Do you balance over a preempt?

[ArcLight]

IMPS all white

Pard is a decent player, not some random pick up

 

LHO opens 2♦ (weak 2) - pass - pass - ?

 

♠Q x x x

♥ Q x

♦Q x x

♣ K Q x x

 

In the balancing seat do you:

 

1. pass

2. bid 2NT

3. bid 2 Spades

4. double

5. other

 

 

In the balancing seat, what would it take for you to bid or pass in this auction?

[helene_t]

Pass, I think I need a decent 13-count or such for bidding 2N. It is possible that 2N should show 15 or such and that I would have to dbl with this shape and 13-14. I don't know the theory for this situation so I'm looking forward to the reactions from the experts.

[Guest Jlall]

easiest pass ever.

 

edit: sorry I'll try and say something helpful for once...

 

Partner is marked with some values, but doesn't need that much (as RHO can pass with significant HCP and a misfit). If he has say, 12 points, he must have diamond length else he would have bid directly. If partner has points and some diamond length passing out 2D is fine as we also have diamond length. The worst thing offensively is to have a 3-3 fit in the opponents suit. WIth a majority of the HCP and the opps not having a fit your most likely plus will be defending. If partner has diamond shortness which we must be hoping for when we bid (as we are trying to turn a minus on defense into a plus), he won't have much in the way of values. Now it's possible he has like, a 9 count with short diamonds and we can make something like 2S, but in that case we will get to at least 3 spades by bidding.

 

We also have no plausible bid. 2N shows at least a good 14, 2S shows 5 spades and partner will feel compelled to raise way too often, double with a doubleton heart and a terrible hand is asking for trouble, etc.

 

So basically there is no upside to bidding, and there is no bid that we can make that even remotely describes our hand. And what are the risks? Other than turning a plus on a partscore deal into a minus, we could simply go for a number. Remember RHO could easily have something like AKJx KJxx x Axxx for his pass.

[Gerben42]

Pass. Duh!

[david_c]

Pass. I'd need an ace more than this before I even consider bidding 2NT. Double is not an option unless you can find some more hearts amongst your diamonds, and even then the high-card strength isn't really there.

[jikl]

1. pass

2. bid 2NT

3. bid 2 Spades

4. double

5. other

 

Let's go through the options apart from pass:

 

1. We'll skip this for now.

 

2. Did not even enter my mind, partner made no move, no preemptive raise from RHO etc.

 

3. Partner didn't find a takeout double despite your length in ♦, and we want to introduce a 4 card major? My personal guess is partner has 3♦, RHO has 1. Not looking good and I need to take more intoxicating substances to consider this bid with Qxxx.

 

4. Yes, I really want to play in a 4-2 ♥ fit at the 2 level, or a 5-2 ♥ fit at the 3 level :(

 

5. No

 

Back to 1. It would seem everything else has been ruled out.

 

Sean

[skjaeran]

Pass - clearcut.

I haven't got the values to bid, partner most possibly haven't got a fitting hand and I've got no bid to describe this hand (other than pass :( ).

[hrothgar]

In the balancing seat, what would it take for you to bid or pass in this auction?

1. A much better hand

2. A partner who I wanted to punish

3. About half a bottle of tequila

[han]

Or:

 

4. Shorter diamonds.

 

5. A better suit.

[bid_em_up]

In the balancing seat, what would it take for you to bid or pass in this auction?

1. A much better hand

2. A partner who I wanted to punish

3. About half a bottle of tequila

hehe.

 

Well said.

[pclayton]

Pass. This is an entirely different kettle of fish than Arend's balancing question.

[keylime]

Pass for me, followed by a gulp of my rum and coke.

[neilkaz]

Auto PASS ... 4 Queens ..LOL ..

[mikeh]

while I agree that pass is the best call, by a wide margin, I don't feel as happy with is as most posters seem to. I don't like pass at all: it is just that, as Justin pointed out, pass is the only logical call.

 

We may well end up -90 or +50 when we could be +120 or +110 or +140.

 

But we have no safety in bidding and the odds are high that we have no plus in bidding: again, see Justin's post.

 

If we lost imps by passing, chalk it up to the effectiveness of the weak 2♦ (I always smile when I hear players say that the weak 2♦ is a meaningless bid).

 

BTW, trying to get to the best spot on every hand is a sure path to poor bridge: stay fixed.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass, wtp?

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

 

PS: As was already mentioned, pass is obvious

due to a lack of alternatives.