$#!% suit

[kayin801]

[hv=pc=n&s=skt8765haqdaqjcq2&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=1h]200|300[/hv]

 

Nothing special about righty's 1♥.

 

If you vote 1♠, what would you change to make this a X to start?

[mike777]

1s max

 

maybe a little better spade honors or change a Q to a K.

[jillybean]

1♠, planning on bidding 2♠ next. I need better ♠honors to double.

[Hanoi5]

I'd double. The suit is not good but I don't want to mis-state the strength of my hand. Doubling will usually show me partner's range in HCP's.

[aguahombre]

I don't think this can be answered with conviction out of context. For us, doubling then bidding a suit suggests doubt about what trump should be, and we would have to be prepared to bid game all by ourselves or keep bidding spades til pard gives up to double first with 6+ spades.

 

The heavy 1S overcall seems fine on this hand.

[Trumpace]

Too strong for 1S for me :( Just Axxx with partner and we have a good chance of 4S.

 

Maybe double and bid NT is an option if partner does not show spades.

[Furlan]

1♠.

Swap the black 10 and Q and I'll double.

[rogerclee]

We have too much to overcall 1S, we have a fine 18 count with an extra spade with almost no chance of the auction going out of control, since we hold spades. Overcalling 1S leaves you in a bad position to show your hand or judge what to do in lots of common scenarios.

[Siegmund]

Supermax 1S, but still 6 losers, and while we expect red-suit finesses to work we need entries to take them. Axxx in spades may well be only one entry.

 

Most 18s I would be willing to double. Here I am swayed by the Qx in clubs as well as the less than solid spades.

[quiddity]

with almost no chance of the auction going out of control, since we hold spades.

 

This isn't clear to me; it seems that after some very simple auctions like

1♥ X 2NT P 3♥

1♥ X (mixed raise) P 3♥

we have a problem.

[kayin801]

Partner had something like A, xxxx, Kxxx, xxxx, and my 1S overcall didn't get any higher bidders. I made 4 when they led a heart and spades split 3-3. Obviously this isn't a fantastic 4S contract or anything, but I was just curious as to what people would do with this hand.

[Phil]

I'd double. We can usually control the auction with a hand like this.

[Gerben42]

Double. We don't seem to have a tough rebid. After 4♥ I double again...

[ArtK78]

Worth a double. Slightly too good to overcall 1♠. The sixth spade adds a lot to the hand.

[1eyedjack]

I doubled, but I have to agree that it is borderline. I would not object strongly to 1S.

[gwnn]

Kx instead of Qx is a clear x I think. Like this probably 1♠ is enough.

[aguahombre]

For us, doubling then bidding a suit suggests doubt about what trump should be, and we would have to be prepared to bid game all by ourselves or keep bidding spades til pard gives up to double first with 6+ spades.

 

This earlier quote ended up to be a good prediction of how a pair might end up in the spade game opposite the given hand. Now that we know the spades are 3-3, double looks better :rolleyes:

 

X-2D

2S-3C

3S-4S (having shown zero thus far in her range of 0-8)

 

Opposite many other holdings, and opponents' holdings, the first five of the six calls might not have as good a result.

[1eyedjack]

I don't play a simple new suit "rebid" (by doubler) following a double to be forcing opposite an advancer who did not promise anything. Sure it is very strong, and this hand is minimum in terms of suit quality. But at the end of the day it remains limited to about this strength (unless I jump rebid or cue following the double). My point is that I may well have stopped short of a game that makes on some lucky breaks on this hand despite having started with a double.

[aguahombre]

N0, double then 2S is not forcing, but partner with 4-4 in the minors and only one spade....opposite a doubler in a style where X, then suit, shows doubt about trump....will bid 3C whether she has any strength or not.

[han]

I'd bid 1S.

[rduran1216]

I'd bid 1S.

 

finally an 18pt hand I'm overcalling.

 

I agree with whoever said swapping the black 10 and Q turns this into a x instead of 1S.

[aguahombre]

Amusing to me is that ---given the oppenents' spade distribution ----if the minor suits were reversed in one of our hands or the other, that stiff Spade Ace would be worth three tricks more than a low spade.

 

Opening lead of the minor where we hold KXXX in dummy and QX in hand.

[jh51]

Axxx in spades may well be only one entry.

 

This is false statement. The worst Axxx had that parnter can hold is A932. (Look at the missing spots.) The 9 can always be a second entry even if trump is breaking 3-0.

[Echognome]

I'm still in the heavy overcall and double later camp. I agree this one is close for me.

[1eyedjack]

I don't think this can be answered with conviction out of context. For us, doubling then bidding a suit suggests doubt about what trump should be, and we would have to be prepared to bid game all by ourselves or keep bidding spades til pard gives up to double first with 6+ spades.

 

The heavy 1S overcall seems fine on this hand.

Ok, I'll bite. Using this style, how do you bid a hand that does NOT have any doubt about what trump should be? Is it just a straight choice between a simple 1S overcall and blasting game in Spades? Perhaps you play strong jump overcalls (I have nothing against them, incidentally, but they are a bit out of fashion).