[bridgeboy]

Teams, None Vul.

You hold

xxx
-
KQJx
KQT9xx


You hear LHO Open 1H, partner pass, RHO raise to 4H.

Opps are playing 2/1 GF if that is useful.

Your bid?

Any comments greatly appreciated

[whereagles]

5♣ for me. The chances pard has 5 spades are a bit smallish.

[P_Marlowe]

Depends on the meaning of 4H,
... it should be garbage playing 2/1,
but asking des not hurt.

But most of the time I will Pass.
Do I believe, we can make 5m? No.
Do we know, that 4H makes, likely
but not certain.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jdeegan]

Pass. What me worry? I'll just stay fixed.

[mikeh]

5♣ has several ways to win, while only two ways to lose. Pass has the inverse chances of gain/loss, given that your pass will almost certainly end the auction.

5♣ might make: it is easy to construct hands on which 5♣ is cold, and on which partner cannot bid: KQx xxx xxxx Axx... 5♣ is odds on, given the opening bid on your left.

5♣ may be a great save against 4♥: give partner Axx xxx xxx Jxxx

5♣ might push the opps into 5♥ which either fails when 4♥ was making or exposes them to an (unlikely) -300 when partner (with say J10xx of ♥) and a trick can say double.

5♣ might beat 5♥ due to the lead, while partner, absent a bid, might make a disastrous ♠ lead (not a likely factor, I admit)

As against that, 5♣ would be bad if both it and 4♥ fail, or if 5♣ goes for a number. I think that we would have to be very unlucky to go for 800, but it is not impossible.

For me, it is the possession of the ♣9 and ♦J that tips the scale to 5♣.

Also, I am slowly learning that it really is a bidder's game: even when they should be able to take you for a number, somehow active bidding in relatively unlimited auctions survives more than it ought to

[HeartA]

I would bid 5C as well. But if it's team and I know we were ahead, I might pass.

[pbleighton]

5C, not really close for me. Mikeh reasons very well, but more simply:

They might make, we might make, we both might make, and I'm void in their ten card trump suit.

"Also, I am slowly learning that it really is a bidder's game: even when they should be able to take you for a number, somehow active bidding in relatively unlimited auctions survives more than it ought to"

Agree, but in my case it might be the only bridge lesson I have ever really learned. I just LOVE getting away with stuff. Some little boys....

Peter

[keylime]

5♣, with 4NT being a really icky second choice which would never be considered by me in real life. Pard will give me some cards for this auction.

That void looks rather sexy to me.

[mikestar]

Defending 2/1 where they will have 10+ trumps, 5♣ stands out.

Were we defending against a limited opening sytem, where 4♥ might also be based on high cards in a hand where slam is unlikely, 5♣ may still be right but it is scary as hell--it may be hopeless while their game is going down on a bad trump break. This is much more likely than in the 2/1 case.

[dake50]

My main fear of loss on this hand is that most of the hands where partner has the cards to set 4H WE make 6m. Got to bid! Even 6C seems a reasonable gamble. Can win many ways, even if most likely single result is set. But it guards the worst disaster 4H-2 vs. 6m=.

[Free]

Pass, p has some ♥ and I have slow tricks. This calls for defense imo.

[Double !]

Is this a short or a longer match?

Is 1H- p - 4H -? likely to be duplicated at the other table. Are my opps playing a limited opening system whereby 4H could be bid on a relative decent hand.

I pass, but have sympathy for 5C.

[Kalvan14]

5♣, but it is not so easy; there are significant chances of beating 4♥, and going down in 5♣ too (most of the times that pard has hearts values, for example). Pass is certainly preferable to 4N (which is the bid I'll never make).