Matchpoint bidding question 7

[Jinksy]

Matchpoints, 1N is 12-14. 3S is your only available invitational bid.

 

[hv=pc=n&s=skq94h74da93cqt62&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1n(12-14)p2cp2sp]133|200[/hv]

[eagles123]

3s don't see the problem!

[Jinksy]

Yeah, I think 3♠ is clear, but MP bidding still weirds me out sometimes. Andrew Robson's recent advice was 'don't invite game at MPs'.

[Fluffy]

Yeah, I think 3♠ is clear, but MP bidding still weirds me out sometimes. Andrew Robson's recent advice was 'don't invite game at MPs'.

 

This is plain silly, you are playing in a uniform field so you do the same as the field. Robson's advice might apply on top level competition or where many different styles are at stake, at an ACOL club it is ridicoulous.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=skq94h74da93cqt62&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1n(12-14)p2cp2sp]133|200|

Matchpoints, 1N is 12-14. 3S is your only available invitational bid. [/hv]

IMO 3♠ = 10, Pass = 9, 4♠ = 7.

[helene_t]

Andrew Robson's recent advice was 'don't invite game at MPs'.

I think his advice was not to use specific trial bids at MPs. The idea being that the trial bid gives away information which can help the defense so you might as well pass or blast.

 

If anything I think invites make more sense at MPs than at IMPs. At IMPs, inviting is significantly better than blasting only when partner declines and he makes exactly nine tricks and the invite didn't give a trick away. At MPs the invite also gains when you have eight tricks and partner declines and a significant part of the field is in either -50 or -100.

[Fluffy]

I think his advice was not to use specific trial bids at MPs. The idea being that the trial bid gives away information which can help the defense so you might as well pass or blast.

 

If anything I think invites make more sense at MPs than at IMPs. At IMPs, inviting is significantly better than blasting only when partner declines and he makes exactly nine tricks and the invite didn't give a trick away. At MPs the invite also gains when you have eight tricks and partner declines and a significant part of the field is in either -50 or -100.

 

This makes not much sense either because, if you are aware of information leak you will often just throw fake invitatioanls here and there to compensate.

[mikeh]

Passing is unilateral as is bidding game: this hand is a textbook example of an action I tend not to use much: an invitational raise. I'd rather bid game than pass, but I'd rather invite than bid game, by a wide margin. I suspect the problem setters had an agenda on this one, and that they don't like the invite...it is so obvious that the problem makes no sense otherwise.

 

At imps, bid game.

[MrAce]

I have sympathy for pass but I would invite. You have good intermediates and values.

[Phil]

Playing a strong NT, if partner opened 1 of a minor and raised our 1♠ response to 2, this would be a completely normal invite.

 

Here, we are in a slightly better place since we know partner has four spades. While we don't know how our hand fits our opponents are leading in the dark.

 

I'd invite, but, like Mike, I would just punt game at IMPs.

[WesleyC]

3S at MPs

[the hog]

If you are not going to invite, then why did you look for a 4 card Major? Pass over 1NT makes more sense than passing now.

[mcphee]

Even the majority of the grannies will raise, and I back their judgement.

[kuhchung]

would have passed 1N heh. still tempted to pass here, but I don't know

[whereagles]

3s don't see the problem!

 

4♠ don't see the problem!

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

Why? I counted 7 losers.

[Fluffy]

4♠ don't see the problem!

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

Why? I counted 7 losers.

I think you have it wrong Nuno, balanced hands, even with a major suit fit are better estimated with HCP than LTC. In the end most often you are just playing 3NT with the ability to ruff a third round of something once.

[whereagles]

well.. the game depends on heart wastage across. Good mins make good game, bad maxs make bad game.

 

so I play the LTC odds and shoot 4 :)

[jogs]

This is plain silly, you are playing in a uniform field so you do the same as the field. Robson's advice might apply on top level competition or where many different styles are at stake, at an ACOL club it is ridicoulous.

 

Robson's advice applies to all levels. Every time you invite you aid two opponents on how to defend. You only assist one partner in the bidding. When you never invite, it makes it harder for opponents to defend. Declarer's hand remains the wider 12-14.

[Fluffy]

Robson's advice applies to all levels. Every time you invite you aid two opponents on how to defend. You only assist one partner in the bidding. When you never invite, it makes it harder for opponents to defend. Declarer's hand remains the wider 12-14.

As I said to Helene, all you gotta do to negate the info is to put fake game tries here and there.

[StevenG]

well.. the game depends on heart wastage across. Good mins make good game, bad maxs make bad game.

 

so I play the LTC odds and shoot 4 :)

A 12-14 1NT is frequently an 8-loser hand.

[jogs]

As I said to Helene, all you gotta do to negate the info is to put fake game tries here and there.

 

Fake game tries? Confuse everyone!!!

 

I prefer no game tries. All below game bids are slam investigations.

[helene_t]

You can also play the cheapest bid as a general try and then let responder make a descriptive bid. That way you don't tell opps much about opener's hand

[rmnka447]

3 ♠.

 

While divulging information to help the defense may be an issue, the first and foremost consideration in bridge is to get to the right places. This is a hand that requires partner's input and cooperation to make the best informed decision. So invite.

 

At MPs, another consideration is what the rest of the field will do.

 

If you play weak NTs in a field of primarily strong NTers, the Strong NT pair bidding will almost assuredly go 1 m - 1 ♠ - 2 ♠ followed by a game try. If the game try (SSGT, HSGT, etc.) let's them make a better decisions, that's the breaks. Not inviting by passing or bidding game rates to be antifield any time they don't make the same decision you do.

 

If the field is primarily weak NTers, then a similar invite to game is likely by most if not all the field. Any other action than an invite again rates to be antifield.

 

Antifield actions can get you spectacularly good results when you guess right and spectacularly bad results when you guess wrong. It's top and bottom bridge.