Minor suit woes

[duplcat]

I have loved BBO for years but have had problems with Robot bids almost always in minor suits. I'm wondering if I'm missing something in bot systems. Tuesday tournament RHO opens 1 s and I double. 2 s by LHO, 3 h by bot, 3 s by RHO and I bid 4 diamonds (17 pts and 6 d). Bot now bid 5 c and I bid 5 d. Bot now bid 6c and I "corrected" to 6 h (down 500). Bot's hand:

xx Kxxx Qxx xxxx

Where did bot get the idea to bid slam in his own unsupported 4 card minor headed by the 7? Did he take 4 d to be splinter?

[steve2005]

hand

 

Gib for some reason took your 4♦ bid as showing at most 5♦ with 4-5♣ so was merely correcting to best game with 5♣

 

Then Gib really blew a gasket and took 5♦ as a cuebid and bid slam

[1eyedjack]

I suspect that sitting in the South seat GIB would have overcalled 2D rather than double, but that does not excuse the explanation subsequently ascribed to 4D. South does not have the hand described, for sure, but neither is the explanation sensible.

 

This is a recurring theme that has cropped up in several threads recently, and it has little to do with minor suits per se as indicated by the OP.

 

The problem is that a take-out double of 1-suit is defined as showing one of three hand types:

1) An opening hand, not necessarily strong, with at least 3 cards in each un-bid suit - the "normal" take-out

2) A hand suitable for overcalling in NoTrumps, but too strong for an immediate 1N overcall (and 2N being unusual)

3) A hand suitable for overcalling in a suit, but too strong to do so (a powerful hand, as simple suit overcalls are quite wide ranging)

 

Opposite a double, GIB advancer sensibly initially assumes the weakest hand opposite, which is to say hand type 1. It is not good at anticipating the possibility that doubler may have one of the other hand types, and often refuses to believe it even when doubler later makes a bid that clarifies.

 

It is probably OK at handling hand type 2. At least, I don't see many complaints posted in BBF of foul-ups with this hand type. Maybe they are just very infrequent. Doubler simply bids NT on the next round, and my guess is that GIB then knows what is going on.

 

It is hand type 3 that repeatedly shows up as a problem. Even after GIB introduces a new suit following a double, partner GIB continues to assume 3+ card support for all suits outside opener. And this is simply not guaranteed once doubler has shown hand type 3.

 

I hope Georgi and Uday take note. This is being reported repeatedly.

 

In the meantime my recommendation would be overcall in preference to double, even on very strong hands, and pray that you get another chance to bid.

 

 

 

[steve2005]

 

In the meantime my recommendation would be overcall in preference to double, even on very strong hands, and pray that you get another chance to bid.

 

good advice, even not playing with robots. partners have nasty habit of jumping to 3 or 4♠ spoiling your plans for a nice auction. I think doubling and bidding a new suit should be very strong like really nice 19+ hcp

[chasetb]

Yeah. I had the same problem, I posted this several days ago and you can see that it should be getting worked on shortly.

[georgi]

Improved in v31 as now bidding new suit like here will no longer be TOX shape.

 

So here 4♦ would show : -- twice rebiddable ♦; 17+ total points

 

 

Similar approach ( where previously it was TOX shape too ):

 

1♥ --- X --- 2♥ --- 3♣

P/3♥ - 3♠

 

and etc.