holy cow

[jillybean]

Dealer: West Vul: NS Scoring: IMP ♠ AKQJ ♥ A62 ♦ KQJ ♣ AQJ

 

West North East South

 

 Pass  Pass  3♣    Dbl

 Pass  3♥    Pass  ? 

[han]

I think I would have bid 4NT over 3C. On the other hand, we need more than one useful card from partner and even 4NT is not safe. Perhaps it is best to just bid 3NT now and give up on slam.

[rogerclee]

Any strong continuation I have sounds like a heart raise. Given that I doubled initially, I feel like the only bid to make now is 3N.

[jillybean]

What is 4nt over 3♣? Pick a slam or pass?

 

fun hands lately :)

[Cascade]

I don't see why a cue-bid now wouldn't suggest a strong hand needing more information. That is what it would mean on a similar auction at a lower level.

 

(1♣) Dbl (Pass) 1♥

(Pass) 2♣ ...

 

Of course this may turn out to be an advanced cue if hearts are subsequently raised.

[Cascade]

What is 4nt over 3♣? Pick a slam or pass?

 

fun hands lately :)

Over 3Major the standard is for 4NT to show the minors.

 

I am not sure there is a standard over 3minor.

 

Personally I prefer to use a cue-bid to show a two suiter so:

 

(3Major) 4Major = both minors

 

(3minor) 4minor = both majors

 

This frees up 4NT for some other purpose which could be a hand too strong for 3NT. We actually use 4NT as an ace ask for a hand (usually single suited) that would want to play slam opposite an ace. Both of these treatments and any other that is likely to be useful for 4NT are relatively infrequent and would definitely need advanced partnership discussion.

[P_Marlowe]

3NT.

 

An underbid, but partner may

still bid 4H, in which case I will

know, that we have a fit.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Gerben42]

Tough one. I would bid only 3NT at this point. If partner bids 4♥, I will bid 5♥.

[whereagles]

Agree with gerben.

[kfay]

3NT seems crazy to me. Although I'm hard pressed to offer a (much) better bid.

 

4♣

[pclayton]

We've discussed 4N as natural over 4m. I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be natural over 3m either (or a weak 2♦ for that matter).

 

Having doubled, I'm endplayed into 4♣ but I have no idea what I'm going to do from here on out.

[kenrexford]

As an aside...

 

I really really like 3♦ as a Herbert Negative after 3♣-X-P-?

 

I'm willing to play 3NT or 4♦ on the diamond-oriented hands to gain the ability to distinguish "Oh Crap 3♥!" from "Better Play It Safe 3♥." This also removes the need for "Oh Crap 4♥."

[skjaeran]

As an aside...

 

I really really like 3♦ as a Herbert Negative after 3♣-X-P-?

 

I'm willing to play 3NT or 4♦ on the diamond-oriented hands to gain the ability to distinguish "Oh Crap 3♥!" from "Better Play It Safe 3♥." This also removes the need for "Oh Crap 4♥."

So do I - I've played that in my last two longstanding partnerships.

[mikeh]

I think I'll just bid 3N now.

 

Yes, it is perhaps a woeful underbid, but 4N would be (correctly) understood as keycard. A cue bid merely postpones the impossible choices. I mean, what are we doing after 4♣ begets 4♥, as it will on many many hands?

 

I take comfort in the fact that we need a pretty good hand over there to make slam. If we do have a slam, it is more likely to be in notrump than in hearts (by a wide margin) and I just don't know how I'm getting there when I want to be there and staying out when we have no play. I have, I think, shown a pretty good hand (I'd say a 23+ hand) via double and 3N, but he probably can't picture it as this good.

 

BTW, I agree that it would be nice to have been able to bid a natural 4N, but I wouldn't spring it on the average B/I/advanced partner wo discussion, and maybe not an expert either :P