How crazy is pass?

[vuroth]

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=saj9843hj96dt9ckq]133|100|Scoring: MP

Pass ?[/hv]

[TylerE]

I'd put it at about a Sarah Palin level....

 

I'd certainly never pass with that, clear 1♠.

[jdonn]

It buys you a one way ticket to crazyville.

[cloa513]

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

[ONEferBRID]

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

Agree

[mikeh]

I wouldn't pass and don't think I play with anyone who would, but that isn't enough to make me call passing 'crazy'. I think it's (very) bad..I think that it will work out poorly more often than it will work out well (altho many times it will break even).

 

But for a bid to be 'crazy' means it's looney....make the clubs AQ and now we'd in batshit country.

 

Normal....borderline....bad....hopeless....crazy..that's my continuum and this is at the bad point....tending towards hopeless but not there yet.

[mikeh]

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

Now...this is closer to 'hopeless' on my continuum..... white v red we are thinking of preempting? Wow. I know we are in second seat, but the vulnerability is the most important factor....have you even seen what people preempt on at favourable over the past 20+ years??? I mean, make the clubs xx and most would open a weak 2 at favourable...the spades aren't hideous, after all.

[655321]

Passing is bad, but the adjective I would use to describe it is 'soft', which is a very different type of bad from 'crazy'.

[quiddity]

For Pass I would pick a different political figure than Palin, someone staunchly conservative but not a complete ditz.

 

Palin might bid 2♠.

[awm]

Both ♣KQ-tight and ♥Jxx are lousy holdings and not worth their high card points. This looks more like 2♠ than 1♠ to me.

 

Obviously if your agreement is that NV weak twos only go up to 8 hcp or something (with stronger hands including a six-card major opening one) that's a different story. But if you would ever open 2♠ NV on an eleven-count (or even a ten-count) I think it's right on this hand.

 

For example, I think ♠AJ98xx ♥xxx ♦xx ♣Ax is a better hand than this one (K+R evaluator rates them as equal). Maybe that's a one-level opening for some of you also given the vulnerability, but for me a weak two bid doesn't deny an outside trick, and a one-level opening on a close-to-balanced hand like this one promises more than 9 hcp.

[Mbodell]

For me 1♠ > 2♠ >> Pass but even Pass isn't totally crazy. I can think of crazier bids, not even counting canape opening jumps to slam.

[jukmoi]

Clear 1♠ for me. Wrong type of hand for weak two: too much defence as compared to offence.

[cherdanno]

It buys you a one way ticket to crazyville.

They have a sale?

[helene_t]

Agree with Sarah Palin.

[gwnn]

looking for excuses not to bid 1♠ will not win you the Bermuda Bowl ;)

 

ugh! even favourable! my eyes! oh, the humanity!

[bluecalm]

I would like to play a style where it's 2♠ bid.

Unfortunately all my partners insist on playing weak twos as "small preempts" so I have to open 1♠ with them ;)

 

Passing is very bad. Maybe not crazy, it just shows very poor bridge judgement or very poor methods.

[vuroth]

Pass worked brilliantly, but I had a feeling I was overthinking it. Thanks.

[NickRW]

Pass is not crazy, just soft as another poster has said.

 

Unlike with some other posters, I don't really look on weak twos as a some sort of 'must preempt' with any old 6 cards at favourable - to me they are for hands that aren't quite worth an opening 1 bid - and this hand to me, with its 6322 shape rather than 6331 - and the doubleton club not being worth all that you count for it is not really worth a 1 opener.

 

There are some, at favourable particularly, will look at a hand and say, 'this hand is too weak for a 1 level opener and too strong for a weak two'. Personally, while I understand the reasoning, cannot do otherwise than go wtf!

 

Nick

[ArtK78]

Agree with most of the sentiments expressed. Unless you play a very sound opening style or a very sound weak 2 bid style, opening 1♠ seems clear.

 

2♠ would be my next choice, but it is only a weak 2 bid if you play very sound weak 2 bids.

 

Some players have stated that a hand can be too weak for a one bid but too strong for a weak 2. I don't agree with that, but that is probably the best argument for a pass on these cards.

 

Is pass crazy? No. Eccentric? Yes.

[jdonn]

looking for excuses not to bid 1♠ will not win you the Bermuda Bowl :)

 

ugh! even favourable! my eyes! oh, the humanity!

Haven't you heard about that hand where Versace made a well timed pass of an 11 count with 6 decent spades at favorable, thus generating the swing to win the Bermuda Bowl? You haven't?

[Phil]

1♠ is warranted and I consider it winning bridge, although I don't consider pass 'crazy'. Pass might work of course, although its hard to see how. Surely you are competing to 2♠ later if you pass, so I'm not sure what passing initially gains.

 

So, we won't remove your frontal lobe but please stay on your meds which will reduce these manic episodes.

[neilkaz]

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

Now...this is closer to 'hopeless' on my continuum..... white v red we are thinking of preempting? Wow. I know we are in second seat, but the vulnerability is the most important factor....have you even seen what people preempt on at favourable over the past 20+ years??? I mean, make the clubs xx and most would open a weak 2 at favourable...the spades aren't hideous, after all.

Agreed completely.

 

This hand is good enough for me to open 1♠. While KQ tight is a defect to be sure, I have some spot help in the red suits and no rebidding issues and won't be ashamed of my hand playing 2/1 if partner makes a 2/1.

[gwnn]

looking for excuses not to bid 1♠ will not win you the Bermuda Bowl :D

 

ugh! even favourable! my eyes! oh, the humanity!

Haven't you heard about that hand where Versace made a well timed pass of an 11 count with 6 decent spades at favorable, thus generating the swing to win the Bermuda Bowl? You haven't?

No, I wonder why not?

[rogerclee]

You know, you can succeed playing a style where this is a pass, a 1S opener, or a 2S opener.

 

People here talk all the time like it's crazy to do anything but open 1M on a bad 10-11 and 6322 shape, but in reality there are good pairs that open 2M on these (gasp, even with bad suits and vulnerable!), and in the end it doesn't matter that much, and it's up to you what kind of style you want to play.

[bluecalm]

and in the end it doesn't matter that much, and it's up to you what kind of style you want to play.

 

But there are no really good pairs who pass it.