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Double or bid?


Double or overcall?  

30 members have voted

  1. 1. Double or overcall?

    • 1H
      15
    • Double
      13
    • Other
      2


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I am in the 1 camp, I also strongly prefer bidding my 5 card major when 5-4 in the majors. There might be hands where I would find a double instead, but for me this is not such a hand.

 

I don't hate double, it could easily work, but it is against my religion. :)

 

I do hate Michaels - showing 5/5 in the majors when I have essentially a balanced hand seems horrible to me. True, I have seen people play this style, but I have never understood how they make it work.

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2 would keep in the picture, but I promise 5-5 when I michaels... Always.

This is very close between 1 and X. The deciding factor for me is that LHO will probably not bid, and so partner will almost certainly bid , and partner can bid a 4 Card suit over 1... This means that we don't lose the suit that often. Also, if LHO bids now we have a few clues as to what is going on... 2 pre-balance over 2 is always possible. Also, what if RHO rebids 2? Now we have the perfect X available to show our hand. 1 for me.

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I like 1.

 

For 1:

1) Partner can compete effectively with 3 and not 4, and in fact partner may dislike his spade suit so much that we will miss a lot of spade fits even if we double.

2) Partner doesn't compete in clubs, which will be wrong more often than right.

 

For double:

1) Doesn't lose spades. Spades can play better if partner's hearts are bad, but if partner's hearts are good the two strains rate to play about the same. Spades may also play better just because the opening bidder is on lead.

2) Increases the chance that we get a spade lead if partner is on lead. Even a club lead is probably better than a heart lead.

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This is the San Diego Michaels Hand. It's also very good for a Roman jump overcall of 2.

 

I really don't have a strong preference between 1 and double, although I like double a bit more, just because the spades are great and the hearts so-so.

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I like double on this particular hand. Clubs are probably okay if partner has five of them. If partner has only four clubs and has no four-card major, then a fairly high percentage of the time he will bid notrump rather than introduce what must be a fairly lousy club suit (given I have KQ).

 

If you move the values around a little bit (better hearts, weaker clubs/spades, maybe a diamond card) then you could easily convince me to bid 1.

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Thanks for your replies.

 

I was in the double camp, because of the poor quality heart suit and the great spades. KQ of clubs was ok for me because even if partner bids clubs he will usually have 5 or more and KQ tight will play ok in that strain. At the table I doubled, which worked out badly as LHO redoubled and partner bid 2 with xx/Qx/xxx/Txxxxx. clubs were 4-1 so we were doubled and lost 500.

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Thanks for your replies.

 

I was in the double camp, because of the poor quality heart suit and the great spades. KQ of clubs was ok for me because even if partner bids clubs he will usually have 5 or more and KQ tight will play ok in that strain. At the table I doubled, which worked out badly as LHO redoubled and partner bid 2 with xx/Qx/xxx/Txxxxx. clubs were 4-1 so we were doubled and lost 500.

So you play your 8 card fit and you go -2 when clubs go 4-1.

 

By the way, the opponents can make 3N.

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