wyman

0 keycards? I pass.

I admit I'd hook like 100% of the time against a non-expert. Against an expert: If he plays the Q 100% of the time from Q10, then you should play for the drop. If he plays it 0% of the time, you should hook. Of course, the expert knows that, and can adjust so that he plays the Q the right percentage of the time so that it's a guess. So your best guess could be based on what level you think the expert is on (or what he thinks you're on, etc.). My gut says that an average expert would play the Q too much of the time, so you should try to drop the 10. Basically, he'd have to believe that you'd believe that partner led the J from QJx to ever make the 10 right, so I think he'd compensate and play the Q way more than he should, which gives you no info, and you should just do the normal thing and play for 2-2.

So, it's my fault for not including this in the OP. We play HSGT, as opposed to long suit/natural game tries. 4S is a clear overbid, but 3H could be on Axx, and partner may accept with a void, singleton, or heavy with a doubleton. Not clear he'd accept with Qxx (and he certainly wouldn't with xxx(x)), though he would with the K. I'm used to natural game tries and I think 3H would be perfect in that context. I'm not used to HSGT; does AJ109x qualify? I thought Axx(x) was the textbook try, and partner accepts with like Kx, KQxx, x, or holdings such as this. Perhaps you'll still think that 3H is a lesser evil than 4S, but I'm interested to hear. The other call I considered was 4H, but as you say, this seemed to be overstating things (perhaps even more dramatically than 4S, and at least 4S gives opps no information). Thanks for the comments so far. We both agreed pass was forcing after 5C, and as much as I hated it, my only defense was the ♥A. And if 5C is making, we're getting a 0 for 5Cx anyway, so I bid 5S thinking that it might be a reasonable save.

r/w MP [hv=pc=n&s=skqt74hajt94d52c9&n=saj53h85dkjt3cj42&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=pp1s2c3cd4s5cpp5sppp]266|200[/hv] Can we assess 4S, pass (over 5C), and 5S?

I would play this as just shy of GF with 2 hearts, as opposed to 3H, which would be "I have enough to raise, but you should only accept heavy." Sort of the same as though partner had rebid 2m, where this is a strong raise in m.

This is really interesting. I opened 1N holding AK109x / 98x / AKx / xx 1) Do you agree? [(14)15-17] ---- After partner bid hearts and clubs, I thought AK AK -- even in side suits -- was too good for 4H, so I bid 3H. 2) Do you agree? ---- 3) If we agree to play NS3S here, regardless of what's standard, what is your approach with my hand after 4C? 4) Suppose that we agree that NS3S is off here. ...4a) If we have no agreements about LTTC, is 4D clear? ...4b) If 4D is LTTC, would you still make the bid, though it's ambivalent about diamond controls? ---- I thought NS3S was on, so I assumed 4C was serious. I think 4D is clear (now) but I KC'd which I think is pretty terrible, since it takes captaincy from partner. ♥H10x was off, so we were -1 in 5H. Had I bid 4D over 4C, I would have bid over 4H anyway (again, thinking 4C was serious), so probably same result, but I really felt unsure about a lot of calls in this auction.

I would make the available nonserious slam try. Hand is way too good for 4H but not good enough for a serious try imo

Good , thanks. I tend to be over-disclosing (explaining _everything_ I know) to new-ish players and in club events. In a serious event, pairs ask the rigt questions anyway I they care. It's the sectionals and regionals where we face somewhat competent but not great competition. I have no problem over disclosing but I also don't want to be losing MPs giving away info I'm not obligated to (in particular if others are not making the same inferences abundantly clear before the lead and are gaining because of it). But thanks, this sort of confirms what I suspected.

Playing Walsh style rebids (opener rebids 1N with all balanced hands, even with 4423 after 1C-1D). This is not alertable as I understand it. Suppose we have an auction like: 1C - 1H 1N - Pass Are we obligated (legally or ethically) to inform the opps before the opening lead that opener may have a 4-card spade suit? Should we say something anyway? Does the caliber of opponent (or event) matter? Or 1D - 1H 1S - 3S 4S - pass where 1S shows unbalanced (i.e., opener is either 4144 or has 5+ diamonds). Are we obligated (legally or ethically) to inform opps before the opening lead that opener has 4144 or 5+!d? Should we say something anyway? Does the caliber of opponent (or event) matter?

oh good, you edited. I was going to say, maybe you should cool it with the cocktails if she's an "it" :P

I open 2H.

x. Count is so important.

If I'm gonna mess around, I think my best bets are 1H and 2D, each of which is only a card shaded from minimum expected in this seat. But vulnerable with LHO holding a monster, I'm gonna just pass and deal with whatever comes. Even if they don't rip it, it's gonna be ugly if partner has a limit raise and we play in a 3-3/4-3 with this shape at the 3-level vul.

Yes I'd open 4S. 6H now.

Anyone have voidwood/ERKC agreements they wouldn't mind sharing? We've discussed a few options but are interested in what others are doing. This whole discussion stems from the auction 1N 2D 3H 4S which one of us thinks should be erkc [non-kickbackers here for now] and the other thinks should be a splinter. So we decided that we'd better write down some meta-rules for handling this. Thanks.

Yes, this. Sorry not sure what I was thinking. :-/

3♦ for me also. Will happily bid 3N over 3H looking for a half-stopper or pass if pard bids 3N.

Obviously north is cuckoo or in a vegetative state, but JB may have thought that 3D was completely normal, and it's instructive to have so many people disagree with that bid [even if here it should have really worked out]. And maybe N/S both thought pass was normal by N after 2H (but already people have suggested that N should X). So these type of hands can definitely be useful to have people look at. I don't think we should discourage people from posting hands like this, even if they seem pretty straightforward, and since JB should not be posting in the n00b forum, this kind of stuff has to go here. I think it's totally fine to post even straightforward bread-and-butter type hands in here, and posters can feel free to talk about their weird gadgets and whatever else as well. I/A seems (to me) like it should be kind of a free-for-all. Just my $0.02.

I would have sat for 2S as south. I don't understand why north pulled the X (unless NS explicitly play this as t/o, but I don't really think they should assume this without discussion, since south has ostensibly shown spades), since he has J10x trumps and an ace; he could definitely have less. And I don't understand how south can sit for 3C when he at least has a known 7-card fit in hearts. Blame all 'round the table on this one.

Are you serious? Because this sounds like trolling unless you have it in your head that we all work at McDonalds or something.

In an unfamiliar city, without the option of packing our own (if we are traveling and staying at the host hotel, which won't have a fridge unless we lie and say we're diabetic and need a fridge for insulin, which would be cruel since probably a large fraction of the people there will legitimately need a fridge for insulin). And let's just take the pairs game: I want to check all my scores to make sure they are right (it's a huge event) and get my scores so I can review the right boards at lunch (since I won't have time to review them all). Plus the entire NABC will be getting lunch at the same places at the same time, not to mention the usual lunch crowd for the area. Maybe this will be fine; we'll have to see. I'm not opposed to change in general, but I really think this is going to change the dynamic of NABCs for me.

Understandable, but honestly, someone can make this argument about any schedule. Plenty of people are up at 5am -- perhaps we should be playing at 6:30! They are killing 90 minutes between sessions for the LM pairs (1/7:30 vs 10/3). Shortening the break by a half hour (e.g., Spingold 10/4), ok that's fine. But by an hour and a half? Come on now, guys. This basically forces us to eat within a block or so of the hotel, which is always crap food at jacked up prices. And since _everyone_ is forced to do this, now those places are gonna fill up and have waits. Yeah, this is awesome, and then we don't start til 1:00 the next day. Some of the best times I've had at NABCs are in the bar. And Phil, don't kid yourself. We're still gonna close the bar. It's just that now the 10am start is going to be brutal. I'm not sure I understand why you couldn't before with such a long break. The only difference is that you can order wine/drinks with dinner and/or order a heavier dinner. Ok, this is a fine comment for folks _only_ playing the majors. But plenty of people will want to play 3 sessions and will have nearly NO dinner break (far worse than a tiny lunch break imo). So that pretty much sucks. For me, it's less about how much work I have to do and more about how much vacation I have. I can reasonably show up for Wed-Sun and take only 1 vacation day (if that), by being skype-able in the morning and getting done just a regular amount of work in the mornings. If I'm playing at 10am every day, I'll get no work done. I'm pretty sure most people can get from the hotel valet to the highway without getting carjacked. I understand what you're saying, but the site is hardly in the ghetto. So is this change only for the summer NABC? Because for fall and winter it's dark after the 4pm session anyway, and in summer they'll probably be driving after dark if they live more than 30 minutes from the site or if they get dinner afterwards. Again, I think there are as many night owls as morning folk. Remember that NABCs used to be social events, and afaik, that's why historically things didn't start until later. But now that the old fuddy duddies are old and fuddy duddies, the youth don't get to have fun like they did in their day? See above. Isn't the morning far better for sightseeing? And yeah, you can go to a show -- as soon as they hold the NABC in NYC or Vegas. I don't know about you, but I didn't go to Louisville to see their local production of Les Mis. (I know these aren't your points, so when I rebut them, it's not directed at you. I'm just frustrated as hell by this, because I was planning on spending quite a bit of time in Philly but now I can only go basically for the weekends, and I live an hour away.) And seriously wtf with the midnight KOs??

Anyone have any color on why the NABC+ events are all 10 & 3 or 10 & 4 instead of the usual 1 & 7:30? Basically, they are playing a 10/(3 or 4)/7:30 schedule, instead of the usual 9/1/7:30 except that: * Instead of important events being 1 & 730, they are now 10 & afternoon, * They still have some 2-session regional pairs or whatnot at 1 & 730, and * Zip KO's are off the schedule, seemingly. Some reasons I find this exceptionally annoying are: * I like time to review hands, eat leisurely, and rest between sets of a good event. 10am pairs events won't post results til 1:30 or so, and then we have to scramble and be back to play at 3? * (some of) Those of us who are neither pros nor retirees can actually work from 7:30-11:30 and still play "the majors" while only taking a half-day off work. Playing at 10 & 3 destroys the whole work day (since you know none of us will be able to work after the 3:00 session, especially if we're playing yet again at 7:30!). There was an outside chance I could take a week of half-days to play one of the Spingolds, but there's no chance if they are at 10 & 4 through the whole work week. * I like to go to the bar and post-mortem after the late set, but now rather than do that, we might all run immediately to grab a crappy quick dinner and play the unimportant 7:30 set. * Seriously? No ******* Zip KO's? Thoughts? edit: http://www.acbl.org/...ABCschedule.pdf

I'd bid 2C planning to set spades on the next round, and I'd explain 1N as "positive, but less than a GF."

1C in a strong NT context. This hand has 11 HCP, a real club suit, and it's the suit I'd suggest partner lead anyway. Not sure why I _wouldn't_ open this hand...