Jlall

lol I got myself confused with Josh I guess because I also was going to say I've never played one...

Maybe I've forgotten what was written in this thread, but who is the other camp? As far as I know everyone who plays in the trials is happy with it. I have a hard time believing there are people who don't play in the trials because it's a team trials rather than a pairs. And FWIW a pairs trial would be beneficial to someone like me in particular rather than a teams trial, and I think an open team game with long matches is the best/most fair way to decide this assuming the goal is to pick the best team while still giving everyone a shot.

X and 2N shows a hand too strong to overcall 2N in normal bridge. A 12 count with a doubleton heart is not a takeout double, and shouldn't be bidding again anyways.

When will people learn that bidding 3 of a minor willy nilly is just not good and causes all sorts of problems. Just compare: 1H 2D 3D 3S = Who knows! Probably spades stopped and not clubs stopped for the time being. What if responder had clubs stopped but not spades stopped? Who knows! What is responders shape? Who knows! How many diamonds does opener have? Who knows! and 1H 2D 2H 2S 3D 3H Oh, responder is 4252 or 4261! We know a lot more and we're at a low level. We know that opener has 3 diamonds and not 4 diamonds, great! Anyways either way it seems like north will bid 4D at some point, south will cuebid hearts, and north will cuebid spades showing club support (or in some variations north will get a 4C bid in). South can then bid keycard.

You are thinking on the right terms, you never want to bid the same values twice. That is a great lesson that you have learned. Your error is thinking that you have shown your values. 15 is more than you might have, you might even have 12 with the same shape! That's a full king extra. Also, you have a 4th spade. You might have 3 spades. Your 4th spade is an extra, you haven't shown it yet. So you have a king extra and an extra trump. That is certainly enough to bid 2S, since you do have those extras that you haven't shown. Your partner on the other hand was out to lunch for not bidding 2S at least!

Meh I'd bid 1S, these are def the best conditions for bidding though. R/R I would pass for sure. With some spade spots I would always bid 1S.

Can you bid 4♦ and if partner cues and you RKC with 4NT then bid 6♣ to give partner a choice or would 6♣ be something else? I thought about this, I think it would ask for the CQ though.

Heh, remember that hand on vugraph that Rodwell passed with 21? 2245. But they opened 3S I think so that would be different obv.

Well what can happen, and what has happened, is that my LHO is JDonn who responds 1♥ on drek and RHO makes a single raise. We have an easy takeout double, but good luck getting to 3N opposite partner's 8 count. Seems pretty easy, Whatever partner bids over my X I cuebid next and he bids 3N?

Pass now, pass the round before

Lol 7H is so blatant. If you had really jumpshifted in hearts and then rebid hearts and your partner had jumped not ONCE but TWICE including once to slam, you would never think to correct. Sounds like partner has really solid spades! 7H is not even an LA, it is pass or 7S.

1) Easts pass is not my style and I think a style where you pass with that is inferior, but w/e not that big of a deal. 2) Souths 1S is my style though many like to bid 2S. 3) West has a complicated hand, I agree with 2S though it may make diamonds a little hard to get to, double just makes things really complicated and 2H sucks imo. 4) Norths 4S was normal at these colors 5) Can't fault 5H. East could try an expert 4N then 5H to show a good 5H bid but...oops the opps bid 5S and you have never bid hearts, or oops the opps were gonna misjudge but now they know a lot more about the hand. 5H is a good bid. 6) 5S is a big bid. West was probably banking on a minor suit finesse if necessary. He did very well. 7) I suppose north was trying to say "let's save over their slam if it's ok with you." I think it should mean that because a lead directing X is pointless anyways, so nice bid. East could drive to 7 after 5S from a practical point of view. He passed to wait or whatever but when he heard 6C he could definitely bid 7. His 6D bid was pretty silly as evidenced by his later correction of 6H to 7H. On a bad day partner might tank and bid 6H and then when you bid 7H you will have to explain to the committee why you bid 6D if you always planned to bid 7H (defense: I suck but obv I have to drive to 7 on this auction). Should south have saved? Absolutely! North's good double paved the way, south has no defense and great spades. North obviously has no defense also to X 5S. Even if south wasn't sure, he couldn't have taken it as lead directing holding the AK. So north was expert, and south was a fish. EW did well to bid 7 even if the details of getting there were imperfect.

What is the point of bidding? They have lots of points and are in a force lol. We could easily get cracked in 2S or 3D, and in general we just help them sort out the auction by bidding. I don't see any point, game is super unlikely when they have opened and bid a 2/1 in comp and we have no fit and no shape.

Playing it shows 18-19 is really superior imo. Or at least showing an unbalanced hand with like 16 if you want, like 6 diamonds and spades stopped. Anything but double stopper with maximum weak NT! That said double stopper with max weak NT is pretty standard.

I would run. FWIW I am a complete fish in these situations whenever I run I seem to be cold.

Agree with my first pass, would bid 4D now. I can't see this ever going all pass if partner is 5-6 anyways (they will bid with 10-11 spades, or partner will bid 4H even if they pass). I am assuming they will bid 4S and just preparing partner for that by letting him know we have a good hand for diamonds.

I prefer RONF and it is a more standard treatment (at least in USA, don't know about other countries).

If you bid 5C you will get to 4N opposite that hand!

I'm sure everyone will understand this OP... and they are happy to see it in general bridge discussion rather than watercooler... Anyways good luck to you guys. And start posting again echognome!

I would raise my partner!

I know you're not missing this and you mean "pass is completely percentage" but the biggest downside to me is we could easily be on for 4S and defending 4H. Some of that time 4H will even make too. Generally in those cases it's right to bid.

pleaaaaaaase X ty. Also X when you're 2335!

Assuming 2H is forcing, I utilize the green card!

Seems like you should involve 3H in the slam bidding process too. Like maybe 3H general game try or splinter, partner bids 3S with min, 3N with max then you can bid low/middle/high if you want (and partner has defined his range some more too). Bid 3N as a shortness ask Bid 4C+ as suits with slam tries. Or something like that. Basically I think you should have shortness ask, shortness showing, and 2nd suit all available if you want.

I wouldn't try anything funny, I would just start setting up the suit that I want to establish to get tricks. This suit is hearts. So play the queen of hearts from hand. If it's covered, just win and play another heart. If it's ducked just plan on running the ten of hearts next time. If you get some luck in the heart suit you can take 4 hearts 3 clubs 1 diamond and a couple of spades.