Jlall

http://nemesss-sys.com/ Clee found this. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

If you are playing GCC you can just play the same thing with 1S being 4-5 spades, and X denying spades. This is slightly worse because you'd like to bid 1D (1H) X p 1S with 3, and 2S with 4, but it's not a huge deal.

You can randomize based on your cards also (like if I have the beer...)

Also I think most experts still rebid 2C on 1444 and a small stiff rather than 1N by far, just not most forum experts heh. A lot more will rebid 1N on 1453 though it seems. If I played reverse flannery I would be happy to rebid 2C on 1444 and it wouldn't be close.

The main point of rebidding ONE notrump is to get to hearts when it's right, since 2C can often shut out hearts. Obv that's not a concern with rebidding 2H. It is also much easier to get out of a 6-1 spade fit after one notrump rather than 2N, and easier to get back into other suits (eg 1D-1S-1N-2D(gf)-2H-2N-3C, I have now shown my shape). So I don't think thats really a relevant comparison. I mean yeah if you have methods to get out of a 6-1 spade fit then it's better than if you don't I guess. Playing something like transfers it is impossible (3H-3S-3N is a choice of games with 5). Playing 3S as specifically 6 and not necessarily slam interest seems like a loss over playing it as always having slam interest...presumably if partner doesn't bid 3N he will always be cuebidding so that's information leakage already, and then responder will be forced to cue even if he just wanted to make a mild slam try because otherwise he hasn't made any slam try yet...etc etc But yeah if you have methods to get out of spades after a 2N rebid then that's good, I wouldn't think most people do. I guess it again depends on your methods, 3N to me would show extras so I would bid 4C over it. If partner bid 2N then 3N I would pass, but it doesn't seem that likely we'd be missing a slam in just a 4-4 fit. On the other hand if partner had five clubs he would just bid 3C over 2H so that makes it pretty easy (I was thinking mainly of a 5-4 fit slam with light HCP since the 4-4 would probably be hard to handle and would require extras). Yes, this is definitely true, with the minimum range hands I would bid 3N. But again partner having FIVE clubs is unlikely now (it'd have to be 4135), and if it is just a 4-4 fit I would expect we need extras to make slam. If he bids 4N over 3N I will bid clubs. However, I don't agree that 1D-1S-2H-3D-4C is a cuebid, to me that shows 1444 and a strong hand (or 0454)! With this hand we are not strong enough to go by 3N though obv, but with say 20 or 21 I would (or 23 apparantly..haha). And as you say if partner bids 2S we can bid 3C. I didn't mean to imply we would always find clubs after 2H, but I think we will much more often, especially if its a 5-4 fit. I have always thought so, but I guess it depends on your methods again. You don't really need 4th suit forcing except with exactly 4324 and extra values and no club stopper. On the other hand, you often have 5 or more clubs, and sometimes belong in clubs. Also, there can definitely be problems with only having 4 diamonds when we usually show 5+, didn't mean to imply there are none there either. There is no perfect bid with this hand, I just really dislike 2N compared to 2H (as evidenced by my unwillingness to even bid 2C-2N on the last hand!).

That line seems very strong fred, you make on like 40 % (?) of the diamond layouts, and then like half the remaining time, so maybe 70ish % if you always guess correctly (except I guess I have you misguessing when the have the HK and the other hand has Qx of clubs). The line I suggested wins on the diamond hook or Qx of clubs which is like 60ish%(?), I will gain some equity figuring out to play for the minor suit squeeze in the end game sometimes but probably not enough to make up for 10 % because thats a lot heh. Of course you have to guess whether they have stiffed the CQ or the HK every time also, but your line seems better. Also my numbers might be off just guestimated.

3N w/e

Yeah I got penalized once in the national fast pairs for playing 1S=denies spades....I guess it was a national GCC event! Straube, your suggested sequence is very common/good. I'd recommend keeping 2N natural though (sometimes you want to play from your side), and using 3C for both minors. Also, use X=4-5 spades, 2H=6+ spades constructive or better, 2S=6+ spades weak.

This, however, seems pretty unnecessary. If the trump squeeze works then the old fashioned squeeze works on RHO. Likewise, if the trump squeeze works on LHO then we had them show up squeezed. On the downside, we can frequently misguess the ending, possibly going down on Qx of clubs. Seems like duck, then pull trumps then vienna coup then guess the ending is always gonna be better than trump squeeze then guess ending.

This could be pretty strong. You lose to 5-1 clubs immediately, but you gain a possible H-D squeeze endplay on RHO if you can guess it, when LHO has the CQ, and RHO has the HK. If you have a diamond-club squeeze endplay on RHO you also had a squeeze on them. If LHO guards clubs+diamonds you don't have him automatically squeezed anymore if RHO guards hearts, which kinda sucks (more guessing. I would really like more info on the heart spot lead, any clues there would be nice. I feel that risking 5-1 clubs + more misguessing is probably not worth it to get RHO in H+D unless we think they have KQ of hearts (mainly because I think if LHO is good it's likely they underled the HK, but that depends on the auction)

There is another possible advantage of line 2. Say they win the heart and play a major suit. If we wanted to we could reduce to: DQ9 CAK S8 CJxx I don't see us doing this though, maybe if RHO was short in both hearts and spades. Of course, if LHO has the HK, he could break this up by shifting to a club when in with the heart! Fred, do we have any read on the heart count from the lead?

Agree, but it limits my hand to a 2 point range. I've done this for years and haven't had a problem - maybe its an aversion to reversing on shapes (and hands of this strength) ike this. I'd really like to stay true to reversing on 5+ in my original suit unless I'm really strapped. Furthermore, if we are reversing on 18-19 / 20-21 and 22-23, how are you ever going to get all of your ranges across if you start 1♦ - 1♠ - 2♥ - 2♠? I guess I don't see why you consider it better to bid 2N with a stiff spade than 2H with only 4 diamonds. Assuming you have no special methods to show a stiff spade, you are basically lying about your length in partners major which seems like a much bigger "lie" than in diamonds. Likewise I don't think it should be a lie at all to bid 2H with 1444. Partner should be aware of this shape, especially if you end up bidding clubs. You are right that 2N limits your HCP, the problem is your hand is worth much more than 18-19 HCP if you have a fit. You could easily miss a diamond slam (because partner doesn't try) that is very good because you are prime with a stiff, you could easily miss a heart slam for the same reason, even though you will find your fit, and obv you could miss clubs. 2N just feels like a complete misbid, our hand is so suit oriented and has 3 possible suits to play in, showing a balanced 18 is not a good description imo. A lot of random hands like make slam which partner is just not going to try for when we're bal. So I guess I feel that our hand has much more potential than 18-19 bal...and it's also not bal.

Kind of brutal, the only way to rectify the count is to duck a HEART which obviously gives up one of our threats. I see two possible lines: 1) Duck this trick, win the next pull trumps, AK of clubs, ruff a heart back, and then try to guess whether you've squeezed RHO or you should hook the diamond. Ducking is important here so that LHO can't get in and shift to a diamond forcing you to an immediate guess. 2) Win this trick, and play ace and a diamond ruff. If the king or ten falls you're home. Else duck a heart. Win the next trick and go ace of clubs, diamond ruff. If the king doesn't drop, try for a diamond-club squeeze on lefty (or Qx of clubs). Winning is important here because on Tx of diamonds you need the heart to loser on loser it etc. Maybe theres something fancy without the count involving hearts but I can't see it. I'm not sure which of these 2 lines is superior, but I'd probably go with line 1. I'm partial to lines that set up a guess for the endgame.

You really think there's nothing wrong with a picture of a former president biting/eating a kitten in a thread about a president just dying? I don't care about politics or that it's a picture of george bush, I just think there is a time and a place for some things and the thread about a president dying is not one of them. Imagine if Obama died in a plane crash, what would be going on right now, and what people would think of kittens in the thread (especially a president eating kittens). It's just insensitive to any Polish people.

I don't really get bidding 2C with 18-19 at all, it's non forcing and risks getting passed opp a 5413 6-9 count or something for not much reason, or even a 5512 hand(!). I would just reverse and then go from there. At least I have shown my values and the most important suit (hearts) and created a force. Obv I'd rather be 4-5 as I am 99 % of the time to reverse, but I think 1444 with a strong hand is a normal reverse. To me 2C then 2H shows a hand that was not strong enough to reverse, like 15-16 and could easily be 1453 rather than 1444 anyways. I would also reverse with the first hand but it's borderline and 2C then 2H could work fine also. The difference as we get weaker is that we get more and more comfortable with partner passing 2C that we aren't that likely to miss a game. I really think systemically having to bid 2C on hand 2 doesn't make much sense...our first priority should be not to miss major suit fits and not to miss games imo. Hand 3 sucks, I actually think opening and planning to reverse is reasonable because the hand is so suit oriented, but it is also a huge underbid. The danger is not so much getting passed out and missing a game (possible but doesn't happen that often), it's simply never showing as much values as you have, even if you get to show your shape. I would probably open 1m, but 2C-2N is probably a standard way to bid it. @phil: 2N? Really? I don't understand why one would look at a hand like this and want to bid NT, it is so great for a minor suit game/slam, and...it isn't balanced! @mikeh: I think that 3N shows stoppers and a long running suit, not sure why I said that was too restrictive. Sometimes I might do it with a half stopper or even xxx though I guess, maybe that's what I meant. Or if you actually mean 1363 is the only possible shape, I def think that's too restrictive since you usually/often have 7 diamonds.

I see why he'd think that with Kx of spades (after we showed a stopper), some possible heart help, and no values in clubs, and generally as defensive a hand as possible.

You should often be giving suit preference rather than making a random play fwiw.

I timed out on 28, think I could have gotten it. Just wanna say these bridge masters are awesome, they have given me a renewed interest in bridge, recommend everyone get them. 10 bucks for 30 of these hands is a ridic steal.

There is one very similar to this in bridgemaster...it's cool!

Anyone who doesn't get all of the level 1 problems (and level 2 problems, for that matter) at the table isn't an expert, in my opinion. I just went through all 36 in level I A, they are really trivial for any competent declarer -- guessing KJ combinations when someone has / hasn't opened, hold up plays in notrump, establishing tricks by promotion, etc. That doesn't apply to level 3, in particular A-20 which has been cited as a common blind spot for many experts. Maybe BBO should administer a bridge master test using the free deals before letting people set their level as expert or world class. I think the point was most "BBO experts" are not experts.

Eugene lost by 12ish

ditto

I duck trick 1 assuming they play the Q. If they come back a diamond I duck it. I will get a count in the minors, and can then guess clubs. If LHO has JT9x of clubs and the DK this is bad. Otherwise I just squeeze righty.

The spade x's are really important. If RHO put in the T it could easily be KT, if LHO led a high spot thats a clue etc etc. Quiddity: You are always allowed to take as much time as you want at trick 1. You do not have to say "just thinking about the hand." If someone said "just thinking about the hand" when they had a problem at trick 1 I'd be mildly annoyed...just don't say anything in either case. If the declarer assumes you have a trick 1 problem because you don't say "thinking about the hand" that is their problem, it's completely normal to think at trick 1.

We may belong in diamonds or spades or hearts or slam... 3N seems pretty bad.