[inquiry]

This hand came up and you were not vul, What do you bid, and if you care to tell us why?

IMPS
EW vul
EAST -Deals

S-AKQJTxxx
H-KTx
D-void
C-xx

RHO You
1C ?

[pmg]

Dble

I intend to bid spades next, showing 17+ points and a (very) good spade suit.

[flytoox]

4S, slam chance is not that high with two clubs in ur hand. 4s put much pressure on LHO.

[mishovnbg]

Hi all!
Sorry my vote was for 3CL, I didnt mention this pool is in "Beginner/intermediate section"
Misho

[hrothgar]

As usual, I'm uncertain whether there is one "correct" bid with this sort of hand.
I think that it is best to randomize your responses as to avoid being too predictable.

With this said and done, the bid that I would chose most often is 5 Spades.
Yes, this is arbitary. Yes, it is entirely possible that we have slam. However, I don't want to defend against 5C. I figure that I might as well get the hand off my chest as quickly as possible.

[the hog]

4S.
Must have chances; puts pressure on the opponents, and is likely to be duplicated at the other table.
3C is a possibility, but I don't want to look stupid with 3N going off and 4S making.

Will not bid again unless something weird happens.

[inquiry]

Some very experienced players have given very different views on how to bid this hand. I am fond of Misho's 3-CLUB bid asking for 3NT bid with a club stopper. But the question is what is the issue with this hand... why isn't everyone bidding 4-SPADES?

Here is my view on this hand. When we are not vul, and they are vul, I will bid 4-SPADES on seven sort of yucky spades and out. I mean, this is the ideal vulnerable conditions to be a little wild with a 4S bid. If you have a propensity to preempt (and overbid when doing it) at this vulnerability, then this hand is TOO GOOD for 4S. Now if you were vulnerable, 4S would be automatic. And at equal vulnerability, it would at least be something to think about.

It is this "good hand" issue that makes 4S wrong IMHO, and that makes 3Clubs very nice. Partner will either bid 3NT (show a club stopper) or something else. Either way, you will then bid 4S (yes, even if he bids 3NT). The message is then clear.

If you will bid 4S, as I would, with
S-QJTxxxx
H-xx
D-Kx
C-xx

What is your partner to bid.
S-xxx
H-AQTxx
D-Qxxxx
C-void

This was north's hand, and 4SPADES is not a winning contract. Now, sure your partner might bid 5C with the north hand (but after Misho's 3C then a 4S by south, grand slam is easy). Dbl is also a nice bid, followed by 4S but it will not convey the need for a club stopper and the solid nature of the spade suit....which would be shown by the 3C bid.

Ben

[Free]

Since in my system 2D means 9+ playing tricks, and Dbl followed by a suit 7-8 tricks, I Dbl and bid S afterwards. If it's slam, my partner will bid it, otherwise we'll play 4S or 5S in defense maybe...

[inquiry]

Just of the record, all 16 EAST's opened and this was the intial bid by the 16 south's

1S by 2 souths
DBL by 4 souths
4S by 10 souths.

Interestingly, two pairs bid the grand slam. One after overcalling 1S and one after doubling. Neither of these auctions, however, was very convincing. I give them for your review...

(1C)-1S-(P)-2H
(x)-6S-(P)-7S
all pass

Ok, if I held north and partner leaped to 6S, I would bid 7S also. Just I am not exactly sure that 2H promised AQ of hearts and a club void for goodness sake. Better would be a fit jump to 3H or a splinter in clubs after after the 1S overcall. At least then blackwood and north can show one key card and a void in response.

and

(1C)-X-(P)-1H
(2D)-4N-(P)-5C
(X)-6S-(P)-7S
(X)-all pass

First off, the 1H bid over the dbl with five good hearts and a club void, seems, timid. Bidding slam off potentially two tricks in their first bid suit seems extra timid, a clear pass over 5C to allow a RDBL with first round control is better perhaps, but then you don't know if it is the ace or a void.

Another of the doublers got to 6Hearts, which should make seven, and another one had a screw up in ace asking after the double and thus stopped short of slam.

Among the 10 4S bidders, none bid grand slam, and all three of the pairs who got to 6 after the jump to 4S git there after stopping in 4 and twice stopping again in 5S, but EW would simply not let them play short of slam, so they kept reopening the bidding.

Ben

[bearmum]

Quote

This hand came up and you were not vul, What do you bid, and if you care to tell us why?

IMPS
EW vul
EAST -Deals

S-AKQJTxxx
H-KTx
D-void
C-xx

RHO You
1C ?

4S coes I play Precisiom with P - so 4S shows 8 S and LESS than 16 EASY 8) P can go on if he /she likes

[Codo]

Hi all,

I agree that with the given vul., nobody will find a slam after a 4 Spade bid. But otoh I am not sure about this 3 club tool either.

1. In the given hand, opps know, that I may have a weak hand if I bid 4 Spade. They have a 11 card fit in clubs. Why did they pass then? (And actually they did not at several tables..)

2. If I bid 3 Club, what will pd do with lets say:
void, QJxxxx,Jxxx,xxxx?

I hope, that he will jump to 5 diamond. (Believing, that this is my suit and stealing space from them) Won`t you?
So maybe 3 Club is not allways the solution.
It may had worked marvellous here, because opps remained silent with an 11 card fit and pd had a fair hand for all other suits.

I guess, these hands, with two voids, are much too complicate to bid to the grand slam even with silent opps for beginners/int. and anybody else who does not have 40 pages of system describtion or the right table feeling....
I had missed the grand and maybe the small slam too

[inquiry]

Quote

2. If I bid 3 Club, what will pd do with lets say:
void, QJxxxx,Jxxx,xxxx?

Why would you assume your partner's suit was diamonds. I would assume it ,ore likely to be spades. And if it is diamonds? Clearly the way Misho plays it, and me too, the solid suit doesn't have to be a minor.

[Codo]

Hi Ben,

I know that Mishos and your suit is not necessary a minor.
But this is the beginner/int discussion. ANd there in "all" books they they, that you should bid so with a running minor, not with a major...

Kind Regards

Roland

[inquiry]

Quote

Hi Ben,

I know that Mishos and your suit is not necessary a minor.
But this is the beginner/int discussion. ANd there in "all" books they they, that you should bid so with a running minor, not with a major...

Well, first off, the reason I posted this hand was to illustrate that what might be a good preempt at some vulnerabilities could be too good at others: that was the "theme" of my solution. I would never have mentioned the jump cue-bid in my "answer", but Misho had already mentioned it. I gave "dbl is a very good bid"...but since Misho had already pointed out the perfect bid with this hand, I took the opportunity to discuss it also. I mean, Misho "kindly" retracted his 3C bid (and I voted for double), but the bid needed to be explained rather than leave it sitting there naked and without comment on why it is a good bid.

Now, as for what books say, most novices and beginners have not read as far into the books to get the meaning of jump cue-bid overcalls in the second seat I would be willing to bet money. And with misho using the bid on this hand, with obviously a solid major, it does very little good to say the "solid" suit has to be a minor, because we can all see that it is a major as this is open cards. Finally, not all books define this jump as solid running minor, but rather simply a request to partner... bid 3NT with a stopper, and find someother bid without one.

The fact is, as long as you don't jump to 4S with this hand, you have a GREAT chance to bid slam, and maybe grand slam. And the reason you don't jump has to do with the vulnerability.

Ben