wyman

I guess I was asking what is standard. If I were designing it myself, I'd want: responder rebids 2M, rebids 3M to be his weakest action responder jumps to 3M (immediately after the reverse) to be natural and slammish responder bids 3M after lebensohl relay to be natural and forcing, showing 6+ with doubt about strain. I could see reversing the 2nd and 3rd, but this way is more in line with other leb auctions. edit: and I don't want to get into direct 4M vs 2N-3C-4M, but I guess all these things could be defined much more precisely in theory.

♥2 for me. This can win a couple of ways, including on the next board(s) after declarer plays for me to have 4 hearts and then tilts for the rest of the round after he sees he was cold. This is better in a long KO I guess. I give serious consideration to leading the ♠10 though, especially at MP, since I think more people will lead it. But I think the heart is more likely to work out. I should really learn to run sims though to see whether this is true. My suggested meta-win on this hand, though, is not quantifiable thru sims.

afaik, opps never have the right to know how you're "taking" a call. They only have the right to know your agreements, both implicit and explicit.

Unsurprising :)

:( So I did think that 2H was showing and looking for 3N. Given partner's club raise (which again, I thought was constructive), it looks like we'll have play for 3N if partner has QJxx or Kxxx of clubs and the ace of diamonds. With neither side bidding spades, it's likely that they cash at most 4 spades off the top -- if spades are even led. Yes, we might get to 3N going down if pard has the DK, but the defense still has to get it right. 2C competitive doesn't seem that useful, since it's not eating up any space. What's the minimum hand with which you'd bid 2C? From the commentary, it seems people disagree with 2H -- not just that I'm not good enough for it, but with my intended meaning. Maybe I need a lesson in competitive auctions. I thought when you'd bid and raised a suit and opps have bid 2 suits naturally, you cuebid the one where you've got stuff to show stuff (or with an alternate plan, of course). It seems I'm way off base here. What's the preferred style?

My thoughts exactly. ♦2 for me.

Well awm and han already diverge, so whatever it is, I think it is not universal among experts!

Thank you thank you. It's nice to have a reference to point to when discussing this with new partners.

Out of curiosity, do the 2C bidders use 3C as mixed or weak? Does it make a difference? Part of this discussion started because I thought that 2C was constructive (3C for us is weak), and I didn't think this hand was worth a constructive raise (values concentrated in clubs, 6HCP and flattish). I thought 3C was more appropriate. I'm interested whether our difference of opinion is my poor judgment or systemic. [edit: subsequently, then, I thought that X was an overstatement of the case after "stretching" to bid 2C, independent of the result on the hand.]

smash

Thanks for the input. The page Zel included was particularly useful.

bump Does this belong elsewhere?

The cynic in me feels strongly that this factored in. I would have had no qualms if they just nuked the whole football program and rebuilt from scratch. But handpicking who stays and who goes leads me to think there was more to it. I understand that the face of PSU (the prez) and the face of PSU football (JoePa) have to go if you're cleaning house. But just picking them, especially when you've got others who were at least as involved (e.g., Curley is on an "administrative leave of absence" and McQueary is coaching for God's sake) just seems wrong.

I thought he broke the record when they beat the Illini on Oct 29, only a week before the arrest.

At the very least, can someone tell me how McQueary's coaching this weekend?

I didn't assume that 2D was negative either, just waiting. If the splinter shows 4 card support, then KC and bidding 7S opposite at least 1 becomes my choice as well.

Is partner going to be able to make an intelligent decision based on this information, though? Opener is the only one that will be able to place the contract, and even that is iffy. The only thing you care about really is the spade king, though, and the only way (without GSF) you have at this point to get at it is via keycard.

i wouldnt assume 4 trumps, since more often than not in this auction, opener has long trumps. And of course, we are also missing the J and 10.

why 4♥? Ask yourself: was opener trying to elicit some info from responder? Was opener trying to give responder info that might allow responder to make an accurate decision later? Or was opener just cuebidding for the hell of it?

I would not bid 3N over 3D with AKQxx / Kxx / J / Qxxx ♦AK10xxxx and out is a perfectly reasonable 3D call, and I've got 5 tricks, probably 6 by giving up a spade, 7 because they have to lead something. 9 is pushing it. It would help if we had partner's hand, but I suspect it's closer to an opener than to a 3D call if 3N is cold. edit: (actually, so is ♦ KQ1098xx, in which case we score 0 diamonds).

I agree. In my style, 3C shows a worse hand. 2C is a constructive club raise, and that's what I have. If I had a mixed raise available, I'd do it.

How are you coming up with that number?

Heh. Happy to be among your favorites, but confirmed non-expert here :) For me, I think I read carefully everything that Justin, awm, inquiry, and mikeh post. And I definitely listen when MrAce, Phil, Gnasher, FH, Cherdano, Free (listed twice in your list!!), Gwnn, and others (this is meant as further exaltation to these guys, not as a slight against others in MrAce's list) weigh in on close play or bidding decisions. And kfay is my all-around bridge consiglieri, but he only posts rarely now that he's trying to become kfayhowsermd.

Get better agreements! :P 6S won't be a disaster. They'd have to bid to grand and make the grand at the other table for it to matter, so I guess you could RKC (puke) and bid the grand if you hear 2, and otherwise bid 6S. You'll miss the grand when P has the SK and not the CA. At MP, I might bid 7 after hearing 1KC, since I think him having the SK is > 50% (and I have chances if we're missing the SK anyway). But I don't have enough info/confidence to bid grand at IMPs.

Two thoughts: 1) In discussing what started this firestorm -- seeing as the events in question are a decade old -- it was brought up that Paterno had just become the winningest coach in CFB. Coincidence? 2) Someone tangentially related to your business (you are a middle manager, and we'll say this guy is a vendor you've only met once) comes in and tells you that one of your subordinates -- whom you've overseen for years, and who you consider a family friend -- was diddling some kid behind the office. What's your play? What kind of odds do you set on the story being true? What kind of odds do you set on the guy's career, life, etc. being ruined if you immediately call the cops? Do you think advising the actual eyewitness to call the cops and reporting the story to your boss should suffice? Re 1) I think this is fishy. Re 2) I think "passing the buck" -- which is what the media has been killing Paterno for -- is totally fine when you're not an eyewitness, and when the story sounds implausible. edit: and I agree with Phil, depending on the lapse of judgment of course.