jjbrr

I wasn't talking about considering a complete set of rebids or a competitive auction. I was talking about common problem rebids in a constructive auction, like anticipating what to do when opening a 1345 11-count, or a 1156 10-count, or even a 2344 19-count (now the question is which minor). I've gotten good enough that I can streamline the process into identifying difficult rebids quickly, but it would be wrong for me to say "I don't consider rebids when deciding whether or not to open and I think it's good practice". If you aren't considering your rebid for partner's simple non-jump response, I think you may have room to improve your opening algorithm. And FWIW I think I can be too fast at times, so anything that can help me even out my tempo is a good thing. OK. This is sort of a silly discussion (and has been for a while, admittedly). My point is I've played enough hands that I know all the common rebids. I interpreted the problem as something along the lines of "I would open a 12 count with 1354 but not with 1345 because partner will bid 1♠ and I won't know what to do!" To me, this is ridiculous. As an aside, I prefer a precision system, and both the example patterns and strengths you provided are clear openers to me, regardless of what the hands are. (Looks like you ninja added 2344 19 count, again not a problem.) So that point is moot.

Welcome to the Forums, jerseyjd

You're kidding, right? I always know what my rebid is over each non-jump response, that way I can bid in tempo and not give UI when I have an unusual rebid. I also find that if a rebid is too difficult and opening is marginal, that influences me to pass rather than open. Why would I be joking? Why do you waste everyone's time sitting there thinking about bids that haven't happened yet? I'm also a very fast player fwiw. And I've played enough hands that I know what the rebids are lol. That argument is a little ridiculous. You really sit there and think "Well if the auction goes 1♣ (1♥) dbl I have an opening hand! But if it goes 1♣ (2♠) then I don't!"

FWIW the Iranians unloaded about 6 inches of snow on Dallas today. We might get up to a foot. Those sneaky terrorists.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/7065/99654368.png Furthermore, well done steak is unacceptable. Rare-Medium Rare is where the money's at, for sure.

BBF ♥ Beep Beep

You can redeem yourself if you can suggest a possible tasty food item with which to wrap your filet mignon to make it perfect.

To be honest because I missed it as one of the choices, but I didn't see 7♥ as an option either. So by POE 6♥ was automatic!

BBQing is not grilling.

Just so that your poll isn't biased only by people who feel affected by the changes, I have no problem with the redeals. I played for a couple hours yesterday and have no complaints, though I realize now I might have played after you disabled the feature. I can sympathize with others and think it may be better to have a robot finish the hand rather than redeal, for example, with only a few cards left. But I won't be unhappy if you choose to keep the feature, and I won't be unhappy if you decide to remove it. I hope I speak for everyone when I say that we appreciate all your hard work, Uday et al.

6♥

I never consider possible rebids when deciding whether or not to open, fwiw, and I think doing so is not a good practice. As a beginner I learned not to try to guess who holds what cards and how everyone will bid. You might be shocked to learn that sometimes people don't bid whatever it is you're worried about. It seems to me that you're arguing "when you know where you're going, use the easiest path to get there." My point is that you face this problem very infrequently at bridge, and it is much better to just do the normal thing even if you know where you're going. I think my argument has many more practical applications.

Lol. So you're suggesting that after a 1♣ opening, a good bridge player will visualize every possible auction that can result from every possible response? This is absolutely terrible advice. Think about this quote for a little while and try to extrapolate what it means in the big picture: Meanwhile, back in the real world, you honestly can't think of any bids that convey relevant information after the auction 1♣-1♦? Would 2NT convey any relevant information to you? Would 2♦ put us in a bad position? How about 2♣? And how is knowing partner is 12-14 and balanced not relevant? I know what he has and we're still at 1NT, whereas you would be at some level higher than 2♣ if you go the other route with some amount of information that is likely less than what a 1NT rebid shows, though it's possible you have really good inverted minor responses (which I'm very skeptical of). I don't see how you can possibly think my way is anything but objectively superior. What if I have the same hand without the ♥A? Don't you think the familiarity with 1♣-1♦ auctions will be valuable? Surely you don't argue that 2♣ is the right bid with that hand.

So you think the way to better bridge is to do things incorrectly? I respectfully disagree. There is nothing wrong with getting in the routine of doing things correctly, even if it leads to uncertainty in the rest of the auction. How else will he learn how to bid the rest of the auction correctly? Relevant info? Lol. I'm glad your inverted minor agreements are so good!

3♦

I have agreements with partners about what passes and doubles mean in xx auctions. South would make a takeout double after 2♦

Sorry, but this is not sound advice. And I think you were serious about 6♣ Q ask. lol. I was serious about the Q ask in that when I was first taught Gerber years ago, you didn't use it unless the point was to be in NT. To bid Gerber and then be able to get out in a suit seemed contradictory (establish your suit and bid keycard). How was my advice not sound? I basically just advised him to plan the auction before his reflex response. Wasn't that part of the problem? That he ended up in a situation where he couldn't make a naturalish bid that forced the auction? Why work on solving a problem that you're going to create when you should just not create the problem in the first place? To me a forcing club raise is the lesser of evils if you are worried about being naturalish. If you're not, then bidding 2H shouldn't have been a problem either. Bidding anything besides 1♦ that isn't RKC or 7NT will not improve anyone's bridge. I mean we've identified one hand where it literally doesn't matter what we bid as long as it's forcing and our final bid is 7NT, but sometimes it matters and bidding your AKQJxx at the one level is a great start!

After 2♥ I think opener should show his ♦ support then you have an easy 4NT RKC. If instead you argue he should still bid 2NT, then 3♣. Now he should bid 3♦, you bid 4♦ (still forcing obv), and he will cuebid a major and you bid 4NT RKC. If he decides to never support diamonds, you can bid 4♦ over whatever he bids and this should set trumps for RKC over his M cuebid again. Something like that.

Jdonn? Clee?

Sorry, but this is not sound advice. And I think you were serious about 6♣ Q ask. lol.

Sorry for my ignorance, but you're leveling us with 6♣ Q ask, right? I'd like to LOL but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt first. Obviously strong jump shifts solve the problem on this hand, but I'm not convinced you can't have a good auction without them. I feel confident I could get to 7NT after 1♣ 1♦1NT. Similarly, I don't think 1♥ 1♠ auctions are so terrible as long as you have some way to make a forcing bid at a low level when opener rebids 1NT. I think, gdawg, this isn't so much a problem with the hand being difficult but rather with you and your partner not being on the same page with your agreements. I think you agree that most of the uncertainty on this hand doesn't come from the fact that the correct bid is unclear, but instead from which bids partner will and will not understand.

The only thing any of us can say is "Don't let it bother you." This topic has been discussed several times on the forum before, and there really is no viable solution.

At the table I guess I'd probably bid a forcing 2♥, hoping to get partner to bid either 3♣ or 3♦, over which I can bid keycard. If he bids 2NT it's a little less clear how I should proceed. I hope you and your partner agree that 3♣ would be forcing now, and the auction shouldn't be too hard. If you're worried that 3♣ isn't forcing, then you're stuck wondering what 4♣ is. If you're completely in the dark as to your agreements, I confess I think 6NT is a bit of an underbid. Perhaps 5NT over 1NT will get partner to bid 7 with a hand he likes?

According to the OP, partner does not have 3♦, do you see why?

Why do they slice it so thin :P Am I the only one who would enjoy a big block of it to gnaw on? Perhaps a few chunks resting peacefully in some cleverly flavored vodka?