Jlall

We ar etaught from the beginning that we are supposed to find "the one" and get married. Obv thats a myth. But are there people incapable of having a long term relationship? Coudl that be optimal? What are some reasons? How common e yhis?`

Cant wait to find out who the three were. I have some guesses :)

spade seems obv, just because everything else sucks!

Lol if my partner led fifth and got the opp to go down I would definitely lead fifth on the next board if I had a chance. Great for messing with their head. I think your RHO had a good sense of humor/gamesmanship.

i love 2H here

Allow me: LOL ??

club

Why would you play them for a stiff club after the H2 lead?

Safety should come before the kibitzers wishes. I prefer as a kibitzer that they play different boards fwiw but I know that's a minority view.

What a train wreck lol. Next on Dr. Phil...

If they suck it doesnt matter hpw long theyve played imo

Heart to jack, ace of hearts, AK and a diamond ruff, hope to run good.

definitely weak both majors.

Why on the earth should I care about opponents? LOL really?

4H shows slam interest in diamonds. I will bid 5H.

Yeah if I was playing against Fred for instance I wouldn't feel bad about psyching even if it was at a club game. Random stars are often not very good players, but I would assume they're good enough that I would not feel bad psyching against them. I would never guess that they are world class though.

lol I just read the thread that spawned this and learned that I am saying almost exactly the same things as Fred.

shubi is way more coherent than usual. congrats shubi!

you bid perfectly now pass.

6N

Unfortunately, in the real world most people do not have jillybean's attitude. From experience, I would say almost always that psyching against beginners at a club game leads them to feel cheated or screwed which really makes them mad, and ruins their afternoon or maybe even leads to them quitting bridge. They probably will dislike you and other experts like you forever. Is this rational? No. But tbh I do not think that bridge at the club is just about the game of bridge for these people, it's something that is social and fun rather than killer attitude competitive. I feel like I am on their turf and should accomodate them, much like if they were at a tournament they are on my turf and should expect whatever I have to throw at them. Perhaps I should adopt the attitude "psyching is part of bridge, we are playing bridge, if they can't handle it tough." Perhaps I should even psyche frequently since it is like stealing candy from babies. But instead I adopt the practical attitude that it isn't worth it, and it isn't nice to do something that will ruin their bridge experience in a stupid non serious event.

The one time I think it's unacceptable is if you are an expert playing against a novice in a minor event (if it is something like a flight A regional then they must be playing up and you don't have to cater to them anymore). That being said it should always be allowed, you just shouldn't do it in that situation as an expert.

Yeah south has an obv double of 4S. He has very good defense in context. Pass is not forcing, and north has a pass.

Many people play 3♥ as pre-emptive. If it was not pre-emptive, then I certainly agree with your point. What is the advantage of preempting when your opps have opened 1N and passed. There's no one to preempt anymore. If worst comes to worst and they balance or bid you can bid 3H later. You have lost nothing then unless they now successfully bid FOUR of a minor. This is extremely unlikely since they are both limited. Playing 3H as mixed with some shape and trumps is useful since it gets you to game sometimes. That is how I like to play it with 4 card invites starting with 2N and 3 card invites starting with 2D. If you are playing 3H as preemptive you should rethink the logic of that agreement.

I was playing a sectional team game many years ago and I picked up: xx AQJTxx xxx xx. They opened 1C and I bid 2H red/white. I went for 800, but figured this was a textbook preempt. After comparing, my teammate (Bob Hamman), said they made the same terrible bid of 2H at his table. I asked if he really thought it was terrible and he said of course. He does not result ever. Then I noticed many of my friends who are great bridge players and generally very aggressive were overcalling 1H with hands like this (and playing weak jump overcalls). Guys like hampson, meckstroth, grue, soloway etc. This made me think 2 things: 1) A lot of hands you would open with a weak 2 you should overcall with 1. You still get lead directors in, find saves, allow partner to jam their auction further, etc, while just losing some of the preemption. This is definitely a cost, but in the eyes of a lot of great players that I respect, it is worth it to avoid the dangers of bidding. 2) Thus, you shouldn't even be playing weak jump overcalls vulnerable because they are very infrequent.