INEXPERIENCE

[quikwal]

 

MY HAND

S: AKT85432

H: AKQJT

D: VOID

C: VOID

 

IN MY EARLY DAYS OF BRIDGE I THOUGHT I NEEDED (22 HCP) TO OPEN

(2C) WITH THIS HAND. (12 SURE TRICKS DIDN'T SEEM ENOUGH)

 

THE BIDDING

ME OPP PARTNER OPP

1S P 1NT P

?

 

I KNEW THAT I SHOULD DO SOMETHING DRASTIC TO DESCRIBE THIS HAND

SO I UP AND BID (7H). ONE OPP DOULED BECAUSE HE HAD TWO ACES AND

SOME (KINGS). PARTNER PASSED BUT IT DIDN'T REGISTER TO ME THAT HE PREFERRED HEARTS TO SPADES, SO I PANICKED AND BID (7S) WHICH

THE OPPONENT DOUBLED.

I CAN'T MAKE (7S) BECAUSE SPADES BROKE (J94) (Q3).

WEST LED THE (AD) RUFFED BY ME AND I LED THE (ACE OF SPADES).

WEST THOUGHT NOONE WOULD BE STUPID ENOUGH TO BID (7S) WITHOUT

THE (AKQ) OF SPADES SO HE "FALSE CARDED" THE (JS).

MY (KS) DROPPED THE (QS) AND MY (TS) TOOK THE (9S) SO I MADE (7S*). PROBABLY MOST FOLK JUST BID (4S) OR (6S) MAKING SIX.

[Frank_lol_]

1 Why all caps?

2. You had so much bidding space. Bid whatever is GF for you (usually 3♥) and bid 7 if your partner has 4+ hearts or 2+ spades. If not, you can still rkc with spades as trumps asking for the ♠Q.

 

You might also find out that your partner has the ♠Q and the missing Aces, which makes 7NT cold (which, in MPs,is a big issue)

[pescetom]

If you look at the structure of fora you will see that there are level-specific discussions for those seeking advice, this one probably belongs in "Intermediate Advanced" (don't do anything more this time, hopefully an admin will move the thread).

 

Whether or not you open this monster as 1♠ or as 2♣ and then 3♠ is somewhat contentious, but in either case the important thing is to have sound agreements about successive developments (what happens after 1♠-1NT; 3♥ or after 2♣-2♦; 3♠).

[LBengtsson]

One rule I learnt when I was 'inexperienced' was if I had a hand like this, very distributional, is to bid what you think you can make. I would open 6♠ here. Even with partner having a ♠ void, if the remaining ♠ split 3-2 it is a 68% slam, good odds for a small slam. IF partner has one ♠ the chance of a grand slam on 2-2 split of the remaining ♠ is over 40%, and it is preferable to have somewhere in the region of 70-80% odds to bid a grand slam imo. And lastly, if you and your partner are inexperienced then you probably have not got a convention to locate the missing ♠Q, even if he has it as a stiff.

 

Opening 1♠ or even 2♣ here just complicates everything, and gives the opps. the chance to enter the bidding easily to make a profitable sacrifice against your small slam.

[pescetom]

One rule I learnt when I was 'inexperienced' was if I had a hand like this, very distributional, is to bid what you think you can make. I would open 6♠ here. Even with partner having a ♠ void, if the remaining ♠ split 3-2 it is a 68% slam, good odds for a small slam. IF partner has one ♠ the chance of a grand slam on 2-2 split of the remaining ♠ is over 40%, and it is preferable to have somewhere in the region of 70-80% odds to bid a grand slam imo. And lastly, if you and your partner are inexperienced then you probably have not got a convention to locate the missing ♠Q, even if he has it as a stiff.

 

Opening 1♠ or even 2♣ here just complicates everything, and gives the opps. the chance to enter the bidding easily to make a profitable sacrifice against your small slam.

 

It depends partly on vulnerability and the risk that a 7m sacrifice might pay off.

But I would avoid 6♠ if I can.

One rule I learned (or at least decided, I encountered some scorn/incomprehension but that helped sort out the wheat from the chaff too) when I was starting is to trust my partner, and seek to play good bridge rather than to punt for a good score in a poor field.

Opening 6♠ here is certainly a very good bet at MP but is not going to endear you to an intelligent partner, especially if he had a grand and passed.

A decent pair of intermediates following the book should be able to bid 2♣-2♦; 3♠-something; 4NT (RKCB) - something; next step (Q ask)... I would have thought (it helps that the suit is spades).

[mikeh]

I am one of the most reluctant 2C openers I know, but there is no way I’m opening 1S on this hand. For crying out loud, we are odds on for a grand slam opposite a zero count

 

Now, of course it’s unlikely, given our shape and hcp, that it would ever go 1S PPP but that’s only part (though often a big part) of the considerations.

 

We need to be able to create an unambiguously forcing sequence, bearing in mind that we’re basicall6 never bidding keycard at any time and we have no meaningful ability to respond to keycard in a way that partner could understand.

 

 

So open 2C. What we do next depends on how the auction goes, but we’re going to be making calls that partner cannot pass until, at the minimum, we’ve bid a major suit slam.

[thepossum]

My basic 234 preempt suggests 7 (some major - more specifically 7H) opening bid

 

More seriously I would open 2C if it all you have available, try to show both majors and find out about the Q of spades

 

BUT AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED PLEASE DON'T USE ALL CAPS. ITS HARD TO READ AND SOME REGARD IT AS SHOUTING

[DavidKok]

I'd open 2♣, but with no expectation that the resulting auction will be more sensible than if we open, say, 6♠. With two voids one of our three opponents is likely to bid some high level in a minor suit, and I don't have a 'queen of spades asking bid' in contested auctions. If we get to take it slow (say, 2♣-2♦; 2♠- 3♣; 3♥-4♥; 5♦(?)) we might have a chance to ask for delayed support for spades, but over for example 2♣-(3♦)-P-(5♦); ? I have no helpful agreements.

 

One of the issues of a strong 2♣ based on trick-taking potential rather than HCP is that partner is likely to have extras in our short suit(s), and will likely bid and rebid them. This hand is such a monster that I would still take the risk, but I expect an uncooperative auction.

[mw64ahw]

I'm wondering what a reverse after 2♣ shows

i.e. 2♣-2♦-2♥-x-3♠-y-♠ rebid. Surely must be at least 65xx?