Help
******CONSIDERING WHY WE WORK SO HARD ON LEARNING LONG SUIT GAME TRIES AND SHORT SUIT GAME TRIES*****
Everybody who has been through "Bob's Bidding Boot Camp" has been subjected to a lot of heavy detail concerning long and short suit game tries. This is not just a bunch of "stuff" to learn, but really learning these principles is of use all over the bidding we learn later. I suggest that when you enter "Boot Camp" you really get a complete understanding of how these principles work, because it sure makes understanding more complex things (later) easier. Let me give you some examples:
In the long suit game try area, we apply the principles to the following situations:
1. using Jacoby 2N, when opener shows a two suiter
2. when responder shows a game forcing raise with a good side suit.
3. when responder makes an inverted minor and opener shows a second suit
4. lots of places in "exploratory bidding" when either side shows a two suiter
5. When 1N is opened and responder shows a two suiter, both minors, both majors, or a major/minor two suiter
6. over Michael's or Unusual NT bids
7. over a simple raise of an overcall and overcaller bids another suit (always a second suit)
Bidding accuracy dictates you know how to handle all of these situations and all of these are covered, in principle, by the principles that guide long suit game tries.
In the short suit game try area, these principles apply in the following situations:
1. Splinter bids
2. Jacoby 2N auctions where opener shows a short suit
3. Delayed splinters or when one partner bids 3 suits
4. It is possible to apply these principles when one partner makes a bid or series of bids that show 55 or longer...like the Minor Suit Stayman bids sometimes do
5. This applies to transfer auctions sometimes too.
Hand evaluation is critical. These principles are how you learn how to do it. I suggest review, frequently.
Bob
*******Please post no replies...this is for information storage for my students only. Thanks***********
"Bob's Lesson notes and Other Ramblings" i-abc
#37
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-November-14, 13:58
***********LIMIT MAJOR RAISES*********
People play all kinds of auctions to show limit raises and have all kinds of restrictions on them...they gotta have 4 trumps...this, that, and the other. The dirty little secret about limit major raises is that the only thing that counts is fit (you got that), distribution, and controls. (This three-part concept applies to slam bidding, too).
Fit:
Some of the theorists in the world of bridge hang their hat on having a 9 card fit. 9-card fits are great. They make trump suits easier to play and better mathematically. Having them is a blessing. That said, the ownership of a 9 card fit is only one factor, not the be-all and end-all that some seem to think it is. Furthermore, the flatter the responder is, after pard opens 1 of a major, the less advantage it becomes. An 8 card major fit is certainly playable and is a huge improvement over the 4-3 fits I wandered into in my formative years. I suggest that you only upgrade for a 9 card fit if you have decent chances of being able to ruff something in the 4-card side.
Distribution:
You should know that the flatter your hand, the worse it is...that is just basic to the game. Singletons are valuable, and voids, a little more so, especially when you have a lot of trumps, but the real key is to evaluate your distribution every time you get to bid. You learn to think in "patterns". The most frequently undervalued situation is when you or your pard has a decent-to-good side 5 card suit. You'll learn that 3 card suits just dont build length tricks and 4 card suits can build only one, if you are lucky. 5 card suits have a good chance to build 2 length tricks, a big improvement over a 4 card suit. Singletons and voids control the "run" of those suits by opponents, but they are not worth much for tricks unless you have a bunch of trumps. This is also the reason why doubletons in responder's hands are overvalued, UNLESS responder holds 4 or more trumps. With doubletons, you are not sure they are going to be of any use anyway, and with only 3 trumps, it becomes less likely.
Controls:
This is the real key to accurate limit raises. We play a limit raise is a "good 10 to a bad 12". This enables the opener to accept the invite with "any excuse". These points are evaluated points, not purely high cards. Aces and Kings count, Queens are looked upon with suspicion and Jacks are virtually disregarded. A hand with KKK is upgraded to a decent limit raise, but QJ, QJ, QJ is sure not even close. A hand with AAK is not generally, for us, an opening hand, but we can make a limit raise on that because we know pard is going to bid game with any excuse.
All of these factors contribute to making a limit raise and opener will have a very, very accurate picture of the hand. Yes, we are quite willing to make limit raises on 3 trumps, providing our controls/high card point count is right.
Remember, all bidding is just a rough estimate of the trick-taking capabilities of the combined hands. You cannot know, for sure what is going to happen, and all you can do is take the long odds, hand after hand. One other suggestion: If your decision is close, you might give some thought to the skill of the declarer and the skill of the defenders, as well. On these, it comes down to an educated guess, a lot of times.
Bob
*********Please post no replies here...this is informational storage for my students**************
People play all kinds of auctions to show limit raises and have all kinds of restrictions on them...they gotta have 4 trumps...this, that, and the other. The dirty little secret about limit major raises is that the only thing that counts is fit (you got that), distribution, and controls. (This three-part concept applies to slam bidding, too).
Fit:
Some of the theorists in the world of bridge hang their hat on having a 9 card fit. 9-card fits are great. They make trump suits easier to play and better mathematically. Having them is a blessing. That said, the ownership of a 9 card fit is only one factor, not the be-all and end-all that some seem to think it is. Furthermore, the flatter the responder is, after pard opens 1 of a major, the less advantage it becomes. An 8 card major fit is certainly playable and is a huge improvement over the 4-3 fits I wandered into in my formative years. I suggest that you only upgrade for a 9 card fit if you have decent chances of being able to ruff something in the 4-card side.
Distribution:
You should know that the flatter your hand, the worse it is...that is just basic to the game. Singletons are valuable, and voids, a little more so, especially when you have a lot of trumps, but the real key is to evaluate your distribution every time you get to bid. You learn to think in "patterns". The most frequently undervalued situation is when you or your pard has a decent-to-good side 5 card suit. You'll learn that 3 card suits just dont build length tricks and 4 card suits can build only one, if you are lucky. 5 card suits have a good chance to build 2 length tricks, a big improvement over a 4 card suit. Singletons and voids control the "run" of those suits by opponents, but they are not worth much for tricks unless you have a bunch of trumps. This is also the reason why doubletons in responder's hands are overvalued, UNLESS responder holds 4 or more trumps. With doubletons, you are not sure they are going to be of any use anyway, and with only 3 trumps, it becomes less likely.
Controls:
This is the real key to accurate limit raises. We play a limit raise is a "good 10 to a bad 12". This enables the opener to accept the invite with "any excuse". These points are evaluated points, not purely high cards. Aces and Kings count, Queens are looked upon with suspicion and Jacks are virtually disregarded. A hand with KKK is upgraded to a decent limit raise, but QJ, QJ, QJ is sure not even close. A hand with AAK is not generally, for us, an opening hand, but we can make a limit raise on that because we know pard is going to bid game with any excuse.
All of these factors contribute to making a limit raise and opener will have a very, very accurate picture of the hand. Yes, we are quite willing to make limit raises on 3 trumps, providing our controls/high card point count is right.
Remember, all bidding is just a rough estimate of the trick-taking capabilities of the combined hands. You cannot know, for sure what is going to happen, and all you can do is take the long odds, hand after hand. One other suggestion: If your decision is close, you might give some thought to the skill of the declarer and the skill of the defenders, as well. On these, it comes down to an educated guess, a lot of times.
Bob
*********Please post no replies here...this is informational storage for my students**************
#38
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-November-27, 15:01
*********HOW FUNCTIONAL IS YOUR CONCEPT OF BIDDING?****************
When I teach, I have noticed that my students sometimes see the trees but totally miss the forest. They are so busy learning how the mechanics of bidding works that they haven't the time to sit back and understand the bidding part of bridge. This applies to a lot of things but what I want to address is one specific thing.
I have said this, over and over again...if your bidding system is solid, you will have a way to sign off(or try to do so) in any suit, invite in any suit or NT, or force to game in any suit(or nt).
The history of the evolution of bidding is interesting, I think. When I learned to play...yes, a long time ago, 4 card majors were the "standard" of the day. Yes, I got real good at playing 4-3 fits (commonly called Moysian Fits, named after a guy by the name of Al Moyse, who wrote a definitive series on the techniques of playing 4-3 fits. That was the very first thing I ever studied on the game). Five card major bidding soon became in vogue...and the whole bridge world breathed a sigh of relief. Playing 5-3 fits is a million times easier than 4-3 fits and flatly, knowing partner had 5 of a major to open relieved a lot of stress for everybody. So, I was in the middle of this, trying to learn to play the game. One thing I was always frustrated with was that in those days, essentially, when you jumped, you forced to game and if you didnt, the auction was not forcing. The result was that when you had 10 or 11 points and partner opened, you had to keep bidding new suits, and then raise to get the message over. This was even before limit raises came on the scene. I assure you, bidding was nerve-wracking. As time went by, and bidding evolved, the standard treatments came more in line with that paragraph above, because it needed to.
We now play virtually all non-conventional jumps, either raises or rebids, as invitational. (Conventional jumps are things like Jacoby 2N). This makes far better sense and results in far better bidding. Now that your mind is on the philosophy of bidding, let me point out a couple of places that still need operational help and some solutions to the problem.
One area that needs work/agreements is handling a big one suiter over an opening nt. Have you noticed, that using tranfers, you don't have a way to to make a move towards slam other than just bid whatever ace-asking bid you play and guess? Majors first: Think about this auction...1N-2d-2h...and you have, for example, this hand: x KQJ10xx KQx QJx or x KQJ10xx AJ10 QJx. If Partner's 1NT opener has good controls, you might well have a slam. If not, getting past 4 might be too high. So, what do you do, playing standard transfers? I donno. What you need is a bid that says, "Pard, I have a game forcing hand with a big heart suit. I might have interest in slam. How does your hand look for slam purposes?"
There is no such bid in standard usage transfers. The best you can do is bid a 3 card minor after transferring????? Completely misdescribes your hand. I have a suggestion, and have been playing this for decades. Use 1N-3H for this kind of hand. What do you play that bid now means? Some play it shows 55 majors, invite, and 1N-3S shows 55 majors, strong. That's silly. You have normal transfer auctions for that. Others play 1NT-3H shows 5-4 in the minors with 3-1 in the majors and is a game force, might be slam interest. That is far more useful than the 55 major thing, but in my opinion, you need to have a way to force to game in a major without bidding 4 of that major...you want to "poke around".
If you choose to play this, let me give you some tips:
1. Over 1N-3Major-? opener will Q bid if he is rich in "controls" (Aces and Kings) and bid either 3N or 4 of the bid major if not. Opener will not Q bid just because he has 17 highs when he has all Q's and J's.
2. If you have a real slam going hand, transfer and bid Keycard Gerber...4C. You won't learn a lot but you will find out if you have enough keycard to bid a slam.
3. Last tip: Have your agreements say, this jump to 3 of the Major is both a hand with some degree of slam interest, and one that will likely play opposite xx for no more than one loser. Why such a good suit required? Because opener will be worrying about his excessively weak support and soft-pedal a pretty good hand because he thinks pard is expecting something like Qxx for support. If that bid promises a powerhouse suit, opener can bid the true value of his hand.
So what do you do if you have a very strong hand, but something like Q10xxxx for a suit? Now, it's time to improvise...you NEED pard to like your suit if you are going anywhere. Transfer and bid a 3 card minor if you have to...you will find out what's up.
That covers the big Major one suiter, and now you can bid your hand accurately, with a long major, no matter the strength. Using transfers, you can transfer and pass...or raise to the 3 level...or raise to the game level...or bid Keycard Gerber...or....now...not transfer, but bid 3 of the Major directly with the right kind of hand.
So what about a big minor one suiter? We play Minor Suit Stayman...2S over a 1NT opener. It shows a game forcing hand with either a one-suiter or a two suiter. Read a different article in these notes about how it works. You can define a big minor one-suiter with it, and then...guess what? Once that is defined, the bidding works the same way...you Q bid when you like your hand, bid NT or the minor when you don't. Isnt that handy? You have a specific "pattern" of bidding that any big one suiter falls into. This makes bidding these hands soooo easy. If you are any good at the techniques of Q bidding, you stay out of bad slams, no matter if it is a major or minor, and reach the good ones.
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
When I teach, I have noticed that my students sometimes see the trees but totally miss the forest. They are so busy learning how the mechanics of bidding works that they haven't the time to sit back and understand the bidding part of bridge. This applies to a lot of things but what I want to address is one specific thing.
I have said this, over and over again...if your bidding system is solid, you will have a way to sign off(or try to do so) in any suit, invite in any suit or NT, or force to game in any suit(or nt).
The history of the evolution of bidding is interesting, I think. When I learned to play...yes, a long time ago, 4 card majors were the "standard" of the day. Yes, I got real good at playing 4-3 fits (commonly called Moysian Fits, named after a guy by the name of Al Moyse, who wrote a definitive series on the techniques of playing 4-3 fits. That was the very first thing I ever studied on the game). Five card major bidding soon became in vogue...and the whole bridge world breathed a sigh of relief. Playing 5-3 fits is a million times easier than 4-3 fits and flatly, knowing partner had 5 of a major to open relieved a lot of stress for everybody. So, I was in the middle of this, trying to learn to play the game. One thing I was always frustrated with was that in those days, essentially, when you jumped, you forced to game and if you didnt, the auction was not forcing. The result was that when you had 10 or 11 points and partner opened, you had to keep bidding new suits, and then raise to get the message over. This was even before limit raises came on the scene. I assure you, bidding was nerve-wracking. As time went by, and bidding evolved, the standard treatments came more in line with that paragraph above, because it needed to.
We now play virtually all non-conventional jumps, either raises or rebids, as invitational. (Conventional jumps are things like Jacoby 2N). This makes far better sense and results in far better bidding. Now that your mind is on the philosophy of bidding, let me point out a couple of places that still need operational help and some solutions to the problem.
One area that needs work/agreements is handling a big one suiter over an opening nt. Have you noticed, that using tranfers, you don't have a way to to make a move towards slam other than just bid whatever ace-asking bid you play and guess? Majors first: Think about this auction...1N-2d-2h...and you have, for example, this hand: x KQJ10xx KQx QJx or x KQJ10xx AJ10 QJx. If Partner's 1NT opener has good controls, you might well have a slam. If not, getting past 4 might be too high. So, what do you do, playing standard transfers? I donno. What you need is a bid that says, "Pard, I have a game forcing hand with a big heart suit. I might have interest in slam. How does your hand look for slam purposes?"
There is no such bid in standard usage transfers. The best you can do is bid a 3 card minor after transferring????? Completely misdescribes your hand. I have a suggestion, and have been playing this for decades. Use 1N-3H for this kind of hand. What do you play that bid now means? Some play it shows 55 majors, invite, and 1N-3S shows 55 majors, strong. That's silly. You have normal transfer auctions for that. Others play 1NT-3H shows 5-4 in the minors with 3-1 in the majors and is a game force, might be slam interest. That is far more useful than the 55 major thing, but in my opinion, you need to have a way to force to game in a major without bidding 4 of that major...you want to "poke around".
If you choose to play this, let me give you some tips:
1. Over 1N-3Major-? opener will Q bid if he is rich in "controls" (Aces and Kings) and bid either 3N or 4 of the bid major if not. Opener will not Q bid just because he has 17 highs when he has all Q's and J's.
2. If you have a real slam going hand, transfer and bid Keycard Gerber...4C. You won't learn a lot but you will find out if you have enough keycard to bid a slam.
3. Last tip: Have your agreements say, this jump to 3 of the Major is both a hand with some degree of slam interest, and one that will likely play opposite xx for no more than one loser. Why such a good suit required? Because opener will be worrying about his excessively weak support and soft-pedal a pretty good hand because he thinks pard is expecting something like Qxx for support. If that bid promises a powerhouse suit, opener can bid the true value of his hand.
So what do you do if you have a very strong hand, but something like Q10xxxx for a suit? Now, it's time to improvise...you NEED pard to like your suit if you are going anywhere. Transfer and bid a 3 card minor if you have to...you will find out what's up.
That covers the big Major one suiter, and now you can bid your hand accurately, with a long major, no matter the strength. Using transfers, you can transfer and pass...or raise to the 3 level...or raise to the game level...or bid Keycard Gerber...or....now...not transfer, but bid 3 of the Major directly with the right kind of hand.
So what about a big minor one suiter? We play Minor Suit Stayman...2S over a 1NT opener. It shows a game forcing hand with either a one-suiter or a two suiter. Read a different article in these notes about how it works. You can define a big minor one-suiter with it, and then...guess what? Once that is defined, the bidding works the same way...you Q bid when you like your hand, bid NT or the minor when you don't. Isnt that handy? You have a specific "pattern" of bidding that any big one suiter falls into. This makes bidding these hands soooo easy. If you are any good at the techniques of Q bidding, you stay out of bad slams, no matter if it is a major or minor, and reach the good ones.
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
#39
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-November-27, 15:03
********CAN YOU HANDLE TWO-SUITERS WHEN PARD OPENS 1NT?*************
To me, it is critical, that of all the things that can happen in the bidding, if your pard opens 1NT, you should know exactly what to do to reach the most likely best contract. CRITICAL.
Transfers are a big help doing this. Great tools. Problem is, you are taught that if you have a two-suiter and game (or better) strength, you transfer, then bid the other suit at the3 level. BUT......and a very bid but, indeed, that is where the explanations stop. What the hell do you do now?
We should formulate the problem. The real problem is for the opening nt bidder to tell his partner which suit he likes and how good his hand is, in light of the bidding. Pretty logical, so far, right?
Every area of bidding has little "tools". Some are perhaps less-well known conventions with the inventor's name on it (the very useful 2N relay bid after a reverse is an example..it's called Ingbermann, named for Monroe Ingbermann...a hugely useful tool that is not real well known/taught, for dealing with reverses. And, no, I am not sure I have the spelling right.), or a little tool could just be a nifty technique. There is a nifty technique for dealing with these two-suiters.
Let's use a double major hand as an example: 55 in the majors, 2-1 in the minors, and game forcing values. Let me play Devil's Advocate and ask a couple of questions. If you transfer to spades and bid 3H, now what? Opener can choose, but how do you find out if opener likes his hand or not? You don't get taught that..and it gets real important. Here's the technique:
1. If opener chooses the higher suit (in this case spades), he simply bids 3S.
2. If opener chooses the lower suit, he has options. He can raise 3H to 4 with a minimium hand, or bid 3NT with heavy minor concentration and almost no cards in the majors. Here's the key...if he likes his hand, in support of the lower suit(hearts, here), he Q bids. Without this tool, he can still Q bid, but responder won't know which suit has becomes trumps. That can be a real problem. This tool solves that problem...a Q-bid is a good hand in support of the LOWER suit and shows a control. If opener has a good hand, and support for the HIGHER suit, see rule 1, above.
So, I'll assume that you are conversant with Q bidding, and you know that, as responder, if you have slam ambitions, you can continue to Q bid. If you don't have those ambitions, you can sign off at the game level. But what happens if spades is the suit?
Over 1N-2h-2s-3h-3s...accepting spades, you need to realize that opener got to show a spade choice, but nothing about how good or bad his hand is. In this case, responder, the transferer, either bids game and closes down, or Q bids to show some slam interest. Opener will pass the game bid, of course, but if responder Q bids, opener will either shut down at 4S or will also Q bid if he likes his fit and his controls.
That's it. An elegant little solution to a devilish problem when it comes up. The way to remember it is that if the higher suit is chosen by opener, RESPONDER makes the first move toward slam, but if the lower suit is chosen, the opener has the first opportunity to show the value of his hand.
If this seems confusing, it is not hard. Write some auctions down and see how it works.
NOTE: This techniques works the same way with a major/minor two-suiter, but even better. Simply, opener admits to support for the major if he has it, unless he had a huge minor fit. Example: 1N-2h-2s-3c-3s....spade support, nothing about how good his hand fits. 1N-2h-2s-3c-3D.....opener fits clubs, has a good hand, and a Diamond control card.
In closing...the other nifty tool for use with transfers is the "SuperAcceptance" bids. There is an article about them on page 1 of these notes
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
*******PLEASE POST NO REPLIES...THIS IS INFORMATION STORAGE FOR STUDENTS***********
To me, it is critical, that of all the things that can happen in the bidding, if your pard opens 1NT, you should know exactly what to do to reach the most likely best contract. CRITICAL.
Transfers are a big help doing this. Great tools. Problem is, you are taught that if you have a two-suiter and game (or better) strength, you transfer, then bid the other suit at the3 level. BUT......and a very bid but, indeed, that is where the explanations stop. What the hell do you do now?
We should formulate the problem. The real problem is for the opening nt bidder to tell his partner which suit he likes and how good his hand is, in light of the bidding. Pretty logical, so far, right?
Every area of bidding has little "tools". Some are perhaps less-well known conventions with the inventor's name on it (the very useful 2N relay bid after a reverse is an example..it's called Ingbermann, named for Monroe Ingbermann...a hugely useful tool that is not real well known/taught, for dealing with reverses. And, no, I am not sure I have the spelling right.), or a little tool could just be a nifty technique. There is a nifty technique for dealing with these two-suiters.
Let's use a double major hand as an example: 55 in the majors, 2-1 in the minors, and game forcing values. Let me play Devil's Advocate and ask a couple of questions. If you transfer to spades and bid 3H, now what? Opener can choose, but how do you find out if opener likes his hand or not? You don't get taught that..and it gets real important. Here's the technique:
1. If opener chooses the higher suit (in this case spades), he simply bids 3S.
2. If opener chooses the lower suit, he has options. He can raise 3H to 4 with a minimium hand, or bid 3NT with heavy minor concentration and almost no cards in the majors. Here's the key...if he likes his hand, in support of the lower suit(hearts, here), he Q bids. Without this tool, he can still Q bid, but responder won't know which suit has becomes trumps. That can be a real problem. This tool solves that problem...a Q-bid is a good hand in support of the LOWER suit and shows a control. If opener has a good hand, and support for the HIGHER suit, see rule 1, above.
So, I'll assume that you are conversant with Q bidding, and you know that, as responder, if you have slam ambitions, you can continue to Q bid. If you don't have those ambitions, you can sign off at the game level. But what happens if spades is the suit?
Over 1N-2h-2s-3h-3s...accepting spades, you need to realize that opener got to show a spade choice, but nothing about how good or bad his hand is. In this case, responder, the transferer, either bids game and closes down, or Q bids to show some slam interest. Opener will pass the game bid, of course, but if responder Q bids, opener will either shut down at 4S or will also Q bid if he likes his fit and his controls.
That's it. An elegant little solution to a devilish problem when it comes up. The way to remember it is that if the higher suit is chosen by opener, RESPONDER makes the first move toward slam, but if the lower suit is chosen, the opener has the first opportunity to show the value of his hand.
If this seems confusing, it is not hard. Write some auctions down and see how it works.
NOTE: This techniques works the same way with a major/minor two-suiter, but even better. Simply, opener admits to support for the major if he has it, unless he had a huge minor fit. Example: 1N-2h-2s-3c-3s....spade support, nothing about how good his hand fits. 1N-2h-2s-3c-3D.....opener fits clubs, has a good hand, and a Diamond control card.
In closing...the other nifty tool for use with transfers is the "SuperAcceptance" bids. There is an article about them on page 1 of these notes
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
*******PLEASE POST NO REPLIES...THIS IS INFORMATION STORAGE FOR STUDENTS***********
#40
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 01:42
***********THE CONTROLS WITHIN A 1NT OPENER***************
Thinking on slam bidding after Partner opens 1N, and with all the bidding drill I do with students, it has occurred to me that one good way to evaluate how good the 1N bid is, for slam bidding purposes, is the total controls that hand has. Until you reach pretty high expert level, you will blindly follow high card evaluation for your NT openers, but perhaps there is a better way?
I have noticed that 15-17 point nt hands can be real good or real bad for slam bidding, and it dawned on me that it all had to do with the ratio of Aces/Kings to Queens/Jacks, within that 15-17 point framwork. So....a little analysis:
The worst hand you can have, and still be in the 1NT box is this: QJx QJx KQJ QJxx.
No, I wouldnt open that pitiful hand 1N either, but it IS 15 high card points. The best hand you can have in these terms is AAKKK...a full house, Kings over Aces. Count it up, is 17 highs. So what can be in the middle?
The maximium control count for 1N is 5. KKKAA or KKKKA. The minimium is 1 (see above). That is a huge difference when the point count range is only 15/16/17. So, here's a thought:
Let's consider a 5 control hand (controls=Aces and Kings) as a very good hand, and 1, the worst, as a very bad hand. What about 4? Well, one is AAAA....that's a whopper if pard has slam aspirations. AK, AK, particularly if they are joined is pretty good. So is AAAK. I think it's obvious that 4 controls is a good nt hand if slam is on the horizon. What about 3? Well, still AAA is pretty good, but KKK, with no aces is kinda "soft". All the other points have to be in "Quacks" and that's not wonderful in slam bidding. So, perhaps we should not bid so much when we have 3? And 2? Now we are reaching. The best 2 is AA and a bunch of Quacks. KK is really getting bad.
So, how do we use this concept? If you play 1N-p-3Major (I do) as a big One-suiter in the bid major, I think we, as opening nt bidder, should Q bid in support with 4 or 5 controls but not Q with 3 or less. There are a number of other auctions that can use this thinking, and no matter how you show big one suiters opposite opening NT bids, this can come into play.
This is particularly applicable with one suiters, but it may well help with 2 suiters as well. The value of an opening nt is more location dependent, but still, the concept of controls can't hurt.
Just a thought I wanted to share. Good slam hunting.
Bob
Thinking on slam bidding after Partner opens 1N, and with all the bidding drill I do with students, it has occurred to me that one good way to evaluate how good the 1N bid is, for slam bidding purposes, is the total controls that hand has. Until you reach pretty high expert level, you will blindly follow high card evaluation for your NT openers, but perhaps there is a better way?
I have noticed that 15-17 point nt hands can be real good or real bad for slam bidding, and it dawned on me that it all had to do with the ratio of Aces/Kings to Queens/Jacks, within that 15-17 point framwork. So....a little analysis:
The worst hand you can have, and still be in the 1NT box is this: QJx QJx KQJ QJxx.
No, I wouldnt open that pitiful hand 1N either, but it IS 15 high card points. The best hand you can have in these terms is AAKKK...a full house, Kings over Aces. Count it up, is 17 highs. So what can be in the middle?
The maximium control count for 1N is 5. KKKAA or KKKKA. The minimium is 1 (see above). That is a huge difference when the point count range is only 15/16/17. So, here's a thought:
Let's consider a 5 control hand (controls=Aces and Kings) as a very good hand, and 1, the worst, as a very bad hand. What about 4? Well, one is AAAA....that's a whopper if pard has slam aspirations. AK, AK, particularly if they are joined is pretty good. So is AAAK. I think it's obvious that 4 controls is a good nt hand if slam is on the horizon. What about 3? Well, still AAA is pretty good, but KKK, with no aces is kinda "soft". All the other points have to be in "Quacks" and that's not wonderful in slam bidding. So, perhaps we should not bid so much when we have 3? And 2? Now we are reaching. The best 2 is AA and a bunch of Quacks. KK is really getting bad.
So, how do we use this concept? If you play 1N-p-3Major (I do) as a big One-suiter in the bid major, I think we, as opening nt bidder, should Q bid in support with 4 or 5 controls but not Q with 3 or less. There are a number of other auctions that can use this thinking, and no matter how you show big one suiters opposite opening NT bids, this can come into play.
This is particularly applicable with one suiters, but it may well help with 2 suiters as well. The value of an opening nt is more location dependent, but still, the concept of controls can't hurt.
Just a thought I wanted to share. Good slam hunting.
Bob
#41
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 01:44
********SOME THOUGHTS ON SIGNALING ON DEFENSE***********
Defending is a job with a lot of areas to be aware of. As a defender, you have to figure out things like:
From either side of the table, before the opening lead is made:
1. What is the probable strength of declarer and what is his probable distribution?
2. Same thing for dummy.
3. What does my partner have?
4. Where are our tricks likely to come from?
5. Does it sound like the opponents are pushing or comfortable?
Now, for the opening leader:
1. You have listened to the bidding and are able to tell, more or less, what type of hands the opponents have. Now, think about how the declarer is likely to play the hand. If he is going to crossruff, a trump lead might be in order. If he is going to try to establish dummy's suit, you might be trying to get your tricks before he does
2. Once you get that worked out, it is time to choose a lead. More Questions:
3. Which suit? And is there a reason to choose one over the other?
4. Now you have chosen the suit, what card? You want to make sure your partner can read what's up in that suit.
Time to go over standard leads:
Against suits:
ACE...most play A is from AK. Reason why is that leading bald aces is not a good idea. That means you are hardly ever going to just plunk down an A.
KING....old standard was to lead the King from either AK or KQ, pard gets to figure it out. Yes, there was a lot of misguesses made. That's why modern standard is Ace from AK???. This means, nowadays, King shows KQ???
QUEEN.... This is a "top of a sequence" lead, normally QJ10, QJ9, etc. It sometimes might be right to lead the Q from QJ???, a two card sequence.
JACK....Old standard, and still played by a majority is that a J lead is from J109/J108. Again, "top-of-a-sequence stuff. There is another issue...see below.
TEN...Same as the Jack...1098, 1097???
NINE....Same as Jack and 10...987/986
************************************
Time to discuss "JACK DENIES"
**********************************
Sometimes, you have a three card sequence, and you lead the top of it, all is well. Other times, you have stuff like AJ10, Q109...broken sequences. You cannot lead the top of those...because you need to maintain a tenace position. If you have Q109 and lead anything but the Q, and catch your pard on the Ace, you make sure the opponents only get 1 trick. If you lead the Q, catch pard on the A, your side only gets one trick, if K and J are in declarer's hand. If you lead the 10 or the 9, no matter where the cards are, and assuming pard can read it, you dont blow a trick. That's one problem. The other problem is, partner is stuck guessing whether you hold Q109 or 1098. He might see the need to return the suit after taking his Ace, or he might not. He has to guess. When partner is guessing, he is going to go wrong, sometimes. We prefer not to have partner guessing..not winning bridge, but how to do it?
We can play "Jack Denies, 10/9 shows 0 or two higher". This is not hard, but it is not very standard, since most people arent taught this when they learn to play, more's the pity. You have to agree with pard to do this...just a warning. Here's how it works:
The lead of the A/K/Q are all the same. The meanings of the J/10/9 change. The J says, "I have nothing above this in this suit. No broken sequences, nothing. The lead of the 10 or the 9 says, "I either have touching cards below this card....or....I have a "broken" or "interior" sequence. This broken sequence lead is dangerous...you can give up a trick, for sure, but if it is the suit to lead...you can get partner to quit making guesses.
How to clearly define this? How about this? If I lead the 10 or the 9, I have either nothing at all higher....or....I have the card directly above what I lead...then, going up, there is a hole in the sequence...and after the hole, going up, I have a larger card. A "broken" sequence. There are only a few of these broken sequences possible, so I will list them with the standard lead marked and the lead, if you are playing "J denies" marked. Scroll down:
A
J.....std lead
10.....JD(for Jack denies) lead
A
10...std lead
9.....JD lead
K
J...std lead
10..JD lead
K
10...std lead
9....JD lead
Q
10...std lead
9....JD lead
J...std and JD lead
10
9
but in this case, your partner knows you DO NOT HAVE HIGHER CARDS HERE IF YOU ARE PLAYING JACK DENIES
10...std and JD lead
9
8
but now you know that pard either started with KJ10 or nothing over the 10. (Partner, against a suit, wouldnt underlead the A and from QJ10, would lead the Q.....so...KJ10 is the only possible holding)
9...std and JD lead
8
7
but with JD lead, you know pard started with: K109 or Q109, or nothing higher. (He won't underlead the A, so it is not A109)
So, why use these? Example: Pard leads the J, playing standard leads. Dummy has xxx in that suit and you have the A. Do you play the Ace? If you do, you set up declarer's KQ if pard didnt start with KJ10. Playing J denies, you KNOW pard has nothing higher, and can either duck, which might limit declarer to one trick in that suit (He doesn't kow where the Ace is either), or you can take the trick and shift to another suit. At least, you knew the situation as soon as you saw pard's J if you are playing J Denies.
Against NT contracts:
J Denies is even more useful...why? Because now, there is nothing keeping partner from leading out from under an Ace if that is his long suit. Therefore, you get to use it more and it can be the difference between returning partner's suit to run the suit and set a nt game or not....and taking an A and shifting to a better suit to defend nt with.
Yes, the card led is exactly the same, vs NT or suits.
Last thing: DO NOT lead the 9 from QJ9. This isnt very smart, and too, you need to remember that if your 10 or your 9 is involved in an interior sequence....you MUST have the card right above your card, then have a gap right above that. QJ9's gap is in the wrong place. A nine is K109 or Q109, or nothing higher.
Against NT Contracts:
Leads againt NT contracts are completely different due to different needs.
ACE.....You aren't plunking down Aces against NT either...so leading the Ace has special meaning. It is: "Pard, I have AKJ10?? and need you to either drop the Q and get out of my way, or give me COUNT. This is called an "unblocking" lead. If 3rd seat has the Q, either play it or get yelled at. No kidding. Alternatively, if you DON'T have the Q, give count,however you agree to do so. The reason for this is so pard can drop declarer's doubleton Q (if he has that) or lay off the suit and try to get you in to lead through declarer. Count play by 3rd seat makes it easy to get it right.
KING....typical "asking for attitude" lead. Sure pard might have the KQJ10xx, but it doesnt matter, 3rd seat here tells pard if he has the A or the J of that suit.
QUEEN....another special lead againt NT. Opening leader might have the QJ10...QJ9...or a real special holding...KQ109?? Why is this special? Declarer can have the AJx and hold up...and partner cannot lead that suit anymore. That would give declarer 2 tricks in that suit. If pard leads the K from this holding, sometimes it is hard to get right. Pard should lead the Q, not the K, and if 3rd seat has the Jack, he knows the lead wasnt from QJ10, then he realizes that pard has to have KQ109 seeking an "unblock" so he plays the Jack. Now partner can keep leading that suit. One last thing...if 3rd seat does NOT have the Jack, he gives count, just like when pard leads the A. Why? Declarer can have AJ doubleton, and take the A on the lead of the Q. Then he has to let partner in. If you, as 3rd seat have given count, partner will know if the J is going to drop. If he knows it won't, partner will try to get you in to lead through the suit.
JACK/TEN/NINE....all the same as against suit leads, and even more effective.
"Attitude", "Count", and "Suit Preference" signals need discussion. I will start another paper on them
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
Defending is a job with a lot of areas to be aware of. As a defender, you have to figure out things like:
From either side of the table, before the opening lead is made:
1. What is the probable strength of declarer and what is his probable distribution?
2. Same thing for dummy.
3. What does my partner have?
4. Where are our tricks likely to come from?
5. Does it sound like the opponents are pushing or comfortable?
Now, for the opening leader:
1. You have listened to the bidding and are able to tell, more or less, what type of hands the opponents have. Now, think about how the declarer is likely to play the hand. If he is going to crossruff, a trump lead might be in order. If he is going to try to establish dummy's suit, you might be trying to get your tricks before he does
2. Once you get that worked out, it is time to choose a lead. More Questions:
3. Which suit? And is there a reason to choose one over the other?
4. Now you have chosen the suit, what card? You want to make sure your partner can read what's up in that suit.
Time to go over standard leads:
Against suits:
ACE...most play A is from AK. Reason why is that leading bald aces is not a good idea. That means you are hardly ever going to just plunk down an A.
KING....old standard was to lead the King from either AK or KQ, pard gets to figure it out. Yes, there was a lot of misguesses made. That's why modern standard is Ace from AK???. This means, nowadays, King shows KQ???
QUEEN.... This is a "top of a sequence" lead, normally QJ10, QJ9, etc. It sometimes might be right to lead the Q from QJ???, a two card sequence.
JACK....Old standard, and still played by a majority is that a J lead is from J109/J108. Again, "top-of-a-sequence stuff. There is another issue...see below.
TEN...Same as the Jack...1098, 1097???
NINE....Same as Jack and 10...987/986
************************************
Time to discuss "JACK DENIES"
**********************************
Sometimes, you have a three card sequence, and you lead the top of it, all is well. Other times, you have stuff like AJ10, Q109...broken sequences. You cannot lead the top of those...because you need to maintain a tenace position. If you have Q109 and lead anything but the Q, and catch your pard on the Ace, you make sure the opponents only get 1 trick. If you lead the Q, catch pard on the A, your side only gets one trick, if K and J are in declarer's hand. If you lead the 10 or the 9, no matter where the cards are, and assuming pard can read it, you dont blow a trick. That's one problem. The other problem is, partner is stuck guessing whether you hold Q109 or 1098. He might see the need to return the suit after taking his Ace, or he might not. He has to guess. When partner is guessing, he is going to go wrong, sometimes. We prefer not to have partner guessing..not winning bridge, but how to do it?
We can play "Jack Denies, 10/9 shows 0 or two higher". This is not hard, but it is not very standard, since most people arent taught this when they learn to play, more's the pity. You have to agree with pard to do this...just a warning. Here's how it works:
The lead of the A/K/Q are all the same. The meanings of the J/10/9 change. The J says, "I have nothing above this in this suit. No broken sequences, nothing. The lead of the 10 or the 9 says, "I either have touching cards below this card....or....I have a "broken" or "interior" sequence. This broken sequence lead is dangerous...you can give up a trick, for sure, but if it is the suit to lead...you can get partner to quit making guesses.
How to clearly define this? How about this? If I lead the 10 or the 9, I have either nothing at all higher....or....I have the card directly above what I lead...then, going up, there is a hole in the sequence...and after the hole, going up, I have a larger card. A "broken" sequence. There are only a few of these broken sequences possible, so I will list them with the standard lead marked and the lead, if you are playing "J denies" marked. Scroll down:
A
J.....std lead
10.....JD(for Jack denies) lead
A
10...std lead
9.....JD lead
K
J...std lead
10..JD lead
K
10...std lead
9....JD lead
Q
10...std lead
9....JD lead
J...std and JD lead
10
9
but in this case, your partner knows you DO NOT HAVE HIGHER CARDS HERE IF YOU ARE PLAYING JACK DENIES
10...std and JD lead
9
8
but now you know that pard either started with KJ10 or nothing over the 10. (Partner, against a suit, wouldnt underlead the A and from QJ10, would lead the Q.....so...KJ10 is the only possible holding)
9...std and JD lead
8
7
but with JD lead, you know pard started with: K109 or Q109, or nothing higher. (He won't underlead the A, so it is not A109)
So, why use these? Example: Pard leads the J, playing standard leads. Dummy has xxx in that suit and you have the A. Do you play the Ace? If you do, you set up declarer's KQ if pard didnt start with KJ10. Playing J denies, you KNOW pard has nothing higher, and can either duck, which might limit declarer to one trick in that suit (He doesn't kow where the Ace is either), or you can take the trick and shift to another suit. At least, you knew the situation as soon as you saw pard's J if you are playing J Denies.
Against NT contracts:
J Denies is even more useful...why? Because now, there is nothing keeping partner from leading out from under an Ace if that is his long suit. Therefore, you get to use it more and it can be the difference between returning partner's suit to run the suit and set a nt game or not....and taking an A and shifting to a better suit to defend nt with.
Yes, the card led is exactly the same, vs NT or suits.
Last thing: DO NOT lead the 9 from QJ9. This isnt very smart, and too, you need to remember that if your 10 or your 9 is involved in an interior sequence....you MUST have the card right above your card, then have a gap right above that. QJ9's gap is in the wrong place. A nine is K109 or Q109, or nothing higher.
Against NT Contracts:
Leads againt NT contracts are completely different due to different needs.
ACE.....You aren't plunking down Aces against NT either...so leading the Ace has special meaning. It is: "Pard, I have AKJ10?? and need you to either drop the Q and get out of my way, or give me COUNT. This is called an "unblocking" lead. If 3rd seat has the Q, either play it or get yelled at. No kidding. Alternatively, if you DON'T have the Q, give count,however you agree to do so. The reason for this is so pard can drop declarer's doubleton Q (if he has that) or lay off the suit and try to get you in to lead through declarer. Count play by 3rd seat makes it easy to get it right.
KING....typical "asking for attitude" lead. Sure pard might have the KQJ10xx, but it doesnt matter, 3rd seat here tells pard if he has the A or the J of that suit.
QUEEN....another special lead againt NT. Opening leader might have the QJ10...QJ9...or a real special holding...KQ109?? Why is this special? Declarer can have the AJx and hold up...and partner cannot lead that suit anymore. That would give declarer 2 tricks in that suit. If pard leads the K from this holding, sometimes it is hard to get right. Pard should lead the Q, not the K, and if 3rd seat has the Jack, he knows the lead wasnt from QJ10, then he realizes that pard has to have KQ109 seeking an "unblock" so he plays the Jack. Now partner can keep leading that suit. One last thing...if 3rd seat does NOT have the Jack, he gives count, just like when pard leads the A. Why? Declarer can have AJ doubleton, and take the A on the lead of the Q. Then he has to let partner in. If you, as 3rd seat have given count, partner will know if the J is going to drop. If he knows it won't, partner will try to get you in to lead through the suit.
JACK/TEN/NINE....all the same as against suit leads, and even more effective.
"Attitude", "Count", and "Suit Preference" signals need discussion. I will start another paper on them
Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO
#42
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 01:46
***********SOME THOUGHTS THAT MIGHT HELP ON DEFENSIVE SIGNALS**********
My students are starting to get pretty good as offensive bidders. We have plans to work on the competitive bidding. I have told them that playing the hand is an individual sport and they need to buy books and study. That only leaves defense. It's kinda imporant...you defend about half the hands, except when you play with me, then you defend about 75% of the hands, due to my known inability to draw cards. So, soon, we will be working on defense, and the needs are philosophies, for sure, but the tools need to be learned as well. We'll start by saying, buy Mike Lawrence's book on opening leads. It is unbelievable what that book will do for your opening leads...and that is where the defense starts. Now, for the tools:
Standard tools include standard count signals, standard attitude signals, and Suit Preference Signals. There are not only modificatons to these, and some other tools like Odd/Even discards, but we are going to learn to "do" standard.
Count signals are generally important since one of the chores you have to do, defending, is to get an accurate on declarer's hand (and pard's, as well). You cannot play the game without being aware of (and keeping up with) the count of the hand. Standard signals use High-then-Low to show even numbers. Low-then-High to show odd numbers. The idea is that that bidding will give us a general idea, usually, then partner's signals will confirm the exact count. Defending against trump contracts, count signals tell you how many tricks you can get in certain suits, when to hold up, when to cash out, and a lot of other things. Count is completely critical defeding trump suit contracts.
Attitude signals are how you tell partner if you like like or dont like something. This applies to opening leads or telling partner he can discard a particular suit since you have that one covered. Standard methods use "High Encourages, Low Discourges".
Suit Preference Signals are a specialty signal. They only apply under certain circumstances. Let's go through them. Pard lead, against a trump contract, an Ace (usually denoting the AK...) Dummy comes down and there is a singleton on dummy..partner is going to have to shift. You tell him which suit by playing a comparatively high card in the led suit for the highest ranked side suit. If you played comparatively low, he thinks about the lowest-ranked side suit. Another time these are used is when you give pard a ruff. You can tell partner how to get back to your hand for yet another ruff by doing the same thing as above. Let him ruff a low card to lead the low suit back, but a higher card to lead the higher suit back. There are a lot of SPS situations that people dont think about if you really want to communicate with the cards. You can even use them following suit in declarer's trumps. Example: If you have 742 of trumps, you could agree to play 2, then 3, then 7 if you like clubs, for example. This has one catch...you have to be sure that no matter how you play the cards, you play doesnt effect the outcome of the hand. This is also effective when declarer is running a good, long side suit from dummy and you have the same holding. You could, for example, play 7-4-2 if you can protect spades. Just a thought.
Now we have the tools outlined. The best way to get familiar is ask questions. Here are some you should ask (and there probably are a lot more):
If I tell my partner count, won't the declarer get that message, too?
Sure, but declarer can see all of his assets, you can't. Who needs help more? AND, if a declarer is smart, he knows you can be falsecarding him or just being sloppy...he wont believe much of what you say, anyway.
How do I know which signal to use?
Toughest question of all. SPS are easy, they only apply to specific situations. Concerning between attitude and count, you just need to think of what partner needs to know and make that signal. He'll read that thinking process and defend accordingly. Sometimes you get this wrong. Dont worry about it. Experience helps.
What should be my primary signal?
That is no fun to answer....look at the bidding, look at dummy, look at the lead. Think about what pard needs to know. Then, from me, you get this crappy answer...it all depends. Maybe the best help I can give is that count is critical against suit contracts and attitude is perhaps the more critical at NT.
Are there better signals to use than standard?
Yes. It doesnt matter if you play normal count or upsidedown. Upside down attitude signals are far superior to normal, but I teach normal to my students so they can play with anyone. We will change this, down the road.
What about using Odd/Even or Laventhal Discards?
None of those specialty discards have a great deal (if any) edge over standard signalling, and they can cause messes. Moreover, don't you have enough to try to remember?
Should I give the right signal all the time?
Let's see....if you play against intermediate or less, they won't know enough to pick off the signals and even what to do with them if they do. Against Experts, when they see you are not an expert, they won't trust you to do it right anyway. Expert vs Expert? Declarer wont' be so naive to think the opponents wont' falsecard him...I ignore opponents signals, for the most part.
Is there any group I should falsecard?
Yeah, advanced players. They know enough to "read" your signals and are good enough to put that knowledge to work. And, they haven't been around long enough to become cynical/distrustful about the opponents meddling with them. They bite at the bait, once in a while.
More to come on this.
Bob Holmes
My students are starting to get pretty good as offensive bidders. We have plans to work on the competitive bidding. I have told them that playing the hand is an individual sport and they need to buy books and study. That only leaves defense. It's kinda imporant...you defend about half the hands, except when you play with me, then you defend about 75% of the hands, due to my known inability to draw cards. So, soon, we will be working on defense, and the needs are philosophies, for sure, but the tools need to be learned as well. We'll start by saying, buy Mike Lawrence's book on opening leads. It is unbelievable what that book will do for your opening leads...and that is where the defense starts. Now, for the tools:
Standard tools include standard count signals, standard attitude signals, and Suit Preference Signals. There are not only modificatons to these, and some other tools like Odd/Even discards, but we are going to learn to "do" standard.
Count signals are generally important since one of the chores you have to do, defending, is to get an accurate on declarer's hand (and pard's, as well). You cannot play the game without being aware of (and keeping up with) the count of the hand. Standard signals use High-then-Low to show even numbers. Low-then-High to show odd numbers. The idea is that that bidding will give us a general idea, usually, then partner's signals will confirm the exact count. Defending against trump contracts, count signals tell you how many tricks you can get in certain suits, when to hold up, when to cash out, and a lot of other things. Count is completely critical defeding trump suit contracts.
Attitude signals are how you tell partner if you like like or dont like something. This applies to opening leads or telling partner he can discard a particular suit since you have that one covered. Standard methods use "High Encourages, Low Discourges".
Suit Preference Signals are a specialty signal. They only apply under certain circumstances. Let's go through them. Pard lead, against a trump contract, an Ace (usually denoting the AK...) Dummy comes down and there is a singleton on dummy..partner is going to have to shift. You tell him which suit by playing a comparatively high card in the led suit for the highest ranked side suit. If you played comparatively low, he thinks about the lowest-ranked side suit. Another time these are used is when you give pard a ruff. You can tell partner how to get back to your hand for yet another ruff by doing the same thing as above. Let him ruff a low card to lead the low suit back, but a higher card to lead the higher suit back. There are a lot of SPS situations that people dont think about if you really want to communicate with the cards. You can even use them following suit in declarer's trumps. Example: If you have 742 of trumps, you could agree to play 2, then 3, then 7 if you like clubs, for example. This has one catch...you have to be sure that no matter how you play the cards, you play doesnt effect the outcome of the hand. This is also effective when declarer is running a good, long side suit from dummy and you have the same holding. You could, for example, play 7-4-2 if you can protect spades. Just a thought.
Now we have the tools outlined. The best way to get familiar is ask questions. Here are some you should ask (and there probably are a lot more):
If I tell my partner count, won't the declarer get that message, too?
Sure, but declarer can see all of his assets, you can't. Who needs help more? AND, if a declarer is smart, he knows you can be falsecarding him or just being sloppy...he wont believe much of what you say, anyway.
How do I know which signal to use?
Toughest question of all. SPS are easy, they only apply to specific situations. Concerning between attitude and count, you just need to think of what partner needs to know and make that signal. He'll read that thinking process and defend accordingly. Sometimes you get this wrong. Dont worry about it. Experience helps.
What should be my primary signal?
That is no fun to answer....look at the bidding, look at dummy, look at the lead. Think about what pard needs to know. Then, from me, you get this crappy answer...it all depends. Maybe the best help I can give is that count is critical against suit contracts and attitude is perhaps the more critical at NT.
Are there better signals to use than standard?
Yes. It doesnt matter if you play normal count or upsidedown. Upside down attitude signals are far superior to normal, but I teach normal to my students so they can play with anyone. We will change this, down the road.
What about using Odd/Even or Laventhal Discards?
None of those specialty discards have a great deal (if any) edge over standard signalling, and they can cause messes. Moreover, don't you have enough to try to remember?
Should I give the right signal all the time?
Let's see....if you play against intermediate or less, they won't know enough to pick off the signals and even what to do with them if they do. Against Experts, when they see you are not an expert, they won't trust you to do it right anyway. Expert vs Expert? Declarer wont' be so naive to think the opponents wont' falsecard him...I ignore opponents signals, for the most part.
Is there any group I should falsecard?
Yeah, advanced players. They know enough to "read" your signals and are good enough to put that knowledge to work. And, they haven't been around long enough to become cynical/distrustful about the opponents meddling with them. They bite at the bait, once in a while.
More to come on this.
Bob Holmes
#43
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 03:19
**********DOUBLE MAJOR HANDS WHEN PARD OPENS 1NT*************
If there is one type of hand to get right....to define clearly and have a complete understanding with your pard about, after one of you opens 1N, it has to be the 5+5+ Major hands. Why is this? First, because you get a game bonus bidding 10 tricks in the majors, but it takes 11 in the minors. Second, with 5+5+ in the majors, and pard opens 1N, you have two considerably easier potential games...and actually 3 (3NT)....than any other hand pattern. This is the hand pattern you just have to get right.
Transfers have made this considerably easier, but you need a set of bedrock agreements. It is true with 5+5+ majors, and with a lot of other bidding, there is more than one way to skin a cat. However, as much as we can, we need to stick to "mainstream". Below I have listed what I think is the most standard treatment.
1. with both majors, 5+5+, and a not-forward-going hand(a scruffy 7 or worse), transfer to hearts. Why hearts? If the opponents come in and get you doubled...you can run to spades and stay at the same level. This little piece of advice is from my friend, Mildred Breed, one of the top women players on the planet, having credentials of World Champion and the like.
2. Same pattern, but invitational strength....from a good 7 (?) to a scruffy 9 (?)...transfer to hearts and bid 2S. Open can pass or correct to NT or raise to 3 or raise to game.
3. Same pattern, but game strength or better...transfer to Spades and bid 3H.
Mainstream thinking is that a transfer to a major, followed by any suit at the 3 level is a game force.
Note: In a different paper in this set, there is an article concerning "what to do next" after a transfer and bid at the 3 level. I strongly suggest you read it.
A little tidbit: Transferring to one major and showing the other one absolutely guarantees 5 or more of each. Reason: If you had 4 of one, you'd be starting with Stayman.
Another tidbit: Transferring to one major and bidding a minor can be assumed to be 55 but sometimes you are stuck bidding a minor on a 4 card suit. This has to do with your pattern...likely, you will have a 5431 or 5440 pattern if your second suit (the minor) is bid but with only 4 cards.
If there is one type of hand to get right....to define clearly and have a complete understanding with your pard about, after one of you opens 1N, it has to be the 5+5+ Major hands. Why is this? First, because you get a game bonus bidding 10 tricks in the majors, but it takes 11 in the minors. Second, with 5+5+ in the majors, and pard opens 1N, you have two considerably easier potential games...and actually 3 (3NT)....than any other hand pattern. This is the hand pattern you just have to get right.
Transfers have made this considerably easier, but you need a set of bedrock agreements. It is true with 5+5+ majors, and with a lot of other bidding, there is more than one way to skin a cat. However, as much as we can, we need to stick to "mainstream". Below I have listed what I think is the most standard treatment.
1. with both majors, 5+5+, and a not-forward-going hand(a scruffy 7 or worse), transfer to hearts. Why hearts? If the opponents come in and get you doubled...you can run to spades and stay at the same level. This little piece of advice is from my friend, Mildred Breed, one of the top women players on the planet, having credentials of World Champion and the like.
2. Same pattern, but invitational strength....from a good 7 (?) to a scruffy 9 (?)...transfer to hearts and bid 2S. Open can pass or correct to NT or raise to 3 or raise to game.
3. Same pattern, but game strength or better...transfer to Spades and bid 3H.
Mainstream thinking is that a transfer to a major, followed by any suit at the 3 level is a game force.
Note: In a different paper in this set, there is an article concerning "what to do next" after a transfer and bid at the 3 level. I strongly suggest you read it.
A little tidbit: Transferring to one major and showing the other one absolutely guarantees 5 or more of each. Reason: If you had 4 of one, you'd be starting with Stayman.
Another tidbit: Transferring to one major and bidding a minor can be assumed to be 55 but sometimes you are stuck bidding a minor on a 4 card suit. This has to do with your pattern...likely, you will have a 5431 or 5440 pattern if your second suit (the minor) is bid but with only 4 cards.
#44
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 03:32
****************DECIDING UPON STAYMAN OR TRANSFERS**************
There seems to be some confusion about whether to select Stayman or Transfers when pard opens 1N. This is really comparatively simple.
Stayman ferrets out 4-4 major fits. It is an "asking bid". Transfers make declarations...they define 5 card suits. If your majors are 5 or longer in length, use transfers. If your majors are 4 in length, not 5, use Stayman. Transfers won't get you the information you need. The problem seems to be when you have a "mixture".....one 5 or longer major, one 4 carder. The logic still holds. Transfers will not find the 4-4 fits, Stayman will. It just cannot get any simpler than that. With Stayman, you "ask" and if you don't get a hit on your 4 card suit, you bid your 5 card suit at whatever level seems appropriate.
There is one exception. If you have a weak (meaning a non-forward-going hand), transfer to the 5 card suit and pass. Why? Because if you try Stayman, and get a 2D response, you are stuck. If you retreat to NT, your partner thinks you have a good 8 or 9 points and are trying for game. If you now bid the 5 card suit, your pard thinks you have invitational strength. In either case, he might stuff you into game. Not so good when you have 2 high card points.
There seems to be some confusion about whether to select Stayman or Transfers when pard opens 1N. This is really comparatively simple.
Stayman ferrets out 4-4 major fits. It is an "asking bid". Transfers make declarations...they define 5 card suits. If your majors are 5 or longer in length, use transfers. If your majors are 4 in length, not 5, use Stayman. Transfers won't get you the information you need. The problem seems to be when you have a "mixture".....one 5 or longer major, one 4 carder. The logic still holds. Transfers will not find the 4-4 fits, Stayman will. It just cannot get any simpler than that. With Stayman, you "ask" and if you don't get a hit on your 4 card suit, you bid your 5 card suit at whatever level seems appropriate.
There is one exception. If you have a weak (meaning a non-forward-going hand), transfer to the 5 card suit and pass. Why? Because if you try Stayman, and get a 2D response, you are stuck. If you retreat to NT, your partner thinks you have a good 8 or 9 points and are trying for game. If you now bid the 5 card suit, your pard thinks you have invitational strength. In either case, he might stuff you into game. Not so good when you have 2 high card points.
#45
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 2006-January-11
Posted 2006-December-09, 04:32
**********STAYMAN AUCTIONS*************
Everybody knows how to start Stayman, right? Pard opens 1N, you bid 2c.
Do you know when to use Stayman and do you know what every last potential bid means? This is important, because 1N is a frequent opener and if you know for certain sure you will bid a hand technically right (judgement always is a potential problem), you can relax, you are going to do well on this hand, because you have all the bids down pat. If you don't....may I remind you that self-inflicted wounds at the bridge table are the primary reason you get beat?
Let's go through Stayman auctions in as orderly manner as possible.
1. 1N-2c-2?-pass.
The only justification for the pass is that responder had one of two types of hands...(A) xxxx xxxx xxxxx void....and (
xxxx xx x xxxxxx. (X's signify unimportant cards). With type A, and a comparatively weak hand, you will be better off bidding Stayman and passing the response. NT is not a good place to play when you have a void. With type B, responder was intending to sign off in a minor but found a 4-4 fit on the way there. (If you play Stayman followed by a minor is a game force, and some do, you cannot bid stayman on this hand. You have to transfer to the minor and you get to play at the 3 level.) I play 1N-2c-2?-3 of a minor is a sign off, and when I have a nasty hand...very weak...and I dont want to play nt, my style lets me find any major fit, and if failing that, to play in a long minor at the 3 level. It also lets me play 2D if I bid stayman, pard has no 4 card major, bids 2D and I have a weak hand with long Diamonds. I just pass.
A note: Do you know that you shouldnt use Stayman with a 4333 pattern? Reason? You dont have any ruffing values and pard opened 1N...he doesn't have many. Why do you need a trump suit?
Over 1N-2c-2D:
2H by responder shows 5H/4S and is invitational. (Some play what is called "garbage stayman" and their agreements are different).
2S is also invitational but shows 5S/4H.
Note that neither of these can be 5+5+, responder would have started with transfers, not Stayman
2N by responder shows an invitational strength hand, with 1 or both 4 card majors. He would't have bothered with Stayman if he didnt have at least one of them.
3C by responder. I play this as a minor signoff. If you don't like it, play something else.
3D by responder. Responder could have passed, so this is forward-going. I am not sure this is clearly defined in "standard" but I think it should be a good 5 card D suit or maybe even 6, trying to help pard toward bidding 3N. It may be that responder would rather play 3D than 2N if opener cannot find a way to bid 3N.
3H or 3S by responder. This is defined in standard Stayman. Either major at the 3 level shows a game forcing hand, and 5 of the suit jumped in and 4 of the other major. How do you know about the 4 in the other major? Responder would not have bothered with Stayman without a 4 card major.
3N by responder means he was looking for a 4-4 major fit, but since there is none, he has the strength to play game in NT.
4C by responder. There is no suit agreed or implied. Straight, old-fashioned Gerber.
4D by responder. A lot of people don't have this defined. Another lot of people do...they play this as "delayed Texas Transfer", meaning a transfer to hearts. Responder has 4 Spades and 6 or longer hearts and game forcing strength.
4H by responder. Again, "delayed Texas Transfer" with long spades and 4 hearts this time. A WARNING! This bid is easy to miss. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen it passed. Make sure you and your partner are in complete agreement here and remind your partner a few times. Playing a 4-1 trump fit at the 4 level is not much fun.
4S...as far as I know, completely undefined
4N...a Quantitative NT bid, inviting to slam in NT since no major fit was found. Yes, since responder used Stayman, he implies 1 or 2 4-card majors.
A Note: If you are going to accept a Quantitative 4N bid, I suggest you pretend that it was Blackwood and answer Aces. It is possible to play 6NT with 32 high card points and be off two Aces. This is an irritation.
1NT-2c-2H:
2S by responder. I play this as 4S and a long minor, and a weak hand. It sure isn't hearts and it sure isn't 5S. There is another paper concerning dealing with minors over opening nt bids...you might profit reading that.
2N by responder. Invitational, and shows 4 spades, because of the Stayman use. Denies a heart fit. Opener can place the contract.
3 of either minor...for me...a sign-off in the minor.
3H by responder. An invitational raise, and confirms a heart fit.
3S by responder. Standard Stayman has no definition for this bid. There is a good use for it. See the paper on "Tools" for a complete explanation. This is a game-force with a heart fit, some degree of slam interest.
3N by responder. Responder has game values, 4 Spades and not 4 Hearts. Opener can pass or correct to 4S
4C by responder. Keycard Gerber for hearts. Hearts is implied but not certain. Responder is in control, so it doesn't matter. Opener responds as if hearts are agreed.
4D by responder....undefined
4H by responder...simply, responder wants to play game
4S by responder...undefined
4N by responder. Quantitative NT raise with 4 S. Opener can pass or correct to 5S, 6S, or 6N
OVER 1NT-2c-2s:
The auctions are the same with one exception:
1N-2c-2s-3h. That is the auction that shows a spade fit, a game-going, slam interest (to some degree or another) hand. It is artificial and asks for hand definition.
THOSE ARE ALL OF THE STAYMAN AUCTIONS. I SUGGEST YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM DOWN SOLID. THERE IS JUST NO SENSE IN SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT WHEN PARTNER OPENS 1NT
Bob Holmes
Everybody knows how to start Stayman, right? Pard opens 1N, you bid 2c.
Do you know when to use Stayman and do you know what every last potential bid means? This is important, because 1N is a frequent opener and if you know for certain sure you will bid a hand technically right (judgement always is a potential problem), you can relax, you are going to do well on this hand, because you have all the bids down pat. If you don't....may I remind you that self-inflicted wounds at the bridge table are the primary reason you get beat?
Let's go through Stayman auctions in as orderly manner as possible.
1. 1N-2c-2?-pass.
The only justification for the pass is that responder had one of two types of hands...(A) xxxx xxxx xxxxx void....and (
xxxx xx x xxxxxx. (X's signify unimportant cards). With type A, and a comparatively weak hand, you will be better off bidding Stayman and passing the response. NT is not a good place to play when you have a void. With type B, responder was intending to sign off in a minor but found a 4-4 fit on the way there. (If you play Stayman followed by a minor is a game force, and some do, you cannot bid stayman on this hand. You have to transfer to the minor and you get to play at the 3 level.) I play 1N-2c-2?-3 of a minor is a sign off, and when I have a nasty hand...very weak...and I dont want to play nt, my style lets me find any major fit, and if failing that, to play in a long minor at the 3 level. It also lets me play 2D if I bid stayman, pard has no 4 card major, bids 2D and I have a weak hand with long Diamonds. I just pass. A note: Do you know that you shouldnt use Stayman with a 4333 pattern? Reason? You dont have any ruffing values and pard opened 1N...he doesn't have many. Why do you need a trump suit?
Over 1N-2c-2D:
2H by responder shows 5H/4S and is invitational. (Some play what is called "garbage stayman" and their agreements are different).
2S is also invitational but shows 5S/4H.
Note that neither of these can be 5+5+, responder would have started with transfers, not Stayman
2N by responder shows an invitational strength hand, with 1 or both 4 card majors. He would't have bothered with Stayman if he didnt have at least one of them.
3C by responder. I play this as a minor signoff. If you don't like it, play something else.
3D by responder. Responder could have passed, so this is forward-going. I am not sure this is clearly defined in "standard" but I think it should be a good 5 card D suit or maybe even 6, trying to help pard toward bidding 3N. It may be that responder would rather play 3D than 2N if opener cannot find a way to bid 3N.
3H or 3S by responder. This is defined in standard Stayman. Either major at the 3 level shows a game forcing hand, and 5 of the suit jumped in and 4 of the other major. How do you know about the 4 in the other major? Responder would not have bothered with Stayman without a 4 card major.
3N by responder means he was looking for a 4-4 major fit, but since there is none, he has the strength to play game in NT.
4C by responder. There is no suit agreed or implied. Straight, old-fashioned Gerber.
4D by responder. A lot of people don't have this defined. Another lot of people do...they play this as "delayed Texas Transfer", meaning a transfer to hearts. Responder has 4 Spades and 6 or longer hearts and game forcing strength.
4H by responder. Again, "delayed Texas Transfer" with long spades and 4 hearts this time. A WARNING! This bid is easy to miss. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen it passed. Make sure you and your partner are in complete agreement here and remind your partner a few times. Playing a 4-1 trump fit at the 4 level is not much fun.
4S...as far as I know, completely undefined
4N...a Quantitative NT bid, inviting to slam in NT since no major fit was found. Yes, since responder used Stayman, he implies 1 or 2 4-card majors.
A Note: If you are going to accept a Quantitative 4N bid, I suggest you pretend that it was Blackwood and answer Aces. It is possible to play 6NT with 32 high card points and be off two Aces. This is an irritation.
1NT-2c-2H:
2S by responder. I play this as 4S and a long minor, and a weak hand. It sure isn't hearts and it sure isn't 5S. There is another paper concerning dealing with minors over opening nt bids...you might profit reading that.
2N by responder. Invitational, and shows 4 spades, because of the Stayman use. Denies a heart fit. Opener can place the contract.
3 of either minor...for me...a sign-off in the minor.
3H by responder. An invitational raise, and confirms a heart fit.
3S by responder. Standard Stayman has no definition for this bid. There is a good use for it. See the paper on "Tools" for a complete explanation. This is a game-force with a heart fit, some degree of slam interest.
3N by responder. Responder has game values, 4 Spades and not 4 Hearts. Opener can pass or correct to 4S
4C by responder. Keycard Gerber for hearts. Hearts is implied but not certain. Responder is in control, so it doesn't matter. Opener responds as if hearts are agreed.
4D by responder....undefined
4H by responder...simply, responder wants to play game
4S by responder...undefined
4N by responder. Quantitative NT raise with 4 S. Opener can pass or correct to 5S, 6S, or 6N
OVER 1NT-2c-2s:
The auctions are the same with one exception:
1N-2c-2s-3h. That is the auction that shows a spade fit, a game-going, slam interest (to some degree or another) hand. It is artificial and asks for hand definition.
THOSE ARE ALL OF THE STAYMAN AUCTIONS. I SUGGEST YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM DOWN SOLID. THERE IS JUST NO SENSE IN SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT WHEN PARTNER OPENS 1NT
Bob Holmes