More Adventures with Rex and Jay!

[pclayton]

I know about the bromide about doubles below 2♠ being takeout, but can anyone actually construct a hand where this makes sense? A cooperative double I can see, but not takeout.

How about x Axx AKJxxx K10x? Is this hand any less likely than the 5-6 hand you just posted (given that our hand is unknown)?

 

I prefer to have very clear rules about when a double is penalty and when a double is for take-out, and I'm willing to play slightly inferior methods if they guarantee that we never have misunderstandings about this. I'll believe you if you say that it is better to play the double as penalty, but my rules say it is not. These rules have served me in the past.

This hand doesn't convince me that double is best, and I'm not sure that one exists that does.

 

If the partnership wants to have a meta-agreement that undiscussed low-level doubles are takeout, thats fine.

 

But if we are trying to sharpen our doubles, on balance, don't you think that double is better as penalty here (and more importantly, more frequent?).

 

If you want to make a more common hand, give pard a good spade suit; say: AQTx and some defensive tricks in clubs.