6-5 majors

[MickyB]

[hv=d=s&s=sakqjxxhjxxxxdqcx]133|100|Scoring: IMP

You open 1♠, partner responds a forcing NT. Choose your poison.[/hv]

[mike777]

2H bidding out shape.

Understand rebid of 2S bidding out HCP :D

[mikeh]

2♥.... no other bid has any merit. No competent partner will pass 2♥ when there is a better spot. Bidding anything else is an attempt to be superman.

[hrothgar]

[hv=d=s&s=sakqjxxhjxxxxdqcx]133|100|Scoring: IMP

You open 1♠, partner responds a forcing NT. Choose your poison.[/hv]

Interesting hand... Despite the low HCP total, dealer is a 5 loser powerhouse

Give responder as little as

 

♠ x

♥ Qxx

♦ Axxxxx

♣ xxx

 

and 4H is very attractive.

 

Give responder

 

♠ x

♥ xx

♦ KJxxx

♣ KQxxx

 

And 3N is looking pretty good

 

Are all the 2♥ bidders confident that they're reach game on hands like these?

 

Its IMPs. Better to be hung for a lion than a lamb.

If red, I'm bidding 3♥ for sure. Would consider it white as well

[MickyB]

You seem to have at least five tricks off the top in 3N Richard...

 

But yes, KQx of hearts would be golden.

[pigpenz]

just about anything could be right, depends on how lucky you feel that day!

Text book would be 2♥ but three four and even 4 spades could be right

[hrothgar]

You seem to have at least five tricks off the top in 3N Richard...

 

But yes, KQx of hearts would be golden.

oops...

 

pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

3N is golden. GOLDEN I say!!!!

[keylime]

I like 4H direct. It's a "feel" bid.

[awm]

I'd bid 2♥. Certainly could miss a game this way, but I'm somewhat afraid of the tap on this hand unless we have a nine-card fit somewhere. A lot of hands that seem to make game (relatively few losers) get hit pretty hard by repeated leads in the weak minor. My hope is:

 

(1) With four good hearts, partner might raise to 3♥. I am somewhat saddened that I am playing two-over-one, because this sort of "courtesy raise" is much more appealing in a system where 1NT was more limited.

 

(2) If we don't have a nine card fit and partner has less than ten high, I'm not sure I want to be in game on this one. The tap is going to be a pain. I'm sure you can construct hands where game makes, although the ones I've seen so far have some defects, but I think the conservative path is more likely to be successful.

 

(3) Most of the time partner bids 2♠ and I can venture one more try by bidding 3♥ over it. This seems better than unilaterally forcing game at my second bid.

[han]

With f2f partners I can rebid 3H here, 6-5 not forcing.

 

Not having this available it seems that 2H is the only possibility.

[mikeh]

using 3♥ as 6-5 non-forcing seems somewhat limiting :) It will not arise often, and in the interim, you will not be able to handle (at least, not well) hands that the rest of us would bid 3♥, forcing. However, 3♥ non-forcing, 5-5 or better is okay playing a big ♣ method: maybe that is what you do in ftf bridge?

[luke warm]

i'm with dwayne.. 4♥

[the hog]

3H. Don't want partner to pass with x KTx Axxxx xxxx or similar.

Have sympathy for 4H bidders, and have no sympathy whatsoever for the pusillanimous 2H. This is Imps after all!

[pclayton]

Unless the opps can score a heart ruff, it seems that spades is a far superior strain than hearts. The problem with 3H is that its forcing unless you play something offbeat or play limited one bids. This hand doesn't look like a GF to me.

 

I like 3S myself. If pard passes, I'm ok with it, although I pay off to HHx of hearts. If 3S begets 3N, then I have a tough decision, but will try 4H ostensibly showing a 7-5.

[whereagles]

Did anyone consider pard's most likely hand is a 55 minors with 6-8 points? Do you really want to shoot at 3H or 4H opposite that? I think 2H is fine. If pard bids 3m, you may even consider PASS.

[the hog]

"I think 2H is fine."

 

x KTx Axxxx xxxx

 

Scoreup +170, -620.

[han]

2H is not fine at all. I do think that 3H and especially 3S (yuck!) are worse.

[han]

using 3♥ as 6-5 non-forcing seems somewhat limiting :) It will not arise often, and in the interim, you will not be able to handle (at least, not well) hands that the rest of us would bid 3♥, forcing. However, 3♥ non-forcing, 5-5 or better is okay playing a big ♣ method: maybe that is what you do in ftf bridge?

We don't play a big club system, we more or less play 2/1. We rebid 2C with all hands with 16+ HCP.

 

We play that almost any jump shift by opener to the 3-level is non-forcing with 6-5 or better (sometimes very concentrated 5-5). Of course, this makes some strong hands harder to handle.

 

Have played this for about 6 months, not enough to give a verdict. Unfortunately I move to a different state next month, so my f2f partnerships cease to exist. I'll probably never know how bad an idea the above is.

[EricK]

"I think 2H is fine."

 

x KTx Axxxx xxxx

 

Scoreup +170, -620.

I am not saying you are wrong about the 2♥ bid, but your argument seems to be along the lines of "Missing game is much worse than overbidding to bad games". That is only true when the number of overbid games is small enough. But you haven't touched upon that at all.

 

Eric

[whereagles]

"I think 2H is fine."

 

x KTx Axxxx xxxx

 

Scoreup +170, -620.

Maybe you pass 2H on that. I know better to bid 2S.

[coyot]

Did anyone consider pard's most likely hand is a 55 minors with 6-8 points? Do you really want to shoot at 3H or 4H opposite that? I think 2H is fine. If pard bids 3m, you may even consider PASS.

I don't need to shoot 3 or 4♥ because my hand is limited by 17HCP - and if I'm going to miss a game agains K10x♥ and a minor ace, I'll be happy that I didn't go down a few agains KJ KJ in minors :angry:

 

If partner bids 3m over 2♥ I will bid 3♠ to show a good 6card. (Which should both cause partner to evaluate minor Aces well and show that I am not afraid to play against singleton spade....

[MickyB]

"I think 2H is fine."

 

x KTx Axxxx xxxx

 

Scoreup +170, -620.

Maybe you pass 2H on that. I know better to bid 2S.

Well I know even better to pass :P

 

Do you really think the good games you reach will make up for the part-scores you go down in? Plus sometimes you will reach a bad game after this false preference, particularly if partner plays you to have a true false preference :angry:

 

Having said that, I've seen players I respect advocate this sort of action before...

[flytoox]

2H is my choice. I dont look for perfect dummy. Anyone here who dare say they never miss a game or slam in life?

[Finch]

I would bid 2H.

I am quite happy not being in game opposite K10x in hearts and a minor suit ace.

 

Although it might make, the odds on game change when we're going a lot off if we're wrong. If hearts aren't 3-2 (c. 34%) with the queen onside it could be very painful on the lead of the other minor. And if someone is looking at AQxx in hearts and a load of good minor suit cards they might even find a double.

 

Similarly, you also have to compare -300 opposite a grossly unsuitable hand with the partial in the other room.

 

Certainly, if I play a limited opening style or some method of showing a load of major suit cards without many HCP then I'll do so, but otherwise I'm happy overall if I only bid game in hearts opposite 4-card support. I'll pay out to AKx.

 

I think 3NT is a more likely game than 4H, and I appreciate I could miss a perfect nine-tricker by bidding only 2H. However, we are quite light in HCP and partner hasn't shown very many (depends on our methods how strong 1NT could be). The opponents haven't bid a minor, so partner is quite likely to be long in the minors.

[bearmum]

2♥ for me ( P could have a weak minor suit hand ) and I don't consider my hand strong enough for what (to me at least ) is a forcing 3♥ :angry: