[onoway]

Imps, all vulnerable. Dealer passes as do I as south. West opens 1♦ and partner Xs. East passes in spite of silent fervent promises to live a better life if he will just PLEASE bid something, anything. This is what I hold.
♠JT9
♥J65
♦J532
♣975

I know I am not allowed to pass. What on earth do I bid?

P held
♠AK92
♥KT97
♦KQ
♣AT2
In the aftermath I was wondering, that since ( if west has a normal and not a "3rd seat" opener) p knows that about 31 HCPs are already allocated so I am likely going to be pretty broke might Michaels be an option here? This is not in any way a criticism of partner but something I'd like to know if I run up against such a situation with that strong hand. That would preclude any possibility of my passing in the feeble hope that opener might have been bidding better minor and limited to four of them. Unlikely since p is showing shortness but didn't think of that in my panic. Guess what I did. Partner is even still talking to me, wonder of wonders.

[neilkaz]

At least you weren't dealt ♠K8,xx,♦9xxxxx,♣xxx.

At MP a year ago I had this and maybe I should've passed but I felt my chances were better with a 1♠ bid. I didn't want to bid 2♣ on 3 small as T/O X's of minor suits tend to stress the major and on a really bad day I am in a 3-2 fit at the 2 level. Normally, I'd bid 1♥ so if PD bids 1♠ showing a hand too good to O/C I just pass, but since I might be and was left to play a 4-2 fit at the 1 level I bid 1♠. I should've been set 1 or 2 (1 after the opening lead) but these contracts can be hard to defend and the opps had no idea what was going on and let me ruff my way to an OT. Obviously I was hoping to not play this hand when I bid 1♠ and thank God the opps didn't compete so PD couldn't give me a shaky raise with a hand that wouldn't justify a raise with no comp.

With your hand with 3 of each major I'd prefer 1♥, but if you bid 1♠ due to the T9 I'd not blame you. One good thing about 1♥ is again that you'll pass PD's 1♠ and if you're X'd in 1♥ you can bail to 1♠

[TylerE]

1♥ or 1♠.

[smerriman]

You have no need to panic, as a bid of 1♥ or 1♠ describes your hand perfectly. This tells partner you have very few points, and are just bidding your best suit (possibly just 3 cards).

Don't forget if you had a reasonable hand (8+ points), you would make a jump response, or bid in no trumps, or cuebid if even stronger, so partner will know you are weak and not do anything silly.

Michaels would not be a good idea, as it lies about the suit lengths, pushes you a whole level higher and makes it harder for you to each describe your strength in later rounds.

[masse24]

1♥

[MrAce]

1♥

[msjennifer]

One Heart.Albeit with a tremor !

[wank]

2C. if you bid the major you'll likely end up in game. partners become much less excited when you bid the minor.

this stuff about not wanting to play at the 2 level when you can play at the 1 level is a total fallacy. partner isn't passing 1M.

[helene_t]

No, Michael's is not an option. That shows 5-5. Dbl is clear.

I would respond 1♠. The reason is that I don't want to bid my hearts twice. But neilkaz gives a good argument for 1♥.

[nekthen]

1♥ is correct, even with his 19 count p should know that game is not an option and he has no reason to believe that there is a better contract. Maybe opps will back into the auction and get into trouble.
The problem is that people do not understand that they MUST bid at the two level with 8 hcp and a 4 card major, if p does not trust you to have a really bad hand he might bid 2♥ and turn a plus into a minus

[helene_t]

nekthen, on 2016-July-14, 05:32, said:

1♥ is correct, even with his 19 count p should know that game is not an option and he has no reason to believe that there is a better contract.

With a 19 count he needs to invite since the 1M bid could be as strong as 7 points (or 8 or even 9 in a more modern style).

A possible auction:
dbl-1♠
2♦-2♥
2♠-pass

North could be forgiven for carying on to 3♠ (or 3♥ if 1♥ was your response) but to insist on game he would obviously need something like 22 points.

[661_Pete]

Why has no-one suggested 1NT? Back in my day, it didn't promise strength, merely "a stopper in enemy suit" - which is precisely what you may have, provided the lead comes from your left. OK maybe things have changed since. I'd certainly be flummoxed by a hand like yours.

As to a penalty pass - well not on those cards, obviously, not as a genuine call. I've made a penalty pass on a much stronger enemy suit - and still come unstuck badly! Of course, such passes scare opener too - and may tempt them into calling a different suit. Which solves your problem - for the moment!

[helene_t]

661_Pete, on 2016-July-14, 05:50, said:

Why has no-one suggested 1NT? Back in my day, it didn't promise strength, merely "a stopper in enemy suit" - which is precisely what you may have, provided the lead comes from your left. OK maybe things have changed since. I'd certainly be flummoxed by a hand like yours.

1nt is 7-10 points or some such. This hand is much too weak.

[Zelandakh]

wank, on 2016-July-14, 00:11, said:

this stuff about not wanting to play at the 2 level when you can play at the 1 level is a total fallacy. partner isn't passing 1M.

How about:

---

? We can see that partner has a big hand but it could easily be that LHO has close to a 2♣ opener. It is very unlikely that 1M will be passed out but whether the person taking it out is partner or someone else is still open. And if partner has a GOSH with clubs, they might get even more excited by a 2♣ call than 1M.

[661_Pete]

helene_t, on 2016-July-14, 05:55, said:

1nt is 7-10 points or some such. This hand is much too weak.

That is true, but what's left? Sometimes if you have no 'correct' bid, you have to consider what's the least-worst 'incorrect' bid. I don't see any happy outcome here. On the OP's deal, thinking you have 7-10, partner would probably raise to 3NT - disastrous. What's worse?

[Zelandakh]

661_Pete, on 2016-July-14, 06:04, said:

That is true, but what's left? Sometimes if you have no 'correct' bid, you have to consider what's the least-worst 'incorrect' bid. I don't see any happy outcome here. On the OP's deal, thinking you have 7-10, partner would probably raise to 3NT - disastrous. What's worse?

That seems eminently worse than Helene's auction.

[billw55]

661_Pete, on 2016-July-14, 06:04, said:

That is true, but what's left? Sometimes if you have no 'correct' bid, you have to consider what's the least-worst 'incorrect' bid. I don't see any happy outcome here. On the OP's deal, thinking you have 7-10, partner would probably raise to 3NT - disastrous. What's worse?

3Nx

Indeed, sometimes you get stuck in a bad situation with no good bid. Dealing with it is part of bridge. In this case, just bid 1♥ or 1♠ smoothly and your chance to escape unscathed is pretty good. It will be very difficult for them to penalize you at the one level: they have to double, leave it in, and probably beat it three tricks, which is a pretty thin parlay. And if partner raises the level freely, he will have more values to work with. All in all this is a situation where opponents will usually rescue us if we are in trouble.

[ggwhiz]

In a recent Sectional Swiss match my opponent had a similar hand and bid 1♥. His partner raised to game and he made an overtrick! Push board.

Another long ago hand ended in something doubled that went for 1100. Also a push.

[Winstonm]

1H

[Finanzier]

Do not see any problem.
You bid your first 3 card-suit, 1♥.