kaitlink

I opened 2♠ on this hand the other day at a club and wasn't sure how to play it. [hv=d=s&v=b&n=sxhjxxdajxxxcajtx&s=skj8xxxhkdq96xcqx]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv] What do you think of my 2♠ opener? I got the diamond 8 lead, how should I play it?

My partner and I are learning to play 2/1, and we had this come up the other day in a team game. I had ♠KT8 ♥AQJxxx ♦xxx ♣A and my partner opened (at vulnerable vs not) 1♠-2♥ 3♣-3♠ 4♣-4♥ 4♠-? We agreed that 3♣ showed a non-minimum opener. Was 4♥ the right bid? (I thought it was a cuebid, not natural). What should I do over 4♠?

Josh can you please explain your decision? I find things like 3NT vs pass with this kind of hand to be very hard decisions, and I'm never sure what I should do here. What factors about this hand in particular make you want to try for a nonvulnerable penalty instead of a vulnerable game?

I feel kind of silly asking this, but I just wanted to know. What does this bid mean? 1NT - 2D 2H - 2S We have ways of handling 5-5 majors, 5-4 majors, and 6-4 majors. How should I play this?

Yes I see that, but isn't this an argument for why transferring is better? It's just on this one hand that we need to protect our K, but usually, it is more likely that the strong NT opener needs to protect some holding.

Luckily we have improved on the systems used in the old days, and now we can show a shortness along the way without taking up much more room. Usually lucky, no doubt. But maybe not if opener holds: AQx Txx KQx AJxx I don't understand your point, though I am an intermediate player. Can you please explain, Tim?