Low Level Competition

[rogerclee]

1) MPs, All Vul

2) IMPs, All Vul

3) IMPs, Red against White

 

♠AJ76 ♥A8765 ♦2 ♣AK9

 

In first seat, it proceeds

 

1♥-1♠-x-P-

?

 

I think the even-remotely logical choices are 1NT, 2NT, 2C, and Pass, not in that order.

 

Edit: Added third scenario.

Edit2: Added exact spots.

[Guest Jlall]

I don't think anything but pass is logical at all, at any vul, at any scoring.

[MFA]

I'm not sure I understand what Justin is saying.

 

I'll pass at imps & pairs all red. If villains are NV at imps, I think pass is too ugly, so I'll try 2♣.

[jdonn]

Dont agree with jlall, 2C is certainly reasonable and I would choose it at imps r/w

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

you left out the option 2H, certainly

as good as the 2NT option.

 

1NT would be an underbid with regards

to strength and lie about the shape.

2NT would be an overbid with regards

to strength and lie about the shape.

 

2H should promise a 6th card / a better

suit.

 

Looking at the options, which are left, you

could sell me all, most likely I would go

with 2H, but I wont feel happy, but I would

bid 2H mainly to stop thinking, which bid to

choose.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[rogerclee]

Hi,

 

you left out the option 2H, certainly

as good as the 2NT option.

 

1NT, this would be an underbid with regards

to strength and lie about the shape.

2NT, this would be an overbid with regards

to strength and lie about the shape.

 

Looking at the options, which are left, you

could sell me all, most likely I would go

with 2H, but I wont feel happy, but I would

bid mainly to stop thinking longer than

necessary.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

I might be (easily) wrong, but if we are calling this hand a minimum, I greatly prefer 1NT to 2H.

[655321]

Agree with the Pass for (1) and (2), and 2♣ for (3)

 

Don't like 2♥ at all. I could be persuaded that 2♥ is better or worse than some number of NT bids (maybe. :( ), but the point is that if you are bidding a suit 2♣ is always a better bid than 2♥.

 

Lastly, perhaps it is just me, but I would prefer to see pips instead of x's for this sort of problem. May not make a difference to my bids, though.

[rogerclee]

Agree with the Pass for (1) and (2), and 2♣ for (3)

 

Don't like 2♥ at all.  I could be persuaded that 2♥ is better or worse than some number of NT bids (maybe. :( ), but the point is that if you are bidding a suit 2♣ is always a better bid than 2♥.

 

Lastly, perhaps it is just me, but I would prefer to see pips instead of x's for this sort of problem.  May not make a difference to my bids, though.

Updated with exact cards.

[655321]

Lastly, perhaps it is just me, but I would prefer to see pips instead of x's for this sort of problem.  May not make a difference to my bids, though.

Updated with exact cards.

Wow - how's that for service?

Thanks, Roger :(

[the hog]

Pass is not an option and I cannot believe Justin is recommending passing a 1 level double with this. I would bid 2NT. I feel I am too good for 1NT, though I could live with that bid, and I don't like bidding non existent suits if there is an option.

[han]

I'd also pass. My second choice is 2NT, a slight overbid. Maybe that's what we should bid red vs white.

[mr1303]

My vote is for 2C. If it attracts further action from partner I'm well placed, and if partner passes the chances are we weren't making very much anyway.

 

Pass is too much of a gamble at the 1 level, and I'm not happy about 1NT or 2NT, either a distinct under bid or over bid. 2H is yuck.

[awm]

I think Pass and 2♣ are the only serious options. Notrump is either a huge underbid or overbid, and rebidding this lousy heart suit holds no appeal.

 

As to what I'd do, it depends on colors and form of scoring. At unfavorable (we're red, they're white) I would bid 2♣. I feel like 1♠ will usually fail, but it will often fail by only a couple tricks and very rarely by more than three tricks (easy to imagine LHO taking three spade tricks and one other trick even if partner's hand is pretty good). At unfavorable, even +500 is a losing position against our making game, and +300 is a pretty substantial losing position. At MP if we have a game, we lose the board unless we set them four at these colors, which seems unlikely.

 

None vulnerable at MPs, I would also bid 2♣. If we have a game, I think passing and pulling will roughly break even here (sometimes we'll get them only +300 and lose the board, but sometimes we get +500 and win). If partner's hand is lousy though, beating them one trick doubled may not win the board (i.e. we could be getting +110 in clubs or hearts). This swings things for me towards bidding.

 

In other situations I would pass.

[pclayton]

Pass has a lot going for it. LHO will overcall with 5 spades and an excuse, and RHO would have frequently raised with 3 trump and an excuse and he didn't. Pard also has a maximum of a doubleton heart. They might even be on a 5-1 fit, and RHO can't rescue.

 

Is it really any more of a position than 2♣? 2♣ is such a nothing bid and will give us a sweet +130 against our 3N. If I'm not passing, I much prefer the slight overbid of 2N, which leads to 3N that can make on power, as long as pard has something in diamonds, and why shouldn't he?

[awm]

Why do we think we can necessarily make game? We have a bad heart suit opposite a non-fit and a poorly placed ♠J. Suits will not break particularly well for us -- we know spades are likely to be 5-2 at best if not 6-1 or 6-2, and with the bad spade break it becomes likely hearts will not be 3-3, and so forth.

 

Obviously if we have 26 hcp or the like, we should have a shot at game. But I don't see the logic in overbidding 2NT, hoping to reach game on 23-24 high with this hand. If we bid 2♣ and partner passes, we probably don't have game. If partner has 9-11 high he will raise and we will bid game. The downside of 2♣ is, of course, that sometimes we play in 2♣ or 3NT when defending 1♠X would've been a better score -- not that we play 2♣ when we're on for 3NT.

[Fluffy]

2♠ followed by 3NT, seems my take out doubles are not the same as other people.

[Codo]

Great question for the smallest lie.

 

I would never bid 1 NT, a great underbid and I would hate 2 Club. I have 15 prime HCPs + a jack, I have a side singelton and all I want to bid is 2 Club? The same bid I would make with Jxx,AJxxx,Kxx,QJxx?. Never. Yes I must accept that 2 Club sometimes will work great, but I cannot choose it.

 

So it is pass, I look at 4,5 tricks + possible ruffs + a pd who doubled and has some values or 2 NT.

 

I would choose 2 NT when they are white and pass else.

[miguelm]

1 - I Pass.

 

2 - I Pass.

 

3 - I bid 2NT if this is supposed to show 15-16 HCP, otherwise 3NT as I expect partner to hold at least 8 HCP for his double.