Slam or Game?

[awm]

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=saqtxxxxhxdjxxcxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Partner opens 1♣ (standard). RHO bids 1♥ and you bid 1♠ showing 5+♠.

 

LHO bids 3♥ (weak, preemptive) and partner raises to 4♠.

 

Try for slam or pass?

[dicklont]

Pass.

Partner could have bid 4♥ to show a really good raise.

[Hanoi5]

What should partner do with:

 

KJxx

xxx

KQx

AKQx

[Finch]

What should partner do with:

 

KJxx

xxx

KQx

AKQx

i) call the director

ii) when he's down to 13 cards, bid 4H

[dburn]

Pass. Hope we make it. Partner is under some pressure to raise to game with a hand that would have bid about two and a half spades if his RHO had not pre-empted. We won't make a slam, or even the five level, facing some of those hands.

 

♠KJxx ♥xx ♦Ax ♣AQxxx

 

is a possible hand for partner, and not even a minimum.

[Walddk]

Clear pass for me. 4♠ is not particularly strong after the pre-empt. A little more than minimum if rather balanced, alternatively a minimum with 4-6 shape. 4♥ would have shown a full value raise to game.

 

Roland

[mcphee]

Pass rather clear to my thoughts, this is not even close to bid again to me.

[mikeh]

This is a wtp pass

[kenrexford]

You have seven losers. Partner needs about six covers, therefore, to make slam, although a finesse might yield an anti-percentage make.

 

You need fast covers and have no bolsters, so his cover requirements will be pure.

 

If he had that hand, he'd cue 4♥ as a power raise (showing nothing in particular in hearts).

[cherdano]

Clear pass for me. 4♠ is not particularly strong after the pre-empt. A little more than minimum if rather balanced, alternatively a minimum with 4-6 shape. 4♥ would have shown a full value raise to game.

 

Roland

I agree with pass, but I disagree with your description of 4♠. I think a raise to 3♠ already shows a little more than a little minimum, 4♠ should have serious extras.

[jdonn]

I think of the cuebid as a normal 'good' raise to 3♠ or better, and 4♠ as less than that. That would make this a clear pass.

[pclayton]

3♠ = 4 spades and a sound opening hand.

 

4♠ = a hand that would have bid 1m-1♠-3♠

 

4♥ = something more.

[cherdano]

I think of the cuebid as a normal 'good' raise to 3♠ or better, and 4♠ as less than that. That would make this a clear pass.

So you use both 3♠ and 4♠ for hands that would bid 2♠ without interference? That doesn't seem right to me.

[skjaeran]

Pretty clear pass IMO. Might make slam on a lucky day, but I think pard would bid 4♥ on all hands where slam is a good proposition.

[awm]

So why would partner bid 4♠ on a hand that is not even worth 3♠ without interference? This seems like a way to get too high.

 

I would've assumed something more like:

 

Pass with a bad 2♠ bid

3♠ = a good 2♠ or bad 3♠ bid without interference

4♠ = a good 3♠ bid without interference

4♥ = a GF without interference, or better

[jikl]

Partner didn't bid 4♥. Also, any finesse you need to make slam is likely to be badly placed, you have no tenaces. The overcaller is sitting over partner where there might be tenaces.

 

Easy pass.

 

Sean

[655321]

I agree with everyone that we have a comfortable pass of 4♠.

 

I am surprised, though, that it looks like we will get to play here. With so many spades I expected a 5♥ bid from someone, but unless the preemptor bids again, we have bought the hand in 4♠.

[cherdano]

So why would partner bid 4♠ on a hand that is not even worth 3♠ without interference? This seems like a way to get too high.

 

I would've assumed something more like:

 

Pass with a bad 2♠ bid

3♠ = a good 2♠ or bad 3♠ bid without interference

4♠ = a good 3♠ bid without interference

4♥ = a GF without interference, or better

Me too.

[the hog]

Pass

[han]

3♠ = 4 spades and a sound opening hand.

 

4♠ = a hand that would have bid 1m-1♠-3♠

 

4♥ = something more.

Me too.

[rogerclee]

3♠ = 4 spades and a sound opening hand.

 

4♠ = a hand that would have bid 1m-1♠-3♠

 

4♥  = something more.

Me too.

I agree, except 3+ spades.

[awm]

People seem unusually conservative today. The following hands offer good play for slam here:

 

♠Kxxx ♥Axx ♦x ♣AKxxx (slam is cold, even if one of the ♠ is a ♣ it's good)

 

♠Kxx ♥Qxx ♦Ax ♣AKQxx (quite good despite wasted ♥Q)

 

♠xxxx ♥AQx ♦AQx ♣AQJx (not cold but quite good despite all the wastage)

 

♠KJx ♥xx ♦AQx ♣AKxxx (clubs 3-3 or diamond finesse on the likely ♥ lead)

 

♠Kxx ♥xx ♦Ax ♣AKQxxx (this one is good even if ♣Q is a small one)

 

All of these look to me like 4♠ rebids in this auction. They are either balanced 18-19 type hands with something wasted in hearts, or shapely hands that would be worth a 3♠ bid without interference (sometimes with only three spades though).

 

The thing is, if partner has shortness somewhere it rates to be diamonds (if opponents had 11 hearts they might've bid more, and in any case that implies partner will have "no wasted values"). If partner is balanced he rates to have 18/19 and even with some wastage in hearts (with ♥xxx it might be a 4♥ bid in any case) we might make slam opposite that.

 

In any case, the poll says pass. This was right on the actual hand, as partner held:

 

♠KJxx ♥Kxxx ♦AQ ♣AQT

 

After the heart lead, making 5♠ is possible on an endplay. But it's difficult to make any slam try and avoid 6♠, which requires two finesses to win (basically RHO has every card so this is not going to work out).