Two from last night

[mike777]

1) Kx....AKQJx....AKQTxx....void

2) 9....AKJ7xx...AKQJxx...void

 

MP

 

You are in first seat what is your opening bid and plan?

[P_Marlowe]

#1 open diamonds, reverse

#2 open hearts, jumps shift

 

Most likely I will drive to slam,

if partner shows any life.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[mike777]

#1 open diamonds, reverse

#2 open hearts, jumps shift

 

Most likely I will drive to slam,

if partner shows any life.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

I do not understand this plan. You plan for the opp not to bid?

[Gerben42]

1) Kx....AKQJx....AKQTxx....void

2) 9....AKJ7xx...AKQJxx...void

 

MP

 

You are in first seat what is your opening bid and plan?

 

You got both on one night? :P

 

Hand 1: Open 1♥, jump rebid in ♦.

Hand 2: Open 1♥, rebid 6♦.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 open diamonds, reverse

#2 open hearts, jumps shift

 

Most likely I will drive to slam,

if partner shows any life.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

I do not understand this plan. You plan for the opp not to bid?

well, I dont know yet, if they will bid, we will see,

if the bidding comes back to me.

I usually dont worry about possible options, because

there are more then one, and I will deal with the things

as they come along, works also in real life.

 

And besides, I count on the oppoenents to bid,

if partner passes, else I would need to open stronger,

at least in case 2, 2C being an good alternative,

assuming we play a style, where partner will bid 2D

95% of the time, say waiting 2D.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[whereagles]

Plan is:

 

2♣ 2♦

2♥

 

followed by some nr. of diamonds.

[han]

Agree with the simple 1D and 1H plans.

[Apollo81]

Agree with the simple 1D and 1H plans.

I plan for it to go all pass when you do that. (ok maybe not on the second one, but I'd be worried on the first)

[Apollo81]

I'd open 2♣ on both. It's nicer to open at the 1-level when you have a 2-suiter, but come on! At some point you just have to make the power bid when you have 11 or 12 tricks in hand.

[Finch]

Ever since I opened 1D on A AKJxx AQxxxx A and nearly played there (luckily they doubled it on the way out and we swiftly bid to +1370) I've been persuaded I have to open the first hand 2C.

 

The second I open 1H.

[awm]

2♣ on the first, planning to bid my suits in natural order (diamonds first, then hearts) or to make some call showing a two-suiter after opponents intervene.

 

1♥ on the second, planning to rebid 6♦. Unlikely to be passed out at the one-level with only 18 hcp, and showing both suits rates to be helpful.

[jillybean]

#1 1♦ planning to reverse into ♥'s

 

#2 I like Adams bid! next time I get one of these hands I'll try it :)

1♥ on the second, planning to rebid 6♦. Unlikely to be passed out at the one-level with only 18 hcp, and showing both suits rates to be helpful.

[pclayton]

1. 2♣ on the 1st. Hopefully we don't play 2♥ as a double neg, and we do play Kokish, although I think I'll be able to get my suits in most of the time. Because its MPs, my plan is to play 4♥ if pard has a bust, but I may have to angle toward 6♦ if pard has short hearts, diamond support, and no help in spades

 

2. Sigh - many things could work. I'll start with 1♥ and make a jump shift. I expect a lot of bidding.

 

Did you really hold both of these? Remember to tip the dealer.

[mikeh]

Ever since I opened 1D on A AKJxx AQxxxx A and nearly played there (luckily they doubled it on the way out and we swiftly bid to +1370) I've been persuaded I have to open the first hand 2C.

 

The second I open 1H.

I think that this experience actually proves the point of a 1♦ opening on the first hand, unless playing the same opp who reopened last time... or anyone who's heard the story :)

 

If not playing Kokish, then I dislike 2♣, and Kokish is no panacea either since the plan of showing both suits via kokish requires a distortion of length: we presumably plan to bid 2♥ over the hoped for 2♦ response and then 3♦ over the mandatory 2♠ rebid. I'm not at all confident that this start will get us to the best spot.

 

There are also two further downsides to opening 2♣. One is that partner may be unco-operative in terms of his immediate response, especially if one plays, as I do, 2♥ immediate negative. While 3♦ is now forcing, we will have trouble showing the 5th ♥ over most rebids by him, and we will potentially wrong-side a ♥ contract (if he bids 2♦, we will potentially wrong-side a ♦ contract as well)

 

The second is that preemption after an artificial 2♣ opening is far more effective, against wild 2-suiters, than after a one-level bid. If they bounce to 4♠, for example, we can bid 4N and then correct ♣s, but we risk wrong-siding the contract and partner may have trouble visualizing our 2=0 black shape. If they bounce to 5♣s, we simply can't show both suits without committing to slam, which requires some specific help from partner.

 

So colour me a 1-level opener on both hands.

 

As for hand 2: I expect eventually to bid 6♦, but I can always hope that I can find a fit below slam and extract a ♠ cue. I may even, if partner shows a good fit in one of the suits, and the opps bid ♠s, decide to bid the grand anyway... on the basis that the opps will never play me for a ♠ loser, and I will have 13 winners on almost all lies of the cards if they don't beat me at trick one. Well.. I can claim that I'd do that here, but I have never done it at the table :)

[Gerben42]

#2 I like Adams bid! next time I get one of these hands I'll try it 

 

Hey, I posted it first :)

 

Anyway I have actually done this and afterwards many club members asked me how to bid the hand and I simply said I opened 1♠, waited for my 2nd turn and bid 6♣ :)

[skjaeran]

I'm deeply into the 1-level openers. 1♦ on the 1st, 1♥ on the 2nd.

[jdonn]

I venomously despise opening the first hand on the 1 level. Not only is it likely to be passed out, but people act as though if it's not passed out we are home free, which is simply not the case. You can't show a hand this good after opening on the 1 level no matter what you bid! I would have far worse things to say about opening on the 1 level, but deference to the quality of player that has shockingly chosen that action so far holds me back.

 

A hand like the second is different for at least three reasons. It's weaker so less likely to be passed out. It has more shapely so less likely to be passed out. And you can always bid 1 then 6 if you want to, whereas the first hand would be far more awkward to describe.

[cherdano]

I would open 2♣ on the first one. With such good suits, I don't even have much of a problem with crazy preemption by the opponents. Of course partner may have problems visualizing our exact shape, but after a one-level opening he will never visualize a 1-loser hand.

 

[btw, I find it hard to believe that someone would want to open this hand 1♥ - if you open at the one-level, you should at least try to show your shape and start with your longes suit!]

[Guest Jlall]

I would have far worse things to say about opening on the 1 level, but deference to the quality of player that has shockingly chosen that action so far holds me back.

you can go off on it now, I would also open 1D on the first one :) If the auction gets competitive I plan to bid 5H next, if not I can go slower.

[Impact]

Reluctant as I am to agree with Josh (on just about anything), I hold a REALLY good suit , a very good 2nd suit and 22HCP on the first hand.

 

It really is a case of never being able to persuade partner of what I have if I don't open 2C in a natural system.

 

If my suits were significantly weaker I would have more sympathy for opening at the one level, or indeed if I held the dreaded 4441/5440 shape so that I just have too much to describe when starting at the 2-level with an indeterminate bid.

 

It is just as much an "error" and a risk to start at the one level and then play catch-up, as it is to force with the risk of pre-emption.

Aside from the good and bad things that could happen to each the biggest downside and one for which there is no exculpation in teams (yes I know it's only MP) is being passed out at the one level with a gmae in hand

[helene_t]

2♣ with the first one, which has acceptable defense due to ♠K. 1♥ with the second one. The auctions may proceed

2♣-2♦

2♥-2N

3♦ .....

 

and

1♦ 1♠

2♥ 2N(or whatever)

3♥ .....

 

This is a matter of agreement, of course. I know my father likes to play ace responses to 2♣ opening which makes opening 2♣ with a 2-suited impractical, so under those agrements I'd open 1♦ with the first one. With one IRL p I would open 2♦ with both of them, this systematic bid allows for showing specific 5+/5+ hands in both uncontested and contested follow-ups (bidding some number of hearts next shows 5+ hearts and 5+diamonds).