8 bagger

[pclayton]

Last hand of an 8 board match and you are up 16. Pard opens 2♠ white / white and you look at: A, AKx, x, AKJT98xx.

 

Your call?

[Fluffy]

3♣, let partner explain a bit.

[han]

3C.

[hrothgar]

whatever I think they'll bid at the other table...

 

(3♣ if this is a blind guess)

[han]

Well, you are up 16 so if you think that the other table is in 7C then you should be in 6C, right?

 

Anyway, I prefer to play bridge so 3C seems clear.

[mikeh]

If I know I am up 16, white v white... I try to think how big a catastrophe I can afford. I can blow 15 imps! Wow. Talk about a feel-good auction opportunity.

 

Ok... since I can afford 15 imps, and even tho the opps may be making a successful wild double, I bid what I think I may make: 6♣.

 

Maybe LHO will save at 6♦ :P

 

3♣ does nothing. Just exactly what is your plan over 3♣? Ok, maybe he'll splinter 4♥... I check for Aces (even I would use 4N here as keycard) and bid grand opposite KJxxxx x Ax xxxx.

 

I might try for this miracle if I couldn't afford to lose 11 imps by missing the grand.

[pclayton]

If you bid 3♣, pard tries 3♦ I think.

[Guest Jlall]

I would bid 6C. We cannot lose 16 imps by playing 6C.

[whereagles]

What if you go 1 down and opps make 5♣X?

 

5♣ seems safer than the slam.

[Guest Jlall]

What if you go 1 down and opps make 5♣X?

Then we do not lose 16 imps. Just for clarification 16 imps is 1300 points and the vul here is white/white.

[keylime]

I like 6♣; I don't think this is a hand for science.

[skjaeran]

If we're 16 up 6♣ is an obvious call now. The chance for losing 16 or more is almost non-existent after that bid.

[bhall]

Ah, but you only estimate that you are up 16 - your dumb teammates may have blown back a bunch. Maybe it's 16 plus or minus 8, more likely. Now what's best?

[Guest Jlall]

Ah, but you only estimate that you are up 16 - your dumb teammates may have blown back a bunch. Maybe it's 16 plus or minus 8, more likely. Now what's best?

It seems likely that this was on BBO with barometer mode

[kenrexford]

If your opponent is sitting here, he also realizes that you "cannot lose" if you bid 6♣. But, can you?

 

Sure. You need to be -1300, right? Well, what if 7♠ makes but 6♣ does not? 6♣ has problems when 7♠ makes.

 

What if Opener has something like ♠KQJxxx ♥Jxx ♦Axx ♣x?

 

In 6♣, you cannot get to dummy to take advantage of the spades after a diamond lead. So, you hope for clubs to come in but catch Qxx behind. You eventually lose that club and a heart.

 

At 7♠, however, the worst is a heart lead. Declarer wins, clears the spade Ace, Club Ace, ruff a club (maybe high), draws spades with a cooperative split, and re-crosses in hearts to enjoy the now-established clubs.

 

So, I'm now afraid. 6♣ ain't working to assure the event. I need more info, the info that my opponent will seek. Hopefully I'm playing Ogust.

 

2NT Ogust for me.

[kenrexford]

I just came back from a cigarette and realized that his problem is actually quite humorous, at least if using my techniques.

 

Suppose I start with 2NT Ogust, and partner has:

 

♠KQJ(10)xx(x) ♥xxx(x) ♦Axx(x) ♣(x)

 

Something like that.

 

His response will be 3♠, "good hand good suit." For a "good suit," without the Ace, I expect KQ10xxx at least, and perhaps KQJxxx.

 

So, my next call is 4♣, asking partner to cuebid. When it maters, he will cue 4♦, showing the Ace and bringing in the grand in spades scenario.

 

Now, I cue 4♥. When it matters, he will cue 5♣. Whatever we have agreed, that's clearly shortness.

 

So, it seems that one can intelligently get to 7♠, and in an auction where the guy holding my hand will know that the alternative contract of 6♣ will be in possible jeopardy from a club stack.

 

There may be other ways to find out even more information, but 7♠ seems to be an imminently reachable alternative strain.

[mikeh]

If your opponent is sitting here, he also realizes that you "cannot lose" if you bid 6♣.  But, can you?

 

Sure.  You need to be -1300, right?  Well, what if 7♠ makes but 6♣ does not?  6♣ has problems when 7♠ makes.

 

What if Opener has something like ♠KQJxxx ♥Jxx ♦Axx ♣x?

 

In 6♣, you cannot get to dummy to take advantage of the spades after a diamond lead.  So, you hope for clubs to come in but catch Qxx behind.  You eventually lose that club and a heart.

 

At 7♠, however, the worst is a heart lead.  Declarer wins, clears the spade Ace, Club Ace, ruff a club (maybe high), draws spades with a cooperative split, and re-crosses in hearts to enjoy the now-established clubs.

 

So, I'm now afraid.  6♣ ain't working to assure the event.  I need more info, the info that my opponent will seek.  Hopefully I'm playing Ogust.

 

2NT Ogust for me.

if partner was bad enough to open 2♠ with KQJxxx in spades and an outside A, we probably wouldn't be up 16 imps :P And Ogust won't tell you what you need to know

[pclayton]

I bid 6♣. Caught pard with: KTxxxx, xx, QTx 7x. Got a trump lead and made 7. Owne did the same thing at the other table.

[Gerben42]

People talking about winning and losing. I don't understand how the score gets in the way of common sense.

In an 8-board match, being up 16 is 20 - 10 in VP. If you lose 15 that's all the way back to 15 - 15. Yuck. As a teammate I would not be happy with such defaitistic reasoning.

 

How about actually trying to be constructive?

 

I bid 3♣ risking to actually find out something about partner's hand.

[Halo]

6C

 

Seems a practical option.

[Guest Jlall]

People talking about winning and losing. I don't understand how the score gets in the way of common sense.

In an 8-board match, being up 16 is 20 - 10 in VP. If you lose 15 that's all the way back to 15 - 15. Yuck. As a teammate I would not be happy with such defaitistic reasoning.

 

How about actually trying to be constructive?

 

I bid 3♣ risking to actually find out something about partner's hand.

lol, why would you randomly assume that it is VP scoring? In what live event do you know the EXACT score with 1 board to go, and if that was the case and it was a VP event don't you think OP might have stipulated it?

 

Give me a break, it was obviously just a BBO match with barometer on and it was the last board. Using common sense is allowed.

[kenrexford]

if partner was bad enough to open 2♠ with KQJxxx in spades and an outside A, we probably wouldn't be up 16 imps :) And Ogust won't tell you what you need to know

I have to agree with that, but it seemed that maybe this was a trick question. As always, I was looking for the Holy Grail weirdo call. LOL

[zasanya]

The answer really lies in your reason for playing in a bbo barometer match.If you are playing "to win at all costs" then 6♣/♠ or whatever could be ok but if you are playing to improve your bidding and/or testing your system ,gadgets with your favourite partner, there is no alternative to 3♣.

[Gerben42]

Give me a break, it was obviously just a BBO match with barometer on and it was the last board. Using common sense is allowed.

 

All the more reason to simply play to win as many IMPs on each single board, as always. This is why I don't understand people not wanting barometer. Instant results --> can talk about why things went differently at the other table.

[jdonn]

Give me a break, it was obviously just a BBO match with barometer on and it was the last board. Using common sense is allowed.

 

All the more reason to simply play to win as many IMPs on each single board, as always. This is why I don't understand people not wanting barometer. Instant results --> can talk about why things went differently at the other table.

Gerben...what you are saying makes no sense. It's barometer, you know you are up 16 on the last board, 6♣ is an action that pretty much can not lose 16 imps. This seems simple.