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unload your thinkin power


shubi

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I bid 6!

That's actually very interesting. Might as well make a LTTC bid. Might miss the grand otherwise.

 

The problem, without knowing your hand, is that you cannot bid anything else to show a control, as you don't know what controls you do or do not have. Hence, you are kind of boxed in.

 

I mean, you could shoot low or shoot high, but the only bid the expresses uncertainty is LTTC. Anything else sends a clear message -- I am or am not good enough for something. LTTC asks partner to decide.

 

Brilliant!

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too bad everyone had so much fun with this question.

Am I the only one still interested in what the real answers would be?

 

 

the Poser certainly meant to ask what double, pass, and another bid would show at this point in the auction. He did not intend to ask what you would do with a specific holding, or he would have shown the holding.

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Despite being against my best judegement, I will attempt a serious answer.

 

Double - I cannot think of a hand that I would open 4 that I would double with at this point.

 

Bid - There may be a few hands that I would open 4 with which I'd decide that sacrificing at 6 was the right thing to do based on vulnerability etc. I think a hand like that would however only come up about once every 2 years.

 

Pass - The other 99.9% of the time this is what I'd do. I opened 4 - after that I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut.

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Double - I cannot think of a hand that I would open 4 that I would double with at this point.

 

Bid - There may be a few hands that I would open 4 with which I'd decide that sacrificing at 6 was the right thing to do based on vulnerability etc.

In that case, shouldn't you use double to show a hand that wants to bid 6?

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Double - I cannot think of a hand that I would open 4 that I would double with at this point.

 

Bid - There may be a few hands that I would open 4 with which I'd decide that sacrificing at 6 was the right thing to do based on vulnerability etc.

In that case, shouldn't you use double to show a hand that wants to bid 6?

Nah - I'd rather save the double for one of those extremely rare hands where I have 8 hearts and 7 spades.

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Despite being against my best judegement, I will attempt a serious answer.

 

Double - I cannot think of a hand that I would open 4 that I would double with at this point.

 

Bid - There may be a few hands that I would open 4 with which I'd decide that sacrificing at 6 was the right thing to do based on vulnerability etc.  I think a hand like that would however only come up about once every 2 years.

 

Pass - The other 99.9% of the time this is what I'd do.  I opened 4 - after that I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut.

exactly. and you are obviously not one of those on-line blasters who open 4H on various 6-card suits, etc. If the 4 Heart bid was a 7 to 7 1/2 trick Hardy-type 4H opening, then you are out of the auction and this string is moot.

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Nah - I'd rather save the double for one of those extremely rare hands where I have 8 hearts and 7 spades.

Right, you need conventions for those hands also although they don't come up so often. Like the 1 overcall of a precision 1 opening, promising 13 cards. The biggest advantage is the negative inference when you don't bid 1.

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Taking this a little more seriously...

 

At IMPs, you should bid more if you think you might make (even if you're not totally sure) and double if you think they are not making. If you have no idea who is making what, then bidding one more as cheap insurance is often a good idea (i.e. down one against down one is just a small loss, but if both contracts make and you sell it is a total disaster).

 

At MPs these things are substantially harder. I avoid bidding five over five when I have a doubleton in the opponents suit. While it is possible that we can make at the five-level despite having two quick losers in their suit, when that actually works out we generally need so much in the way of values (high cards or ruffs) anyway that we do even better doubling and defending. The same applies even more to bidding six over five.

 

In the auction given at MP (4-4-5-5) my general strategy would be:

 

As opener, double if I have two clear defensive tricks (i.e. outside my suit). Note that it is reasonable to open 4 with a hand like x KQJxxxx AKx xx especially at MP scoring, and this is the sort of hand that I think is worth a double. Otherwise opener should normally pass in this auction; he has already forced opponents to guess and has no idea what partner holds. It's hard to construct a hand where I would want to bid 6 and would not have opened with a different call.

 

As opener's partner when the auction passes to me, assuming partner didn't double I will play him for about 0.5-1 defensive trick. If I have two clear defensive tricks it's reasonable to double, especially if my heart length isn't so extreme that partner is sure to be unable to take a trick with the ace of his suit. Note that even if opponents play 5X making, we were probably not getting a great score for 5 undoubled (some people might've sold to 5X, some might've competed to 6 our way for a good sacrifice, and it's not like they can make 6 with my two sure defensive tricks). If I don't have two clear defensive tricks, then I'll consider bidding on, but only do it if it seems really obvious that it's a good sacrifice against 5 making. Keep in mind that some people will be in 5X so my score in 6X will never be that great... when in doubt it's sometimes better to hope that opponents have already overbid (pass or double) or that opponents have missed a slam (pass and don't push them).

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