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bid_em_up, on Sep 12 2006, 10:29 AM, said:
There is absolutely no good reason to make an immediate limit raise with this hand that I can see.
If instead you simply bid 1♠, think about the following sequences and how you will like/dislike them:
1♥-1♠-1N? Ok, partner is limited, probably 2-5-3-3, but now I would make the limit raise of 3♥. A good partner will bid 3 spades if they happened to be 3-5-3-2 (and your partnership does not raise on 3 card support).
1♥-1♠-2♣ ? This hand improves tremendously with the good fitting honors in your hand. Now I do not stop at less than 4♥.
1♥-1♠-2♠ ? Fantastic. Even if your partnership is prone to raising on 3 card support in this sequence, you should be in game.
1♥-1♠-2N (or higher)? Great. Game is assured, somewhere.
Ok, so whats the one sequence that can present a "real" problem?
1♥-1♠-2♦ . This is the only call that gives you cause for concern, imo. In this sequence, your black suit cards are probably not pulling their full weight. At the table, I would be inclined to bid 2N to show the club stops , and let partner make his next call. If partner raises to 3N, I will pass, the heart suit will still take tricks in NT. If partner bids anything else (3C, 3D, 3H, 3S), I will bid 4H.
If he passes 2N?!!, he opened a dog and we are probably high enough.
(Oh, and as a notation to whereagles comments above.....this hand should always compete to 3♥.)
If instead you simply bid 1♠, think about the following sequences and how you will like/dislike them:
1♥-1♠-1N? Ok, partner is limited, probably 2-5-3-3, but now I would make the limit raise of 3♥. A good partner will bid 3 spades if they happened to be 3-5-3-2 (and your partnership does not raise on 3 card support).
1♥-1♠-2♣ ? This hand improves tremendously with the good fitting honors in your hand. Now I do not stop at less than 4♥.
1♥-1♠-2♠ ? Fantastic. Even if your partnership is prone to raising on 3 card support in this sequence, you should be in game.
1♥-1♠-2N (or higher)? Great. Game is assured, somewhere.
Ok, so whats the one sequence that can present a "real" problem?
1♥-1♠-2♦ . This is the only call that gives you cause for concern, imo. In this sequence, your black suit cards are probably not pulling their full weight. At the table, I would be inclined to bid 2N to show the club stops , and let partner make his next call. If partner raises to 3N, I will pass, the heart suit will still take tricks in NT. If partner bids anything else (3C, 3D, 3H, 3S), I will bid 4H.
If he passes 2N?!!, he opened a dog and we are probably high enough.
(Oh, and as a notation to whereagles comments above.....this hand should always compete to 3♥.)
"There is absolutely no good reason to make an immediate limit raise with this hand that I can see.
If instead you simply bid 1♠, think about the following sequences and how you will like/dislike them:
1♥-1♠-1N? Ok, partner is limited, probably 2-5-3-3, but now I would make the limit raise of 3♥. A good partner will bid 3 spades if they happened to be 3-5-3-2 (and your partnership does not raise on 3 card support). "
So then partner will pass 3H with xx Axxxx AKx Qxx
(around a 50% Game)
But bid game with
Qx Axxxx AKx xxx
(About a 34% game)
or
Kx AJxxx Kxx Qxx
(Well under 25%)
In otherwords, because you bid spades first, partner will ALWAYS make the wrong decision.
"1♥-1♠-2♠ ? Fantastic. Even if your partnership is prone to raising on 3 card support in this sequence, you should be in game."
Is this fantastic? Kxx AJxxx AQxx x is a really good 2S bid and this is about a 35% game.
And so on....
When you hold, J98xx KQT xx KJT you would rather partner is SHORT in spades and long in CLubs, not short in clubs and long in spades.
Only when partner's spade holding is super strong (2 honors or Axxx) does length in spades become an asset.
If you view this hand as a constructive or limit raise, its wrong to bid spades unless you played 4 card majors when you were not sure you had a heart fit in the first place.... Yes yif partner has 4S you might be better off in spades, but you can't find that contract without messing up partner's hand evaluation.
I think this is a limit raise (about 3 cover cards) if your opening bids are pretty sound, but you might only make a constructive raise if you played agressive opening bids and the 1-2 sequence is very sound (say 8-10 support). My preference is agressive opening bids, and a conservative response structure, so I can make a single raise with this and then show club values if partner tries for game.
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