[mikeh]

4♠ for me. My concerns about 1♠ are twofold:

1) I may not be able to convince partner that I have as little high card strength as I do. I would not want a slow auction on this hand.

2) I do not want the opps to be able to find a minor fit: this could even be a double-game swing hand (altho possession of 2 aces suggests not)

I am not overly concerned that ♠ will be the wrong trump suit. Partner would need at least 5♥ for ♥ to be a desirable suit, unless he has a very strong hand with short ♠. It is far more likely that my possession of a hidden Axxx suit will be a benefit to me in the play, especially against weak opps, who may not be counting very well

And I am not worried about missing slam here: I have about the playing strength for my bid.

Plus, as has been noted, 4♠ may catch the opps in a pressure position, while 1♠ will allow them room to realize that the 5-level is too dangerous.

But this is close: add either major J and I'd be 50-50 to open 1♠.

Not much of a line here, but there is always a line between two bids, and I know where it falls for me on this one.

[awm]

Pass for me. If I open 1♠, what do I expect partner to do with:

x
xx
AKxxx
KQJxx

My partners usually force to game with this hand. I suppose I'll insist on spades and probably hold it to down one... down one is good bridge when opponents have nothing, right?

Point is, why should I preempt 4♠? I have the master suit and the other major, and enough defense to make it unlikely opponents have a game. The only person I'm preempting is partner, on the off chance that we have a heart slam that we'll never find after I open 4♠, or that we have a misfit and need to stop low.

Why should I open 1♠? I guess this prevents the hand from being passed out, but with only eight high card points and some crazy shape, and a partner who will usually open light in 3rd, I don't think it's all that likely this hand will pass out. On the other hand, a 1♠ open is a disaster opposite a misfit like the hand above. Again I'm not really preempting anyone by bidding...

In general I've found that holding a hand which is "good when you have a fit, lousy when you don't" it is better to pass than open a major. Partner has to decide too early whether to game force on a non-fitting hand over 1M, and can easily go wrong. Usually it's not hard to get a major suit bid into the auction later after an initial pass. Of course, I know this viewpoint is diametrically opposite to the ZAR fans out there.

[Kalvan14]

1♠ first-hand: no doubt abt. it. Everything is there: the boss suit, the deputy-boss suit, 2 aces, 6 losers. What do you want more?
3rd hand would be a bit more tricky: 4♠ is probably the best bet.

[Double !]

Jlall, on Oct 26 2005, 09:22 AM, said:

1S. After all i have like a bajillion zars right?

which is the greater quantity, a "bajillion" or a "gazillion", or is this specific to zar language?

i think 1S is fine. why open a distorted pre-empt when you have the master suit. Of course, the hand becomes interesting if the opps pre-empt to the 4 or 5 level. At least you have two quicks should partner then hand the opps the cube (for you backgammon players). your choice of rebid should P response 1NT is also interesting.
Cool hand!

DHL

[cherdano]

awm, on Oct 27 2005, 12:26 AM, said:

Pass for me. If I open 1♠, what do I expect partner to do with:

x
xx
AKxxx
KQJxx

My partners usually force to game with this hand. I suppose I'll insist on spades and probably hold it to down one... down one is good bridge when opponents have nothing, right?

To me it looks like game makes when spades are 3-2 and you get either a heart or a club lead, and you still have chances on a diamond lead (well, all minus some ruffing potential). Would still be a reasonable game vulnerable at IMPs, and not a disaster non-vulnerable.

But of course you will get to some bad games when you open light distribution hands when partner has a misfit. But on the other hand, you will get to some good games and slams when you have a fit. I don't see how you can show this HUGE playing strength that can make slam opposite the right balanced sub-minimum opener (Kxx Kx and a minor ace) after you pass in the first round.

Arend

[Kalvan14]

Double !, on Oct 26 2005, 06:18 PM, said:

Jlall, on Oct 26 2005, 09:22 AM, said:

1S. After all i have like a bajillion zars right?

which is the greater quantity, a "bajillion" or a "gazillion", or is this specific to zar language?

i think 1S is fine. why open a distorted pre-empt when you have the master suit. Of course, the hand becomes interesting if the opps pre-empt to the 4 or 5 level. At least you have two quicks should partner then hand the opps the cube (for you backgammon players). your choice of rebid should P response 1NT is also interesting.
Cool hand!

DHL

The rebid depends also on the oppos' bidding. If it goes 1♠-(P)-1N-(P) [which is unlikely], I would likely bid 2♥: what I would like is Pard giving preference to ♠ [and over 2♠ I bid 4]. What I would dislike is playing 4♠ with a singleton in dummy. But, as I said, it's a hand which is highly influenced by the table mood.

[awm]

Well I guess your play is better than mine. It seems to me that you need to set up the clubs for heart discards (you can only lose one heart on this hand). On a diamond lead your communication is cut and there is little hope. On a heart lead the opponents are set up to take 1 heart, 1 club, and 2 spades even if spades break. You basically need either a spade lead (really unlikely since the person on lead probably has one or more honors) or a club lead. Even with the club lead you're down if spades are 4-1. This is not a game I want to be in.

As for the slam, if partner has Kxx Kx Axxx xxxx, I don't really see where my heart losers are going. I suppose I can hope that spades are 2-1 and the person with 2 spades has four or more hearts? This seems to be well under fifty-percent?

Is this unlucky? Sure.. but I like my chances of getting to 4♠ if it's right after passing... I don't think there's a need to make a unilateral decision that we will play in 4♠ early in this hand. In fact there are a number of auctions where the delayed 4♠ is very likely to be doubled and make (i.e. Pass-1♥-Pass-2♥-4♠ is a real tempting target, whereas a direct 4♠ is more likely to be passed out).

[cherdano]

I am confused Adam. On a heart lead, I play a club to the table, and get two heart discards on the clubs, and one on the diamonds. So I make when clubs are 4-3 and spades 3-2 (or clubs 5-2 with the short hand having 3 spades). Same after a spade lead. On a diamond lead, you cash two diamonds, discarding a club, and then try the ruffing finesse against the club ace.

Yes it's not a game I want to be in, but it's not hopeless, and sometimes partner may have one point in the majors.

And yes I didn't mean the slam to be a good one.

Arend

[cherdano]

Jlall, on Oct 27 2005, 05:44 AM, said:

cherdano, on Oct 26 2005, 09:27 PM, said:

I am confused Adam. On a heart lead, I play a club to the table, and get two heart discards on the clubs, and one on the diamonds. So I make when clubs are 4-3 and spades 3-2 (or clubs 5-2 with the short hand having 3 spades). Same after a spade lead. On a diamond lead, you cash two diamonds, discarding a club, and then try the ruffing finesse against the club ace.

Yes it's not a game I want to be in, but it's not hopeless, and sometimes partner may have one point in the majors.

And yes I didn't mean the slam to be a good one.

Arend

But when they win the CA they cash a heart.

I said I was confused! For some reason I thought dummy had a singleton heart, and a 1=1=5=5 shape...