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Transfer then splinter then 4N being exclusion is nonsense. Maybe it works if partner signs off over your splinter (and even that is not so clear), but if they cuebid something then bidding 4N is just normal keycard.

If you really want to bid game, bid 4S. It shows a distributional hand without much HCP. Bidding 2D then raising spades is what you'd do with a balanced 19 count. It is just really horrible. You are misdescribing your hand. At least 4S is just an overbid.

You could at least check the form of scoring before posting! Edit: Apparantly I will get a top for 3S-1 in the BBF field.

Yes, IMO if you show the equivalent of 18 points and partner leaves you there, you are high enough. Personally I think there is a 0 % chance of this happening since partner would need like 6 points, and then the opps not bidding is bizarre, but if partner passes with his Jxxx Kxxx Qxxx x I am perfectly fine with that. I hope I make 3. Even if partner has a great hand like QJxx Qxxx Jxxx x game has almost no play. It is easy to overestimate how well a hand like this will play in a 4-4 fit, but it is not pretty when you don't have much combined values. When you cuebid and raise spades, you show a VERY strong (GF) hand, and again it is easy to get carried away with perfect mins for partner, and lose sight of very strong hands that don't fit well.

I'd bid 3S, forcing to game is def too much. Also, before all examples of A A SQ where slam makes, I will submit that if you cuebid and then bid spades you're very likely to get too high when partner has the wrong 13 counts. Given the opps relative silence, partner having a bunch of points that do not help us is really likely, and him having the perfect AAQ and out is really unlikely. 3S is a big bid. Also it's never going all pass given RHO's pass, but if it does I'm not unhappy

If I had to bet I'd bet on clubs being a 5-3 fit unless partner is 1444. Anyways pass.

People who bid 5D, are you not worried that partner will drive it with QJxx AQxxx Kxx x or similar, or are you just paying off?

He comes a distant fourth to posters on this thread. Heh. Doing it that much seems dumb, you hurt your brain and you don't gain as much from it each time.

They lead a diamond, and you claim? Alright...

o hai. 2H shows a heart stopper and long running diamonds. 2S would show a spade stopper and long running diamonds. 2N would show stoppers + running diamonds. This is because it is only 1 suiters that can cuebid or jump in NT. Balanced 18-19s would typically bid 1N. Minor suit oriented hands with extreme shape would bid some number of clubs. 3C would be very strong, 4C would be the nuts and probably at least 6-5 minors. 2C would be 5-5. Other minor suit oriented hands woudl start with X. This includes 5-4 with significant extra values, or maybe a 4-4 18-19 balanced hand that didn't want to bid 1N. This 20 count is not a balanced hand or a 1 suiter. It is a "minor suit oriented" hand with lots of extra values. So we start with double, though it's a bit flawed, and we go from there.

Agree with you that it's a very very common error, I always thought the reason was because people are taught not to double without 4 of the unbid major though. It is also a very common error to think that a 2N balance here shows the minors.

Why is that more to the point? Sometimes your opponents make mistakes, it is your job to capitalize on them. Obviously south had some read from the tempo that RHO had ducked. If our opps always played perfectly, we'd never win.

Kxx KJx QJ AKQJT 2N 3C 3D 3S* 4H* 5C ? 2N=20-21 3S=4S,5H 4H=weaker than bidding 4C What now?

I think if we had 8 clubs or w/e we have to overcall 5C or pass forever. Apparantly I'm wrong because nobody is bidding 5D lol.

Just realized we passed 4H so 5m is a cue over 4S... Not sure why everyone prefers 5H to 5D in that case.

That's funny, because I gave the hand to a very good (world class) player yesterday, who passed. Bet he was old! But seriously I think I would pass rather than bid 2H, bidding 2H on this suit is foreign to me, so maybe I'm old. I would usually double unless I was good enough and had a stopper for 1N (which I do here).

Also remember if partner has a doubleton heart they can probably ruff a heart to start with, and if partner has a void he not only could bid 4S quite light, but our AJT of hearts are not going to be worth much (we will get a pitch, but they would be much better somewhere else). I think our heart holding is really ominous, as is having no ruffing value.

Well 5 level safety isn't the only factor. We also need to know how often we get to slam and how often it's good etc. Partner doesn't have much room over 5H, and doesn't really know what a good hand is. Is AKJxxxx --- QJx Qxx a good hand? Partner will sure think so, but it's not enough this time etc. If I thought 5H would get us to only good slams, and get us there reasonably frequently I would bid it. The more aggressively partner is bidding over it, the more bad slams we will get to. On the other hand the less aggressively partner bids slam over it, the less likely we are to ever be bidding slam, so even a small # of times we go down at the 5 level would be a big cost. I have no clue if passing or bidding 5H or slam forcing is right, but I do think that 5H will cause a lot of tough decisisons, so it won't be realizing its full double dummy potential.

If you don't mind, I'd be interested in the sets of hands you are considering in your decision. When I started coming up with hands, I couldn't think of ones that would not give us 5-level safety that I thought were reasonable for 4♠. This is one area I'd like to improve (i.e. my internal simulations). I suspect that I am mentally bidding 4S much lighter than you with a heart void then. KJTxxx --- xxx Axxx is an auto 4S bid to me (people might be scared of the colors, but we make opposite many normal dummies and put pressure on them etc). Basically I think it's very likely partner has a heart void or 7 spades, and in either case he can bid quite light. Obv he could also have a much better hand than this where 7S is cold also.

Ok this is what I said in private, but it sums up how I feel: 1) It might be possible for parnter to have not given count with T8x (it can't really cost as far as I can tell, but often partner can falsecard in the first suit they play) 2) It might be possible to give them a guess by ducking when partner has not given count, or when they have AQJx 3) You might gain if they guess the play wrong later, because they burn their entry All of these things are possible. However, it's also possible you are just losing a trick outright, as in them having AQ or AQx (note AQx should be more likely than AQJ, because partner cannot afford to split JTx for bridge reasons). My primary goal is going to be to not lose a trick outright, and to assume partner has signalled well unless he simply could not (ie, low from JTx is very possible, declarer could have KQ9xx). This will always be true unless I have a very solid and sound reason for thinking that there is a specific layout that exists where ducking is right. As of right now, I really have no reason to suspect that layout to be more likely than any other layout, and I'm not gonna risk something stupid like this. It is imo a complete hero play by someone who has read 1 too many books.

Because he thought declarer might have AJxx AQ AQJ QJ10x Is that what he thought? Then why didn't partner give count with T8x? Just being tricky? and then why can't declarer have AJxx AQ AQx QJTx also? Or any number of hands. It is just ludicrous.

Funny, I had the exact opposite feeling of gnome (thought I would bid 5H, ended up passing).

Ducking the DQ is lol. North should encourage clubs imo so that his partner knows not to get in and play a spade (the 2 looks encouraging unless it's stiff 2), so that might be a mistake, but it shouldn't induce south to duck the diamond. In fact, clarifying the club position should make it very obvious to south not to duck the diamond because declarer has club length, so arguably north made a good play. People need to stop trying to be brilliant with these ducks, if you are not good then just win queens with your kings or stuff like this will happen over and over and over /rant.

Yeah 1M is often 3 to me (but does not systemically show 3). Partner will advance accordingly.

Wow@ people inviting. I would force to game and I would show the 5431, I do not want to play 3N opposite 4333 hands.