later :D

It's usually not a good idea to use an online field to judge any aspect of your game. Both you and your partner's actions were completely normal. Just like when 15 tables pass out a board with 12 HCP opposite 11 HCP, and you get to a partscore which fails because of a 5-0 trump split. It's simply unlucky.

What Wayne means is that in 4♠, the ♥K acts as a "stopper", preventing them from easily shortening your trumps in hand. The main problem with 4♠ is that you may get tapped out before you can establish your Club suit. I think I would bid 4♠ at MPs, however I believe this is a very clear 5♣ call at IMPs. The ♥K should hopefully give us just enough tempo to get everything done, however I will be ready to apologize to partner if this is the wrong decision... Matchpoints do awful things to people :lol:

Nah, I had decided to leave it at that. Sent him a PM with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_nice_day as the body text, and moving on. Any idea who that really is?

True, 2/1 players may lose some tempo in these auctions, however I think that designing a system based on principles that usually apply to 2/1 is not good.

That may be the case, but GIB plays RKC here as far as I know. GIB was thinking partner has 4 Keycards and there were two ♥Ks I assume. Still, leaping to 4N is atrocious... Passing is also very bad. There may be a 6-5 type that partner decided not to open, and now playing in 4N certainly does not seem like a good option.

Ahem, bridge may not be at it's very best in "BBO Free Express (SAYC)" tournaments. Single-dummy, I consider it completely normal to lead a Heart. Leading a high diamond is worse than leading a low one, since the Ten may be an important card later in the hand. I would consider a heart lead fairly normal, but sometimes normal things don't happen in free tournaments (or in real tournaments either).

Nope. Every single thing you mentioned in the previous post can be played and is usually played in a 2/1 context. Not a single thing that you mentioned requires playing a system with 4 card majors and ambigous diamond. If I am playing a system because oooooh, I can play weak jump raises... There is something seriously wrong. Guess what? I can open a weak two bid in 2/1 as well.

That's called 2/1.