pretender

http://tinyurl.com/256anzw What am I missing here? It seems to me at the point where it draws the 2nd trump, it could have ruffed a second club, drawn the second trump, D to A, ruff club, and if the miracle club position doesn't come in, fall back on the heart finesse as originally intended. Why would GIB not pursue this line of play? By the way, GIB's 4D help suit game try was pretty horrible IMHO

vul vs nv 864 T985 862 K92 p-(1S)-X-(2S) p-(p)-X-ppp 2SX is cold with overtricks and yes 3HX is down 2-3, but they haven't doubled us yet. Does GIB assume it will get doubled in these situations?

GIB does this a lot. Especially over 3NT. I get it has slam aspirations on certain hands, but what about this one? T852 AJ9875 - J93 W deals (1C)-2H-(p)-3N (p)-4S!! 3N is defined as 1-H 18-22, in accordance with GIB's preference to play in 4M with a fit, but I don't think that's good.

Yes Ari, if you can change that NT needing extras rule, I think that would be great and would probably help one of the problem auctions I listed earlier, that GIB is reluctant to bid 2NT or 3NT in overcall auctions. I find that in general GIB will pattern out if it hasn't yet been able to describe its hand. So for QJxxx x AJxx Axx it would most likely bid on over 1S-3NT (that's not rigorously defined) but after 1S-1N-2D-3N would pass having already bid its hand. This happens a lot in auctions where you know you just want to be in 3NT, but playing with GIB, if 2NT is forcing on your auction, you have to bid it to let GIB finish patterning out.

in a robot race nv vs vul E dealt and bid 3C, S doubles GIB N holding J86 QJ632 AT8 73 bids 4C described as 11+ total points

Atlanta Jon, I don't know where you got your info, but 1C was never alerted as 2+. We play standard convenient minor openings. In that regard then I think we'll both agree the ruling was incorrect. Also, on the actual hand, the damage on the hand was completely subsequent and not consequent. By the time North showed up with 15HCP, declarer could still have made 9 tricks, and the XX did not cause any damage in terms of declarer's chosen line of play. But to the more important law question at hand. How is opening 1C, even if it promises 2+, not "a willingness to play in the denomination named"? To force that to be defined as "conventional" just seems too nitpicky.

Essentially, after partner opened in 3rd seat, I psyched a XX with 1HCP. Playing in an ACBL speedball on BBO, I don't know the quality of the directors. They cited the ACBL GCC: "Psyching of artificial or conventional opening bids and/or conventional responses thereto. Psyching conventional suit responses, which are less than 2NT, to natural openings." 1. Unless I'm misunderstanding the wording, the XX was not in response to a conventional opening bid, so shouldn't count. 2. I don't consider XX in itself to be a conventional call. There was no appeal, but I expect to ask a couple of the top top directors about this when I'm in Reno.

1D-(p)-p-(X) 1N was listed as 20-21HCP and GIB jumped to 3NT with its 5 count.

In many overcall auctions GIB shows a clear reluctance to bid NT when it has the stopper in the opponents' suit. I can think of many other hands, but in this given hand, GIB simulated from among 2H/S/3C but not 2NT? This makes it very hard to get to NT games in overcall situations or even to just rightside them to GIB if it won't bid them.

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sk9863haq9dj3ct74&w=saj74h8654d9865c8&e=s5hjt3dakqt42cq62&s=sqt2hk72d7cakj953]399|300|Scoring: Total Points[/hv] Playing in a robot race GIB North arrives at 4S South dealer p-(p)-p-(1d) x-(2d)-3s-(4d) 4s-ppp Opening lead DK Trick 2 HJ, HK, H6, HA! GIB N had to ruff a diamond, conceding two trump tricks, got the clubs right, but now had a heart loser for down 1. I want to know how reducing 3 heart winners into 2 could be a calculated play that gained in any scenario?

At the very least, GIB needs 4NT to be defined as either 2 or 3 suit takeout. Often the auction goes (2/3M)-p-(4M)- and 4NT is undefined (GIB usually passes I think) and if I double it goes all pass a lot (whether GIB reads it as takeout or not) The other thing I would like taken off is the jump to slam = 33+ points. This almost always means that I end up in 4/5 or 7, never in 6. A hand I held today in a robot race. - AQTxxx AKJxx KQ vul vs nv RHO opens 2S. I want to shoot out 6H, but know that I will likely end up in 7. So I double, and GIB bids 2NT lebensohl. I bid 4H, and GIB bids 6C, defined as 5-9 points, 5+clubs. So I pass. GIB turns up with xxx Kxx Qxx J9xx

I've encountered this example many times. Me GIB 1x-1M 2N-3M 3N-4M GIB doesnt have a slam try, and in my experience always bids 4M over my 3N anyway. So why the 3M bid?

The crappy 4 counts aren't the biggest problem opposite 2NT, IMO. It seems every time GIB is 4-5 it will stayman then bid the minor at the 4 level, making it impossible to just play a simple 3NT.

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. Partner opens the bidding, which gives you some information at least. You look at your hand, you should at least have an idea of where the hand might take you. It's like thinking about possible rebid problems before deciding whether to open a marginal hand. Except with more information. You still haven't given me specific hands from partner with specific auctions relating to this specific hand. The same hand without the HA is a different hand which would have different goals and possibilities. It would have a different problem over a 1NT rebid. And I believe in figuring each hand out individually instead of just having a blanket 1D response with anything "like" this hand. I did not say 1D wasn't objectively superior to 2C. I said earlier that in my partnerships I would respond 1D also. But given the added problem of the 1NT rebid (which you or I would not have), the question is whether it generates enough negative expectation to make 2C a lesser of evils.

Ok. Trying again. Let's say line A = .6 make 600, .4 down 3 for -300 line B = .5 make 600, .5 down 1 for -100 then A=360-120=240, B=300-50=250 it would take line B but if both were nv A=240-60=180, B=200-25=175 it would take line A Does that mean stretching to game vul is a suboptimal strategy with GIB vs. normal play? My brain is dead. If something wrong with the math please chime in

No, my point was that he should have visualized a plan. Perhaps he would come to the conclusion that after 1C-1D-1NT he would bid 2H. If he felt uncomfortable doing that, then he might come to the conclusion of the forcing club raise. Either way, it's just a good thing to do in general. Instead of scoffing at my inverted minor agreements (which I actually believe in my partnerships are quite good), perhaps you can answer the question? What relevant info can you get in your auction that can't be gotten in the forcing minor raise auction? You have example hands? Example auctions? If you do, great, I'd be happy to see it.

Let's get back to that auction though, gdawg. According to what you said, if partner had responded 1H you would have probably bid 4N RKC, which might have been construed as RKC for hearts (likely) or clubs? or diamonds? Well what if partner's hand is KJxx KJxx x KQxx? or AKxx JTxx xx KQx? Do you know which key card you're missing? Would you still be in 7NT? That's what I mean by perhaps planning the auction (or at least visualizing dangers) before making your first bid.

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! I agree. And I would bid 1D in my partnerships. But that's because both you and I are confident in our ways to force in the subsequent auction. Since gdawg had a problem with agreements that he can only discuss after the fact, my suggestion was that it was probably better to think about how the auction might proceed and come up with an alternative. Thinking about how problems might come up and avoiding them is usually better than dealing with them after, although the latter is probably more interesting in general and better for discussion forums. I'm also curious what relevant information you think you can get after a 1D response that you can't get opposite a forcing club raise?

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.

I think bidding 1D is a reflex action that in general you should avoid if you want to improve your bridge. You have 22HCP opposite an opening hand. It's your job to find out the cards that you need to see if you should be in a grand slam. There's no point telling your partner about diamonds by bidding 1D if it doesn't help you reach your destination. You need to plan the auction before your first response, and be the captain in this auction.

I highly advise that if you are playing SAYC you also play strong jump shifts, which would solve the problem at the first turn (bidding 2D forcing to game showing very good suit). If not, I would suggest bidding whatever is a forcing club raise in your system. At least you have ways to game force after that right? Or rather if partner does something and you now bid diamonds it's still forcing I'm pretty sure. At the end point in your auction where partner bid 1NT, I think the best shots are to bid 5NT (invitation to 7) or 4C Gerber, followed by 5C Gerber for K, and 6C Gerber for Q.

I am not sure that it plays to maximize the likelihood of making the contract (although once a contract is considered "cold" by GIB it definitely starts to do weirder things on defense). Does it maximize the overall trick expectation? ie. It has a line that is more likely to make the hand, but down 3 if wrong, so it chooses a line that is slightly inferior, but will only be down 1 if wrong. If it does that, does it calculate scoring into the expectation or just tricks?

It never picks the right suit. With 4 cards in two suits it rarely bids the other major. Often it will free bid on 3 card suits. Here's a beauty I ran into today in the robot races. (p)-p-(1D)-p (p)-X-(p)-2D (p)-3D-(p)-p (p) 2D did not have a description. Just 11HCP, 12 total points. 3D was described as "4+C, 4+H, 4+S, rebiddable D" turns out GIB the 2D bidder had AQTx x KJTxx Jxx

Yea this is one of the worst situations. The first thing is to avoid takeout doubles as much as possible. GIB is horrible with takeout doubles. Even when it's used to show a strong single-suited hand, it assumes you still have support for unbid suits. It also has an annoying habit of always choosing the wrong suit when it has more than one. Your best shot here is to either bid 2C and hope GIB has a response, or bid 2NT unusual followed by 3NT which GIB will usually pass if it does not have 5 or more of your "other" suit.

No need to really remember anything. All your bids as explained in GIB CC is shown to you if you just mouse over the bid you're going to make before making it. So click the level, then mouse over the suits to see what that bid would mean.