Kick it in?

[pclayton]

♠T9xx ♥Jx ♦Jxx ♣AK9x

 

all vul, IMPs

 

(1♠) - pass - (2♠) - 3♥ -

(pass) - ?

 

Sorry, not a lot of agreements here about what constitutes a pre-balance.

 

If you know the hand, stfu.

[Gerben42]

Don't know this hand but many like it. Pass, I guess.

[han]

I don't know the hand, I pass.

[kfay]

Do EEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!! Too many ways this can make.

[the hog]

First thought pass, but as we haven't discussed obar bids, and we are vul I am going for it. 4H.

[jchiu]

4♥, game try.

[benlessard]

I think its a pass. With 1 or half a loser will just blast to 4H hoping i can provide 1 trick. With slight more than 1 loser he will X and bid 3H to strongly invite me to 4H.

[helene_t]

Pass, surprised some want to bid on this.

[the hog]

Pass, surprised some want to bid on this.

x

AKTxxx

Axx

Qxx

 

Where do you want to be?

[mcphee]

As game may make, I raise and hope this is that day. Partner likely has a 6 bagger, I hold the AK of C and I expect game to have a chance to make. What am I afraid of? One thing I am unconcerned about is hearing 4S which IMHO has almost zero chance.

 

Bid game, either hope it makes or they misdefend.

[andy_h]

Think I'm going to raise to game on this one.

[jdonn]

I was the other hand. I think holding this one I would have done the thing that doesn't work, but this hand was so instructive for me that I am sure from now on I will do what did work on this sort of hand.

[pclayton]

I was the other hand. I think holding this one I would have done the thing that doesn't work, but this hand was so instructive for me that I am sure from now on I will do what did work on this sort of hand.

Yeah, I don't want to spill the beans on this one either.

 

I will continue to poll, but I'm getting some support from some good players on what I didn't do.

 

Suffice it say, this was a learning experience for me too.

[paulg]

My initial reaction is to raise. I realise this is going to work especially poorly when partner has a 5-card suit (x AKQxx KQxx xxx) but it will probably have play when he has six.

 

p

[brianshark]

Looking at this hand, my first impression was that it was a rubbish 9-loser hand with little support and pass was clear. But the more I look at it and the more I draw up typical hands for partner to hold, the more I'm realising that game could well be on. You're holding of ♠T9xx on this auction is golden because it means that you and pard have very little wasted strength in ♠s and all your HCP are working. Plus, pard is never going to bid 4 unilaterally on an awful lot of decent to very good hands that make game pretty good.

 

So put me down for 4♥.

[mikeh]

I think you have to raise on this, and I say that knowing full well that we may be turning +140 into -100 or (even worse) -100 into -500. Partner doesn't need the world's fair here, but he does need a good 6+ suit and he has a stiff (probably not a void) spade.

 

I don't think the opps are going to bid 4♠ if I bid game, altho (were they to do so) it would make me happier about my choice.

 

Now, if partner and I had a specific agreement that he can bid 3♥ on nothing more than a good suit and short spades, I'd pass. But I used to pass these hands in these auctions and have partner bemoan that what did I expect him to do? Bid game all by himself?

 

For those thinking that he could double and then invite via 3♥, please tell me how you persuade opener to NEVER bid over your double :)

[jtfanclub]

It's IMPs, we're vulnerable...I need it to work what, 1/3 of the time?

[xcurt]

It's IMPs, we're vulnerable...I need it to work what, 1/3 of the time?

Aaah this number again. Well you're getting 10:6 odds assuming your only possible results are 9 or 10 tricks undoubled. So you need 37.5% given that:

• you're playing an infinitely long match
  
• you don't assign any value to giving your opponents the cube
  

Personally, in the absence of any information about partner or the opponents, I think this is very close and I don't have strong feelings about it. I guess that means I disagree with jdonn that there's a clearly right action.

[effervesce]

I raise to 4. Yes, it may turn a positive into a negative (or a negative into a big negative)-but 4♥ may make, they may decide to bid 4♠.... Partner should have a very good heart suit for a vul 3 level overcall.

[pclayton]

Josh held: ♠x ♥AKT9xx ♦KQ98 ♣xx.

 

I passed and we chalked up +200 vul.

 

Usually pard will have a six card suit on this bidding, If pard has the tendency to pre-balance on the same pattern, but without the ♦KQ say, game is hopeless. But the above hand is certainly within range for a 3♥ call.

 

Most good players I have shown this to boost to 4. This is one of those cases where you need to eat an occasional 6 IMPs to avoid losing 10.

[jtfanclub]

So you need 37.5% given that:

• you're playing an infinitely long match
  
• you don't assign any value to giving your opponents the cube
  

Well, given that we're not told that we're up by 15 IMPs with one hand to go or suchlike, I think we have to assume "infinitely long match" for these purposes. Give me SOTM info and maybe my mind will change.

 

And we're already at 3, so if it's 8 or 11 tricks undoubled shouldn't make much of a difference. The question I guess is, how often do you expect to be doubled? Everybody has a fit, both opps are limited, I guess I don't expect it that much.

[skjaeran]

I'm raising with this, and I think it's pretty clear to do so.

I've got two sure tricks for partner, the ♣9 might be a valuable card, and both red jacks are probably pulling more weight than stray jacks normally do.

[ArtK78]

I think the title to this thread is misleading. This is not a "prebalance." It is a bid vulnerable at IMPs into a live auction. It shows STUFF.

 

Furthermore, since responder has limited his hand, opener will know whether it makes sense to bid, pass or double (although many play that the double of 3♥ here is a game try rather than an "I got 'em" double). That is another reason why this 3♥ call is not a "pre-balance." What are you balancing against? 2♠ at IMPs? Very dangerous.

 

I bid 4♥ and I think it is clear.

[fred]

I would bid 4H and expect to make it more often than not (70% maybe?).

 

I don't believe in the OBAR thing. My partner would have a real hand for 3H. We also play 2NT overcall is hearts and a minor (as opposed to minors which is what I suspect most people play). So for me this would increase the chances that partner has a 6-card heart suit which is obviously important.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Apollo81]

At least it was close. While this hand has too many potentially working high cards to pass, if you had held 109xx xx xxx AKxx then pass seems very clear to me.