Your partner opens 1♠: You have AK to 9♡

[pilowsky]

In fact, the situation is much worse.

Here is the auction:

[hv=d=s&v=b&b=7&a=p1s2d]133|100[/hv]

I'm sitting with this hand.

 

Additional information: I have played with my partner every morning for many months but our bidding against interference is not well worked out.

What would you bid?

What does she have?

Here is my Hand:

[hv=pc=n&e=s6hakt986532d986c]133|100[/hv]

P<0.0001 9310

KR rates this at 18.85

After the game, my partner complained that it took me a full minute to come up with the wrong bid.

 

This link shows how the robots play it.

https://tinyurl.com/y4avgads

[pgrice]

I bid 4♥ and hope for the best. My partners will expect just this sort of hand.

[DozyDom]

I think I'm bidding 4H too, though my partners will be expecting less than this. The diamond overcall makes things much easier for us imo; it's suddenly so much more likely that they have 2 tricks off the top, even in the cases that P does have 3 tricks for me. But it should be rare that things go too far wrong responding 2H, if you're more optimistic than me.

 

Edit after looing at the full hand: meh, these things happen. If your p is mad that you played in 4H, that's on them.

[Cyberyeti]

Also missed the trump promotion by playing a 4th diamond.

[DavidKok]

I'd bid 2♥ (forcing), intending to bid 4♥ on the next round. On Monday's I'll go down, but on Tuesdays my partner has a singleton diamond along with ♠A and a heart or two and it's a laydown 6♥.

[AL78]

I punt 4♥. It doesn't make on the actual layout but NS do have 5♣ on.

[apollo1201]

Easy 4H. Almost too good for that.

 

Even easier after the overcall. I witnessed a pair play in a 1-1 fit at 4H after a 1S opening, one thought was is a splinter, the other thought it was natural...

[johnu]

Easy 4H. Almost too good for that.

 

Even easier after the overcall. I witnessed a pair play in a 1-1 fit at 4H after a 1S opening, one thought was is a splinter, the other thought it was natural...

Not so easy 4♥ if partner thinks it is a splinter bid and goes crazy in spades. And even if partner recognizes 4♥ as natural, how many slams are you going to miss because partner will almost always have to pass.

 

Is 4♥ a splinter bid? Certainly in an uncontested auction,

 

[hv=d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1sp4hp]133|100[/hv]

players who play splinters would interpret 4♥ as a splinter bid.

 

How does a contested auction change the meaning? Some players also play fit jumps, so 4♥ would show moderate hearts and a spade fit with a hand worth playing in game. My not very strong opinion is that 4♥ should be a splinter, 3♥ would be preemptive (if not playing fit jumps), and 2♥ is natural and forcing.

[hrothgar]

2♥

 

The hand has WAY too much playing strength for anything else

[DavidKok]

How does a contested auction change the meaning? Some players also play fit jumps, so 4♥ would show moderate hearts and a spade fit with a hand worth playing in game. My not very strong opinion is that 4♥ should be a splinter, 3♥ would be preemptive (if not playing fit jumps), and 2♥ is natural and forcing.

I recently discussed a similar situation with my partner. We came up with the argument "If opponents show long natural suits, any shortness we have is likely to be in their suit (especially if we have a 9+ card fit). Furthermore, even if we do have shortness in an outside suit, this mostly just means bad breaks (we have length in the opponents' suit, partner likely has length in my short suit).". Based on this we do not bid splinters in auctions where opps have shown length, except in their suit. We do still have methods to show shortness later in the bidding though.

As for fitbids versus natural 4♥, I think that is mostly a matter of preference. We play (almost) all sudden jumps to game as "to play", simply because this is the least costly way to get it wrong at the table. 3♥ would be a fitbid though after 1♠-(2♦)-?.

[pilowsky]

Things get worse. The previous day this bidding happened.

[hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1c1h2hp2sp3cppp]133|100[/hv]

This time, my partner was unhappy because my 2♥ bid was Michaels. The good news was We got a top board because she is an excellent card player and made an overtrick.

 

So I did not want to risk any bid that might be misinterpreted. Bold action was called for. I bid 6♥.

Here's the 'de-identified' result

Here is the full hand.

https://tinyurl.com/y4on3nkf

It does really badly sitting East.

https://dds.bridgewebs.com/bsol2/ddummy.htm?club=chrome_ext&file=https://mirgo2.co.uk/bridgesolver/uploads/5f384b806b88f8.85317586.pbn

[DavidKok]

After 1♣-(1♥)-? a 2♥ response is generally reserved for 10+ point hands without a four card spade suit or a clear other bid, and some people demand at least four clubs for the bid but others are happy with just 3. Playing Michaels in that situation is of limited value, and I would just show your two-suited hand in two rounds.

 

6♥ is silly, rather than bold.

[hrothgar]

Things get worse. The previous day this bidding happened.

[hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1c1h2hp2sp3cppp]133|100[/hv]

This time, my partner was unhappy because my 2♥ bid was Michaels.

 

The expression "Michaels cue bid" has a specific meaning.

This is not that.

[pilowsky]

Well spotted. That is exactly why I was in a quandary about what I should do next to indicate the sort of hand that I had.

 

My thoughts were:

1. My partner has 12-14 HCP if I bid 4♥ we could miss a slam.

2. My partner may have up to 19 HCP and a shapely hand and we're going to miss a slam.

3. My partner has opened light and this is going to end badly.

4. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss game.

5. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss slam.

6. I can't bid 4NT 1430 because 1430 for what?

7. I need to go to the bathroom.

8. One minute has now gone past.

9. 6♥ What can possibly go wrong?

 

So here it is.

https://www.bridgeba...D5|pc|HQ|mc|11|

And I managed to only go off 1 for -4.1 IMPs so I was not too sad.

Top board for 9.1 was 4♥+1 P2♠P4♥PPP

On BBO, no-one can hear you scream.

[crapdown4]

Well spotted. That is exactly why I was in a quandary about what I should do next to indicate the sort of hand that I had.

 

My thoughts were:

1. My partner has 12-14 HCP if I bid 4♥ we could miss a slam.

2. My partner may have up to 19 HCP and a shapely hand and we're going to miss a slam.

3. My partner has opened light and this is going to end badly.

4. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss game.

5. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss slam.

6. I can't bid 4NT 1430 because 1430 for what?

7. I need to go to the bathroom.

8. One minute has now gone past.

9. 6♥ What can possibly go wrong?

 

So here it is.

https://www.bridgeba...D5|pc|HQ|mc|11|

And I managed to only go off 1 for -4.1 IMPs so I was not too sad.

Top board for 9.1 was 4♥+1 P2♠P4♥PPP

On BBO, no-one can hear you scream.

 

My POV on hands like this is that I really can't describe my hand to my partner, as wacko as it is, so I just revert to the Stone Age and bid what I think I can make. My diamond holding dampens any enthusiasm I have for slam; ordinarily I might have time to throw a diamond or two on pard's black Aces, but I'm getting a diamond lead. I also doubt that 4H will score badly--others will be in the same boat, after all.

[hrothgar]

Well spotted. That is exactly why I was in a quandary about what I should do next to indicate the sort of hand that I had.

 

My thoughts were:

1. My partner has 12-14 HCP if I bid 4♥ we could miss a slam.

2. My partner may have up to 19 HCP and a shapely hand and we're going to miss a slam.

3. My partner has opened light and this is going to end badly.

4. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss game.

5. We are playing IMP's and I don't want to miss slam.

6. I can't bid 4NT 1430 because 1430 for what?

7. I need to go to the bathroom.

8. One minute has now gone past.

9. 6♥ What can possibly go wrong?

 

 

 

 

So, why not bid 2♥?

Or, if 2♥ is non forcing, why not double?

[pilowsky]

In retrospect, 4♥ would be the best. To me, the amazing thing is that even 4♥ should not make. Just one of those hands.

Even the robots characterise the West hand as 1♠.

[hv=pc=n&w=sqjt432h7dk52caj3]133|100[/hv]

Which is fair given that KR gives it 12.3, although in the old money it only scores 11.

Here is the full deal:

The dealer was South and all were vulnerable. IMHO this deal is a monster.[hv=pc=n&s=sk975hjdqjckt9654&w=sqjt432h7dk52caj3&n=sa8hq4dat743cq872&e=s6hakt986532d986c]399|300[/hv]

[AL78]

Interesting that on perfect defence, East can only make eight tricks in hearts despite holding a nine card suit that theoretically has no losers on the layout. Not very often that happens.

[Dinarius]

I bid 2♥, forcing. To me, 4♥ is a splinter.

 

So, after my forcing bid...

 

If partner rebids a black suit, I'm rebidding 4♥

 

If, by some miracle, partner supports my 2♥ bid, I cue bid 4♣.

 

The fact that you can only make 8 tricks is in keeping with how freakish the hand is! :)

 

What actually happened, and what was the "correct" bid partner thought you should have made?

 

D.

[gszes]

Several factors need to be taken into consideration (beyond those listed by author).

1. How much defense do we have (close to, if not actually, zero) This one factor alone makes a 2h bid scary in case the auction gets real high real fast and p x.

2. We have no control in what would seem to be the obvious opening lead (dia) and that lead is going through partner. Makes any slam bidding by us serendipitous.

3. Do we have a bid that pretty accurately describes our hand while taking into account vulnerability and game? YES (4H).

4. Will our bid allow p to accurately predict the worth of their hand for slam purposes? yes They should love a hand like Axxxx xx A Axxxx and hate a hand like

KQJTx void KQx KQJTx. Cant ask for much better reevaluation than that:)

 

Conclusion: Bid 4h and let partner (the player looking at their cards) use their best judgement on how to proceed (IMHO) (maybe just maybe we can bid a grand).

[haka9]

Easy 4H. Almost too good for that.

 

Even easier after the overcall. I witnessed a pair play in a 1-1 fit at 4H after a 1S opening, one thought was is a splinter, the other thought it was natural...

 

It is easy. I witnessed a pair (unfortunately we) IMP counting playing 0-2 ♥ fit after 1♠-pass-4♥-passout. I bid a splinter and partner took it as natural. But I'm not alone. I read an interview in a Bridge Magazine. She was a player with championships in three countries. Her catastrophe in bridge was just alike.

[Phil]

2♥ looks pretty normal to me. I would bid 4♥ with one less heart.

 

After 2♠, I suppose I would bid 4♥ and be sad if partner flopped the right cards for 6 and passed.

 

I wouldn't too bad about going down in 4♥. With some inspired guesses, 5♣ looks like it comes home.

[TylerE]

2♥ seems pretty obvious to me. Survive the first round!