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Blasting in slam auctions

#1 User is offline   mikestar 

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Posted 2003-December-17, 15:54

There is much to be said for "Bid what you think you can make" even at the slam level. In constructive slam auctions, science is the way to go if it is reasonably likely to work. If I am asking, is there room using the tools we have for me to find out what I need to know about partner's hand? If I am showing, will I have room to show what I have to partner? If the answer to both questions is no, then I forget science entirely for this hand and stop in game or jump direct to slam if a decent minimum in partner's hand will give me a play for it.

If the latter course is chosen, I prefer to jump to six right away without investigation. Any exchange of information that won't be sufficent to make the decision doesn't help us and does help the defense.

In competitve sequences, blasting is even more rewarding because it is very hard to find enough room to use science and there is considerable advantage to putting the enemy to the last guess.

An example from a club game: Playing with an IM partner, I held a 19 count with AQxxx of hearts and a spade void. With both vul, partner opens 1HE and RHO overcalls 1SP. I think we can make six and have a good shot at seven, but I know fourth hand will bid at least 4SP at his next turn. I bid 6HE and opponent passed: he guessed and guessed wrong--on the bidding, it might well have been a phantom. We were dead cold for seven, and my partner was rather angry. But he got happy when the results were posted: +1460 was an absolute top, as everyone else was either +500 aganist 6SPX or +800 against 7SPX.

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#2 User is offline   EricK 

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Posted 2003-December-17, 16:23

Quote

There is much to be said for "Bid what you think you can make" even at the slam level. In constructive slam auctions, science is the way to go if it is reasonably likely to work. If I am asking, is there room using the tools we have for me to find out what I need to know about partner's hand? If I am showing, will I have room to show what I have to partner? If the answer to both questions is no, then I forget science entirely for this hand and stop in game or jump direct to slam if a decent minimum in partner's hand will give me a play for it.

If the latter course is chosen, I prefer to jump to six right away without investigation. Any exchange of information that won't be sufficent to make the decision doesn't help us and does help the defense.

In competitve sequences, blasting is even more rewarding because it is very hard to find enough room to use science and there is considerable advantage to putting the enemy to the last guess.

An example from a club game: Playing with an IM partner, I held a 19 count with AQxxx of hearts and a spade void. With both vul, partner opens 1HE and RHO overcalls 1SP. I think we can make six and have a good shot at seven, but I know fourth hand will bid at least 4SP at his next turn. I bid 6HE and opponent passed: he guessed and guessed wrong--on the bidding, it might well have been a phantom. We were dead cold for seven, and my partner was rather angry. But he got happy when the results were posted: +1460 was an absolute top, as everyone else was either +500 aganist 6SPX or +800 against 7SPX.

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There is a lot to be said for blasting, and here you made the opps guess and they guessed wrong. But did you make them take "the last guess"? If they had guessed right, you would now have been on a guess (7H or 6SX).

I am not saying your bid was incorrect. In fact, on these sorts of hands I don't think the words "correct" and "incorrect" apply.

Eric
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#3 User is offline   keylime 

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Posted 2003-December-17, 19:29

Hey I'm all for this one - bid what you can make at all times. Even the KLP crew knows that rule - especially over 1M-4M. Why give them a chance? Just beat them up, take the occasional bad result, but as Crane said, "take the sure profit".
"Champions aren't made in gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. " - M. Ali
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#4 User is offline   Free 

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Posted 2003-December-18, 07:11

after 1H-1S-? I'd bid 4S, exclusion blackwood. You didn't say the vulnerability, but seeing the scores it seems you're V and they are not. That might be an indication to bid 6H immediately, rather than 4S...
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#5 User is offline   mikestar 

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Posted 2003-December-21, 10:19

In the example hand, both sides vul and we weren't playing Exclusion Blackwood (partner didn't know it).

WIth regard to last guess, your'e right, they could have put me to it instead, though I'd already decided to bid 7HE if they bid 6SP.

I'm interested in hearing comments about the general principle and would also like to hear about other player's spectacular successes/failures.
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#6 User is offline   dogsbreath 

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Posted 2004-January-02, 00:03

I'm all for 'blasting' ..but not very good at it! Last blast was 2d X 6d ..
turned out p's 2D wasnt a weak 2D but some sort of multi :)
..must remember to look at p's profile :))
ManoVerboard
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#7 User is offline   mishovnbg 

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Posted 2004-January-02, 11:35

Hi Mike!
Generally I blast at final contract, if not enough strength to investigate which contract is best. Else I prefer the "science" bidding, especially for the slams.
The opponents level and the style is also very important. For example in my club in Varna you simple have no chance, if you blast, like in the example - almost everybody will sacrifice.
Here is one example from my club, IMP, I am not vul - opps are in vul. Open S (my partner), we play 5M nat, I am N, my hand: AKxxx,xx,QJ10xx,x

Bidding:

S W N E
1SP DBL 4SP(1) 5CL
Pass 6CL 6SP(2) Pass
Pass 7CL 7SP(3) DBL
all Pass

1. Yes, I play fjs, but dont like to bid it without K or A DI.
2. P passed showing some defense, but I have no trick in my opinion.
3. I must guess here. In all these cases I play for less lose. It is true opps can go down, but even 7SP is probably good sacrifice against their game, what to say about grand...

Partners hand: QJxxx,Q,AKxxx,xx. I will not comment his bids, with regards to his opinion.

Final result: 7CL is simple contract, easy makeable.
7SP is very good sacrifice, even if they find ruffs in DI - they had 2 voids.

Of course same approach is not universal. One of the my favourite psyches is to bid directly and without doubt unmakeable vulnerable games, when opps are in not vul and already found fit and tend to sacrifice ;D.
Misho
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