help wanted

[sceptic]

I had two conversations this week and both parties reg p's said a big problem of mine is bidding values twice (the other problem is I am crap hahaha)

 

any ideas what I can do to get out of this habit, it always seems to me to be in competive situations, but it may just be a general thing?

[badderzboy]

When u are bidding you are having a conversation.

 

You need to trust partner is listening and co-operating.

 

When u bid there are 3 phases to the auction.

 

Descriptive phase

 

This is where both partners try to describe the shape and tight range of values of their hand (usually 2 bids ( can be 1 1NT does both in 1)

 

1♥-2♣-2♥ opener has limited their hand and shape here any further rebid is asking for more info too

 

Question phase

 

The person opposite the limited bidder nows asks questions ( stayman / transfers sequences etc over 1NT but a limit raise offers a question too for example).

4th suit forcing is another typical question so is blackwood etc...

Place the contract

 

Once all questions are answered then the final contract is selected.

 

So once you have described your hand there is no need to keep telling your partner what it looks like!

 

Competitive auctions are tougher but you need to listen to the opps too and visualise the 4 hands too

 

Steve

[paulg]

This is really about judgement and appreciating when you have actually shown your hand. I think the Jacoby 2NT thread illustrates this well - you managed to show your hand with a single bid, so all the pressure should be on your partner now and you can relax. No need to think much at all as you had a minimum 2NT bid.

 

A number of the questions you raise in the forums are in competitive auctions. We all find these difficult but you need to consider whether you are showing additional values by competing.

 

One way to try and improve is to classify hands as you make your bid. So, when you open, think whether the hand is a minimum opener, or sub-minimum, a 'good' hand or a maximum opener.

 

As the auction progresses, judge whether you have limited your hand at any point, for example by bidding or rebidding NT, making a simple or limit raise, or is partner still in the dark about your strength. Have you undisclosed values, or are you going to put down dummy and apologise ;)

 

Consider the other hands and bids at the table - have others, especially partner, limited their hands.

 

So when we consider your Jacoby 2NT hand (♠KQ ♥KQxxx ♦xx ♣KTx), it is clearly a good hand when partner opens 1♥ but your 2NT response shows this. So now your hand is a minimum hand in the context of the auction and so you should bid conservatively.

 

Paul

[P_Marlowe]

Building an partnership helps,

you will most of the time bid your values twice,

because you dont trust partner or your are unsure,

that partner did understand, what you have already

showed.

You will also hve a feeling about partners general style,

could still have reserves or will he always be on the upper

limit.

 

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[DJNeill]

Hi sceptic,

I seem to recall that the very first tournament that BBO ever had a few years ago we played and won. Not sure if that is any indicator but it must mean you are doing something right.

 

Thanks,

Dan

[foo]

IMHO you deserve to be complimented for asking questions like this.

It shows you care about becoming a better player more than you do about your ego.

 

Everything you do ATT should be for a reason. Do you like doing things for no purpose or repeating yourself in other parts of your life? Of course not.

 

So every call or play you make should be for a purpose; and either make progress towards some goal or help partner get Us to some goal. Every call and every play.

 

Where bidding is concerned, that means saying what you can afford to say that will help partner the most with each call and not repeating yourself once you have said it.

 

The other thing about bidding is that is =communication=. Everyone in a conversation has to be speaking the same language in order for the conversation to be productive.

So first and formost you and partner have to make sure you are speaking the same language. Once you have agreed on what a bid or set of bids mean, the next step is for you to be very careful about using them as accurate to the agreements you have made as possible.

 

So playing SA of 2/1 GF if it goes 1m-1M;3m-3N

...and you opened 1m with a medium strength hand with a long minor in it...

You've described your hand and have nothing new to say and therefore should pass.

[luke warm]

if you've said all you have to say, or if you aren't strong enough to say anything else, pass (unless partner's bid is forcing)

[mikeh]

I think the earlier posters have it right, but sometimes hearing or reading the same idea in different words makes it easier to grasp.

 

I have found it useful to think in terms of asking myself, when faced with a 'bid or pass' or 'aggressive or sign-off' type of decision, 'what have I said about my hand so far... if I were my partner, what would I think had been shown so far?'

 

And in answering that question, don't get too hung up on precise high card points, etc.

 

Thus, if I have made a takeout double of 1♦ on KJxx KJxx xx Axx, and LHO passes, partner bids a major and rho rebids a minor or 1N etc... do I make a bid here, with my 4 card support and opening hand?

 

Well, it is tempting to raise, but think about what you have already said to partner:

 

"I have an opening hand, or better, usually short in ♦ and usually with 4 card support for either major... I may be stronger than this, but you should bid on the assumption that I hold at least these values"

 

Look at your hand and decide whether partner already 'knows' what you have. If he does, then pass.

 

Change the hand to AKxx KQxx xx Axx, and you see that you have values you have not yet shown, so now you have a reason to bid.

 

On the first hand, partner is still there if you make the disciplined pass. Partner can and should compete to 2M when he has the hand for it.

 

If you are playing with partners who do not compete appropriately, either discuss the logic of the sequence with them or find better partners. You will never get your partners to bid their values properly if you insist on doing it for them.

 

This kind of approach comes up time and time again.