responding 4-4 majors

[bid_em_up]

Dealer: North Vul: NS Scoring: IMP ♠ A875 ♥ AKT4 ♦ 7542 ♣ 4

 

West North East South

 

 -     1♣    Pass  1♥

 Pass  1♠    Pass  ?

  

 

We all like to open on 11, how do I invite and show extra?

Back to the original question, as considered in the B/I forum.

 

You can either:

 

1) bid 4S

2) bid 3S (invitational)

3) bid 2D (as 4SF)

4) bid 4C (splinter)

 

 

Overall, #1 rates to be the long term winner. This hand is clearly worth being in game, and I would not worry if I missed a nominal slam.

 

#2 rates to lose, because partner may pass on some minimum opening.

 

#3 isn't a bad option, except it may highlight some weakness in partners hand (i.e, no diamond stop) and you are still going to end up in 4S. You may as well just bid 4S directly as in #1.

 

#4) I would take 4C as a splinter also, but only with discussion. However, I do not consider this to be good enough for a splinter in partners original suit. It doesn't even come close, imo.

 

All you guys claiming that xxxxx is a good club holding for partner to hold, please tell me what the heck you are going to do with all of those clubs, after a trump lead, we win the club stiff and lead a 2nd trump?

 

(I also don't recommend this treatment for B/I as it will simply lead to confusion).

[han]

All you guys claiming that xxxxx is a good club holding for partner to hold, please tell me what the heck you are going to do with all of those clubs, after a trump lead, we win the club stiff and lead a 2nd trump?

Good question.

 

As we agree that the actual hand is not good enough for a splinter, let's suppose that we do splinter with a better hand and the same shape.. would Axxx Axxx AQxx x be good enough?

 

Now let's suppose that partner has a fairly minimal hand with 4 spades and 5 clubs, let's say a 13-count. Partner could have a bad club holding, something like KQxx x KJx KJxxx. Now we don't have enough trumps to get rid of all of our losers. But now let's suppose that partner has nothing wasted, something like KQxx Kx KJ xxxxx. Now we have play for slam.

 

If they lead a trump, partner wins in dummy and plays a club. Say they return another trump. Partner wins in hand, ruffs a club, plays a diamond to hand, ruffs another club, comes to hand with another diamond and pulls trump. The last two clubs are going on the diamonds. So we need spades to split 3-2 and clubs to split 4-3 (or the person with short clubs to have only 2 trumps). What's that, a little more than 52%?

 

This KQxx Kx KJ xxxxx looks rather poor for slam, but after the splinter partner will know that all her honors are working. Make her hand a little better (or give us a 4-5-3-1 shape as mikeh pointed out) and slam will be much better. You can probably also construct fairly minimal hands where partner has Axxxx in clubs and slam is reasonable. Partner would need substantial extras though if her club holding is KJxxx.

 

I hope it is clear that xxxxx is a much better holding for partner than KJxxx. The point is that partner will know this, and the splinter is therefore a useful tool for slam investigation.

[the hog]

QUOTE

others as well, bid so badly and illogically. And, no Josh on this point you are full of crap. YOU are NOT right! I am right!

 

 

.......

This is how my 4 year old stepsister makes arguments. YOU ARENT RIGHT I'M RIGHT! IF YOU DON'T DO IT MY WAY YOU ARE BAD! It's true I am always full of crap, maybe that's why you are so defensive in this case, in response to an obviously lighthearted comment in a post that was replying to someone else.

 

This was a response to your comment, using the same language that you used. I did not take it as lighthearted and clearly neither did Hrothgar.

 

To follow, I doubt very much that ALL US players bid this way.

 

Finally don't call me "dude".