[Jinksy]

I have no questions or commentary, other than that I found this hand breathtaking - I don't even disagree with any of the bidding, but this was the sort of hand that your strong-2-playing, 13-point-minimum-opening grandma warns you about:

---

Poor N/S...

[PhantomSac]

The amazing thing to me about this hand is that declarer can actually get a 4th trick, and it is probably correct to do so?

[manudude03]

Meh, only 800 (playing double dummy).

edit: Well, since Justin ninja'd me, I think you should manage 4 tricks. Once you find out about the really horrible spade break, playing hearts planning on cutting their communications looks normal enough.

[Vampyr]

Who stole North's bidding box?

[PhantomSac]

manudude03, on 2014-October-17, 18:07, said:

Meh, only 800 (playing double dummy).

edit: Well, since Justin ninja'd me, I think you should manage 4 tricks. Once you find out about the really horrible spade break, playing hearts planning on cutting their communications looks normal enough.

It's hardly normal, you will only get 2 tricks if LHO has Hx of hearts and a king. On top of that even if you do sever the hearts, if RHO plays back a diamond you have to guess to hook whereas if they play back a club you have to guess to rise. And even if you will guess everything you need LHO to have a doubleton king.

Against that, probably RHO will throw 3 clubs discouraging pretty painlessly, and LHO will play back the spade ten suit pref for clubs so RHO will play a club (note: the spade ten is NOT AKT876 and suit pref for diamonds, the ten promises the jack and is suit pref for clubs, if you want a diamond with AKT876 you play the 8 back, but of course some people don't know this so it can get convoluted).

It's def a pretty big play since it rarely works to play a heart, on the other hand 800 instead of 1100 is a bigger difference than 1100 instead of 1400.

[PhantomSac]

I just looked up the imp scale and assuming our teammates make a game I think 1100 to 1400 is 2 imps difference and 800 to 1100 is 3 imps different (correct me if I'm wrong), so at only 3:2 its probably right to cash out unless you feel you get a good read on the hand after 3 tricks that LHO has Kx of clubs.

[the hog]

" I don't even disagree with any of the bidding,"

Really? I strongly disagree with the first x and disagree with the xx.
The first x on a 4333 is appalling in my view.

[PhantomSac]

Sry to spam thread lol but hearts might also be 6-1 I guess, in which case playing a heart at trick 2 is def right. So maybe playing a heart at trick 2 is normal. Still if hearts are 5-2 I think playing a heart at trick 2 is really anti percentage and you should just take your medicine and cash those aces rather than play for this miracle layout, even knowing LHO has a Kx suit they still must rate to have a heart honor (assuming RHO will open all 11 counts with a spade void and 5 good hearts which might be wrong given OP lol).

I don't really know how to evaluate the chances of 6-1 hearts, on one hand I would say RHO will never sit for a double with 6 hearts and a spade void, on the other hand I would not think they would sit for a double with 0544 since I would never expect my partner to XX 1H with 6 good spades so I don't know if I should be taking any inferences from the bidding.

[whereagles]

the hog, on 2014-October-17, 18:29, said:

" I don't even disagree with any of the bidding,"

Really? I strongly disagree with the first x and disagree with the xx.
The first x on a 4333 is appalling in my view.

The norwegians would do it 11 times out of 10.

Not saying I agree 100% though.

[Jinksy]

Vampyr, on 2014-October-17, 18:12, said:

Who stole North's bidding box?

You think he should have bid ♦s at some stage? It seems hard to justify pushing yourself up a level just to get what might be an extra trump card. If he was 3334 it's make more sense to me, though I think I'd still have passed throughout tbh.

[Vampyr]

Jinksy, on 2014-October-18, 03:48, said:

You think he should have bid ♦s at some stage? It seems hard to justify pushing yourself up a level just to get what might be an extra trump card. If he was 3334 it's make more sense to me, though I think I'd still have passed throughout tbh.

Partner asked him to bid his best suit, he has a 4-card suit. It is normal to bid it.

[Jinksy]

Partner showed a hand with 4♠s and something resembling tolerance for each minor. Looking at just the N/S cards, do you really think 2♦x is significantly better than 1♠x? On a really bad day, P might only have 2♦s.

Even on the actual cards, I'm not sure N/S make any more tricks in ♦s than in ♠s. 2♦ looks like 4 down DD as well as I can read it, and maybe 5 down at the table.

[Vampyr]

Who knows.

[Trump Echo]

the hog, on 2014-October-17, 18:29, said:

" I don't even disagree with any of the bidding,"

Really? I strongly disagree with the first x and disagree with the xx.
The first x on a 4333 is appalling in my view.

I agree. In light of the distribution, I think a pass is the wiser call.

[bdegrande]

the hog, on 2014-October-17, 18:29, said:

" I don't even disagree with any of the bidding,"

Really? I strongly disagree with the first x and disagree with the xx.
The first x on a 4333 is appalling in my view.

I agree, the only reason to double with a 4-3-3-3 is that you are so strong that you can't stand not taking some action, which is certainly not the case here.

[Lord Molyb]

Double is a wtp for me. Decent (admittedly balanced) 14 count with 3+ card support for all of the suits.
Pass of the XX is ok because your diamonds are headed by the 7
1♠ is wtp unless you think you're going down 6 doubled and/or your partner has 2-5-3-3

The only call I disagree with is XX