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cherdano, on Nov 2 2006, 03:34 PM, said:
joshs, on Nov 1 2006, 10:33 PM, said:
Note: Americans and Eurpopeans have a completely difference experience about the multi being raised as a pre-empt, since in the US most people play the multi as only weak hands, which allows for more raises. (If you have 3424 and a 2 count, playing the US way you would bid 3H over 2D, but in the european way you only bid 2H since you suspect partner might have a strong balanced hand and don't want partner bidding 3N over 3H).
I think the main difference between the European expert's and the American expert's experience regarding multi is that the European experience is on average 50 times as big.
And in fact this explains the difference in opinion in this thread much better, as Frances is willing to adopt a different style for multi, whereas the Americans just use the general understandings over a preempt.
Anyway, after 2D-(X), I doubt many could be stopped from preempting out of fear partner has a strong balanced hand, so your point seems moot.
Arend
Well maybe, but which one of us has played more against a 2D opening that is only a weak 2 in either major? (How much is that played in europe?) Once you put in any strong hand into 2D the response structure changes dramitically. How about if we only count hands against good players? I have played myself 2D as a weak 2 in either major for 10 years, including in about 70% of my experience in national events (I play it in both of my regular partnerships). Yes only about 5-10% of the pairs play such methods in the US (at the national event level) although the number has been growing slowly. The % was actually much higher who played it in Sectionals when I lived in DC or at Sectionals when I lived in Albuquerque (maybe 25% in both places). Some areas in the US are more restrictive, so you don't see midchart as much.
Its just not a true statement that the multi 2D doesn't result in a pre-empt. Just play meckwell a few times. Play woolsey and stewart where the auction might go 2D-x-3S when opener is 5143 and responder is xxx Kxx xx Axxxx at favorable(they are hyper-agressive). Maybe it doesn't happen that often when you have a 6 card major, but it certainly it does happen. Anyway, feel free to optimize methods for each little varient of how the opps play. I think that costs you more from errors and mental exaustian than it gains, but some people have memories of steel....