chasetb

I pull it to 4♥, because that completes my hand's description. However, I would have opened 2♣, counting 9 tricks in hand.

Diana, I open the West hand if playing a Strong Club (or online with randoms), but I pass otherwise. I love the two bullets and the ♦ holding, but I hate the fact that we are 4333 shape and that Jxx is essentially worthless.

Jill, I have an old book for Beginners that is still in print - 5 Card Major Bridge Teacher's Manual. In it, it uses 1NT - 2♣; 2x - 2M as INV with a 5-card suit. In the rare case of 1NT - 2♣; 2♠, 2NT shows 4 OR 5 ♥, INV. 1NT - 2♣; 2x - 3M (where x DOES NOT = M) is GF with a 6+ card Major, looking for cuebids. GF 5-card Majors go through 2♦. I might also suggest that you ditch 3♣ as Puppet and slightly adjust your 2♦ bid so that: 2M = 4 cards, may have the other Major / 2NT = No 4-card Major / 3M = 5 cards, and use whatever you want for 3m.

United States, Midwest/Hillbilly location here -> I chose "drunk driving" If you have already had your fair share of spirits/liquor and are behind the wheel, you are "drunk driving", much like "drunk texting" , "drunk phone calls", and the locally popular "drunk beer cans on a wooden fence post shooting" :blink::unsure: . DUI and DWI cover much more than just alcohol; it also covers being under drugs, but you first have to get caught in order to be charged with it... The process of it is "drinking and driving", which is very much in use. However, I tend not to use this term for two reasons: (1.) Drunk driving is less syllables and easier to say. (2.) I know a few people who on private property / backroads where no cops go, who will on summer nights, actually go drinking and driving. In the old days, it would be with "4 on the floor and Bubba ridin' shotgun". Nowadays, most trucks driven around here are automatics, people rarely name their dogs 'Bubba', and people won't just drive themselves, they will 'car pool' so you have a Full cab full of drunk idiots. Yes, I know about these things, but have never done any of them. I value my life, and based on the current average male longevity in the USA(~76), I have another 49 years. Based on my current health and recent family history, I can reasonably expect 60+ .

4♥, though the bidding seems to me like 6♥ will make because the finesses *should* be onsides.

Pretty much this. I would lead a ♠ if there was no X.

On the first one, I ALWAYS expect 5+ ♦ for 1♥-2♦, partner not starting with 1♠ because they "have to GF" is absurd. I've come around to 1♥ - 2♣ on 4♠-4♣ GF hands, but this is something else. On the second one, the 2♦ bid was great, but the 3♥ bid is nuts!

2♠ is clear-cut, but I say no to 3♠.

The joke is in the 4♠ description. And yes, my 2♠ opener is AWFUL, but I like to experiment with a partner that won't (knowingly) get me back for taking liberties with bidding. [hv=sn=chasetb&s=SJ87543HT94DTCA96&wn=Robot&w=SHAJ5DJ9863CKQ852&nn=Robot&n=SA6H863DAKQ4CJT43&en=Robot&e=SKQT92HKQ72D752C7&d=e&v=o&b=14&a=P2S%28Weak%20two%20bid%20--%206+%20!S%3B%2010-%20HCP%3B%209+%20total%293C%28Overcall%20--%205+%20!C%3B%2012+%20HCP%3B%2019-%20total%20points%294S%28The%20Law%3A%2010%20trump%20-%3E%20game%20support%20--%202+%20!S%3B%204+%20total%20points%29PPP&p=CKC3C7CADTDJDQD2DKD7H4D9DAD5H9D3SAS2S3C5C4H7C9CQC8CTS9C6H2HTHJH3HAH6HKS4S5D8S6STHQS7H5H8S8C2D4SQSKSJD6CJ]400|300[/hv]

Well, when opponents have a guaranteed 9+ card fit, then you have AT LEAST one 8-card fit, and probably two fits, therefore, it cannot be a misfit! I bid 4♠ pretty quickly, because 10 tricks is easier than 11; if we don't have a Spade fit, I expect us to have a major Club fit and we'll find it then. If not, -500 is still better than -620.

All 4 players made ludicrous actions in this one hand. South didn't open a weak 2♦ (assuming (s)he could), West opened on crap, North made a takeout double on a 5-0-(5-3) hand, and East is a bean counter, not a trick counter and unable to diagnose fits properly. I disagree slightly on people opening 2♥ on a 7-4 hand, I would enter at the 3-level, because a 7-card fit alone would be an upgrade for me, let alone a 'concentrated' 7-4.

Not to repeat what everyone else said, but North WAY overbid.

Double, whether it be Weak or Intermediate. If it were a Weak 2M opening however and I had a similar shape, then I would pass.

How aggressive is your partner? If the middle of the road, then look and see how good your opposition is. Personally, I go 2♣, because we are allowed to be a max sometimes.

I think the MP lead would be a ♦ honor. However, I'm going to lead a ♠, all or nothing.

I would have bid 7NT after counting to 13 within 5 seconds, without thinking about the likely chance that partner has ♣ AK and NOT 2722 shape, giving me only 12 cold tricks. I don't know if you play this, but something I do over the 3♥ bid is use 3♠ as a shape ask. You can set it up how you want, but I go: 3NT = 3622 // 4♣ = 2632 // 4♦ = 2623 // 4♥ = 2722, and min for your 3♥ bid // 4♠ + = non-min 2722, showing KC If you luckily own 17+ HCP and partner tries to sign-off, you can directly answer KC. This way, you can find out shape when needed, and bid those perfect-fitting slams on less than 30 HCP.

[hv=sn=chasetb&s=SKT8HQ5DT942CJ652&wn=Robot&w=SQ97653H974DACAQ9&nn=Robot&n=S4H832DKQ875C8743&en=Robot&e=SAJ2HAKJT6DJ63CKT&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1H%28Major%20suit%20opening%20--%205+%20!H%3B%2011-21%20HCP%3B%2012-22%20total%20points%29P1S%28One%20over%20one%20--%204+%20!S%3B%206+%20total%20points%29P2N%28Jump%20in%20notrump%20--%202-3%20!C%3B%202-3%20!D%3B%205%20!H%3B%202-3%20!S%3B%2017-19%20HCP%3B%2022-%20total%20points%3B%20partial%20stop%20in%20!C%3B%20partial%20stop%20in%20!D%29P4H%283%20!H%3B%204+%20!S%3B%208-11%20total%20points%29PPP&p=DTDAD8D6H9H8HAH5CKC2C9C4CTC5CAC7CQC8D3C6S3S4SJSKHQH4H2HKH6CJH7H3S7D7SAS8S2STSQD5S9C3DJD2S6DQHTD4HJD9S5DK]400|300[/hv]

This was played at IMPs with a pick-up partner; would it make a difference if it was MPs or if you were NV? [hv=pc=n&s=sakq9742hdkt6ck97&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1s2hp3h]133|200[/hv] Part 2 All 4 hands

While West does have good intermediates and decent shape, that Queen looks to be garbage (and is opposite East's hand), and the ♦ suit is WIDE open if you again don't know East's hand. I would give West a bad 16 points, so near the top of a minimum hand, but not enough to make any moves. What West didn't know about was that East had a LIMIT RAISE, something you don't need Bergen raises for. Yes Jinksy, there is a Santa Clause, and he would evaluate the East hand as a good 11 dummy points -> 9 HCP + 1 for Kx (don't tell me you downgrade that!) + 1 (and change) for a combination of all your points located in two suits and having more controls than the expected average. Something else I do is when I have extra trump beyond what a bid promises, I add points. Since 2♥ promises only 3, I add an extra point, and even precluding my second upgrade above that puts you at 11, too high for a constructive raise. I also went ahead and put that hand into the K&R hand evaluator just to see if they would upgrade it - they call it 15.10 while Danny Kleinman calls it between 13.67 - 13.99 . So even I, who apparently over-evaulated the West hand, looks vindicated in not doing anything over 1♥ - 2♥.

I think when it comes to defense vs Polish Club, no need to reinvent the wheel. But, if you want several options, here we go: 1.) Kit Woolsey's defense 2.) BBF discussion on 'Defense to "Short minors" ' 3.) Gerben's defense

That is NOT true. First, I went to the Main Page. Then, I read "Looking for our older downloadable Windows program? Click here" and clicked, then downloaded the BBO Client.

When you get into misfits, especially ones that are greater than 5-card suits in each hand, the HCP needed is higher, especially if the points don't fit properly. I don't have the hand records, but once at a club game, partner and I had a Strong Club relay auction to 6NT, with her 16 HCP 4450 opposite my 18 HCP 3316. We were missing both Major suit Jacks, both minor suit Queens, all four Tens, and two or three Nines. Neither minor broke and Clubs were 5-2, but the opponents dropped a trick, holding us to just -1. While in theory we had everything, the fact is going in we had no quick losers, but only 10 tricks. Move a Queen to Clubs and add the Ten, and then 6NT is the place to be. There did end up being two positives - I feel I can now evaluate hand much better because of that near bottom board, and it helped improve that part of the auction, to where we can now stop in 4NT with similar hands.

Other tables: [hv=sn=Robot&s=SJT98754HJT7DC853&wn=Robot&w=SHA8653DA932CAJ94&nn=NOT_A_ROBOT&n=S3H94DKQJ8654CQ62&en=Robot&e=SAKQ62HKQ2DT7CKT7&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=3D%28Preempt%20--%207+%20!D%3B%2010-%20HCP%3B%20!DQ%3B%206+%20total%29D%28Takeout%20double%20--%203-5%20!C%3B%202-%20!D%3B%203-4%20!H%3B%203-4%20!S%3B%2014+%20total%20points%29P4H%285+%20!H%3B%2010+%20HCP%3B%2011+%20total%20points%29P4S%285+%20!S%3B%2017+%20total%20points%29PPP&p=SJH8S3SASKSTD2D4S6S7C9D5S9D9D6S2C3C4CQCKSQS8H3C6H2H7HAH4H6H9HKHTDTC8DAD8H5DKHQHJCTC5CAC2D3DQD7S4S5CJDJC7]400|300[/hv] My table: [hv=sn=chasetb&s=SJT98754HJT7DC853&wn=Robot&w=SHA8653DA932CAJ94&nn=Robot&n=S3H94DKQJ8654CQ62&en=Robot&e=SAKQ62HKQ2DT7CKT7&d=n&v=n&b=21&a=3D%28Preempt%20--%207+%20!D%3B%2010-%20HCP%3B%20!DQ%3B%206+%20total%20points%29PP3H%28rebiddable%20!H%3B%2013-19%20total%20points%29P4D%283+%20!H%3B%2018-20%20total%20points%29P6H%28rebiddable%20!H%3B%2014-19%20total%20points%29PPP&p=S3S6S7H5H3H4HKH7H2HJHAH9H8D4HQHTSASJD2D5SKSTD3D6SQS9D9D8DTS8DADKC4C2CTC3S2S5H6DQCJCQCKC5C7C8CAC6C9DJD7S4]400|300[/hv]

I agree that 4NT is awful - after seeing both hands a LSGT in ♦ is best, but at the table I might choose a SSGT in ♥. If you choose 4NT, I bet that (1.) A few people won't realize that 5♥ DENIES the Q♠ and (2.) That the J♠ give the false impression that we don't need the Q♠

I was brushing up on how to bid a Strong NT, 4-card Majors system, when this hand came up in a bidding/play problem. Since the book was more suited to Beginners, I can understand why they chose their line. However, I happen to think there is a superior line, at least by my math. Not sure if I'm right though, and only North-South hands are given. Lead is 3♦ -> Assume 4th best. [hv=pc=n&s=sakj2h863daj5ck63&n=s543ha42dk64cqj54&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1np3nppp]266|200[/hv]