Starting at the 3 level

[catch22]

[hv=d=w&v=b&s=s7hkj9753dakj6c72]133|100|Scoring: IMP

(2D)-P-(3H)-P

(3S)-P-(P)-?[/hv]

 

2d multi

3h pass or correct

 

x of 2d by partner would have been 12-15 bal or good hand

x of 3h by you would have been take out

 

What do you bid now?

[skjaeran]

I'm going to bid 4♥ now. I dare not pass.

[Edmunte1]

Do whatever you would have done over (2♠)-pass-(3♠). I'll bid 4♥

[xcurt]

I would have bid 4♥ the last time, unless I have an agreement about fast vs slow routes in this auction. If I do have an agreement, it would probably be delayed action usually shows more than immediate action.

 

As Edmunte points out this is like 2♠-3♠ except that we know hearts are breaking onside so we can be a little more aggressive.

[JLOL]

4H. The reason you should have bid last time is that RHO might bid 4S after LHO bids 3S. That is also why logically xcurt's agreement is not a good one.

[ewj]

Yup, have to bid 4♥

[gnasher]

On the previous round, I prefer to play double as either takeout of hearts or an overcall in hearts. That would have allowed me to show my hand safely.

 

From where we are, I bid, obviously. What would 4♦ mean? If the only hand that would pass 3♥ and then not double 3♠ is a heart overcall, logically 4♦ shows hearts and diamonds. I'm not sure that this is the rigth shape for it, though.

[xcurt]

4H. The reason you should have bid last time is that RHO might bid 4S after LHO bids 3S. That is also why logically xcurt's agreement is not a good one.

Why? Standard in these auctions is that 3♥ call shows a willingness to bid to the 3-level in hearts, and at least the 3-level in spades. I'm not making any arguments about the spade break, but if RHO were willing to bid to the 4-level in hearts and the 3-level in spades (and we already know he is willing to bid to the 3-level in spades), he would have bid at least 3♠ and possibly 4♥.

 

I don't argue it's impossible for RHO to have 4 hearts on this auction, he might have a hand that doesn't want to force the 4-level because it's balanced and/or has a lot of secondary cards better for defense, but I think we have a much better idea of the heart break on this auction than we do on the corresponding, non-Multi auction (2♠)-Pass-(3♠)-?, and what we know about the heart break strongly suggests it's exactly 3-cards with RHO.

 

On the other hand, we know less about the spade break after the Multi auction than we would after the natural auction, since as Justin points out RHO could have extra spade length here. But I don't see that as important since we are bidding 4♥ not to advance sacrifice, but with the idea of making opposite a reasonable percentage of partner's possible hands, and also since we aren't planning on taking length tricks in spades on offense, or on ruffing spades in the short trump hand.

 

Edit -- I read "agreement" for "argument." Mea culpa. Anyway, I was applying the usual default agreement vs Multi for overcaller's actions to apply to advancer's actions too. I was just qualifying my statement to say I would bid 4♥ unless I had an agreement precluding it. And if I did have an agreement, it would probably not preclude it. Or something like that.