Choose your poison

[jallerton]

[hv=pc=n&s=sthj9865da3c98763&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1sp1np2dp]133|200|1NT= up to 12 points

[/hv]

 

Your are playing 5-card majors and 2/1 game forcing. IMPs scoring.

2♦ is natural, showing 4+♦ and less than a game force.

 

What do you do now?

[JLOGIC]

2H for sure. Must be a pretty reasonable chance I catch a 5-2, or that if he has a stiff heart I survive and he's 6-4. Even if he bids 2N over 2H that is not so bad since I can bid 3C with a reasonable shot of him being 5143. And on a good day I will catch 3 card heart support, even getting raised I'd rather that than play 2D in a 4-2.

 

oops eliminated comment about 5332 cuz i cant read

[JLOGIC]

Probably partner will pass with 5053 and I will regret this one

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=sthj9865da3c98763&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1sp1np2dp]133|200|

jallerton writes "1NT= up to 12 points. You're playing 5-card majors and 2/1 game forcing. IMPs scoring. 2♦ is natural, showing 4+♦ and less than a game force".

 

 

IMO 2♥ = 10, Pass = 8, 2♠ = 6

[/hv]

[Phil352]

at our table p bid 2H and I raised him to 3 with Ax and a max if I remember rightly? This was not a great success.

[jallerton]

Thanks for the replies and votes. Here are my thoughts.

 

On a bad day, when you bid 2♥ you will be a 5-1 fit. [As partner has shown at least nine cards in the pointed suits and we have equal length in the other suits, partner's expected number of hearts is under 2.0, I claim.]

On a bad day, when you pass 2♦you will be a 4-2 fit.

If you bid 2♠ and partner passes you will probably be a 5-1 fit.

 

It's not a great problem to have, but how do the different potential six card fits compare?

 

4-2 fits do not normally play well. However, in this case at least we know that partner can win the presumed trump lead with the ace and perhaps score a quick spade ruff.

 

A 5-1 heart fit will not play too well as the trump suit is J98xx opposite a singleton. At least the quality of the trumps in the 5-1 fit will (usually) be better in spades.

 

Probably partner will pass with 5053 and I will regret this one

 

That's obviously the worst case scenario for 2♥, but even when we strike lucky and partner likes hearts, 2♥ will not necessarily lead to a good score, because partner will bid often bid on, expecting better hearts and/or more high cards.

 

When this came up, partner's hand was ♠A8653 ♥A4 ♦KQJ84 ♣Q. Like Phil352, my team-mate raised to 3♥ and declarer could only manage 7 tricks even with trumps 3-3. At my table, a pair of Norwegian internationals bid uncontested 1♠-1NT-2♦-2♥-4♥.

 

When partner has a good hand, the very best way to stop partner bidding on is to not give him a chance to do so. So I suspect that passing 2♦ is the best action here. With the same shape but a stronger hand (say an 8-count) now it makes a lot more sense to keep the bidding open.

[Fluffy]

A similar hand years ago my father opted for the 4-2 and said: My experience is clear, this is the best on average.

 

On that particular hand we played on a 3-2 fit since I had 16-17 balanced and we had 8 card fit in his major. Still 2♣ scored very well in MPs for staying low enough after a friendly lead.

[Statto]

A 5-1 fit at the 1 level usually plays better than a 4-2 fit at the 2 level.

[nigel_k]

I prefer 2♥ to be constructive in this sequence - something like 8-11 with a five card suit, or a bit less with a six card suit. Those hands are very hard to bid otherwise and IMO they are more frequent and more important to get right than the ones with a decent six card suit and not much else.

[ggwhiz]

I passed 1♠ smoothly.

 

Nobody in my neck of the woods lets that go at mp's and very few at imps either.

[the hog]

I would have passed this trash. I give false preference to 2S now as the H are not good enough for 2H.