[awm]

Your partner starts the bidding with a pass and RHO opens 1♣. You play fairly standard overcall methods. Your hand:

Scoring: MP

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[flytoox]

Pass. change black suits I　dbl.

[the hog]

I like 1H

[pbleighton]

This hand is a good advertisement for overcalling with 4 card suits. You have a clear 1H overcall, instead of a flawed double or a worse pass.

In my partnership where we play 4 card overcalls, our takeout doubles of 1m are a lot cleaner than they used to be

Peter

[cherdano]

pbleighton, on Dec 25 2006, 03:06 PM, said:

This hand is a good advertisement for overcalling with 4 card suits. You have a clear 1H overcall, instead of a flawed double or a worse pass.

I am not sure it is an advertisement. Is ♥KJ52 really THE feature of the hand I want to show?
I pass, but I am much closer to doubling than overcalling 1♥.

[hotShot]

Double can be shape oriented promising 4-4 in the majors or you can agree that it just shows opening strength.
I usually suggest to play it just point showing, because of hands like that.
This way my overcalls show 5card suits and an NT overcall stays well defined.

Of cause if i have to agree to shape oriented doubles, than bidding 4card majors is a good idea, because pass is the worst description you can give, if you actually hold opening strength, because it puts the pressure on your partner to reopen. You need tools to show an off shape hand with opening strength.

[hrothgar]

Playing standard methods, I'd pass

I've played in some partnerships where I'd overcall 1♥, and others where I'd double, but I don't consider either choice mainstream here in the US.

From my perspective, the main troule with double is the 3=4=3=3 shape. If we play a Spade contract, the tap is going to be in the wrong hand. Txx in Spades is a miserable holding if declarer needs to ruff a couple Spades in hand.

[pbleighton]

"I am not sure it is an advertisement. Is ♥KJ52 really THE feature of the hand I want to show?"

It depends on what you are playing.

Playing standard methods, where pd expects 5 hearts, or occasionally a very good 4 card suit, KJxx isn't what pd expects, and I would double (though pass is close).

If you ROUTINELY overcall with 4 cards, it is clearly the bid. I overcall with worse suits, and am happy with the results - usually

Peter

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Pass,

While I think overcalling with 4 card mayors
is a great idea, I would rather overcall 1NT
instead of 1H, at least I would have gotten
the streangth + the stopper across.

In my opinion, the quality of a 1H bid gets
only beaten by a take out dbl.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mike777]

Jlall, on Dec 25 2006, 01:30 AM, said:

double or 1H depending on circumstances and partner, but usually double. I am not a believer in passing with this hand type white at MP.

I am surprised a bit by this comment. I could understand some bid at any vul at any form of scoring but Justin seems to recommend a more limited approach.

[awm]

This hand came up in an ACBL tournament on BBO. I thought it was interesting because virtually the entire field chose to double on this hand. Double is probably my 4th choice among the possible bids (after 1NT, pass, and 1♥). My reasoning was:

(1) Double will often lead to a spade contract, which (especially if partner has a 4-card suit) will not play particularly well.
(2) If we're going to play the hand and partner doesn't have a five-card major, likely 1NT is the best partial. But this will be virtually impossible to reach after a double since my hand is not good enough to double and rebid 1NT and partner is unlikely to have the right shape (and club stopper) to bid 1NT herself.
(3) Assuming this hand will be a competition for a partial, I want to eliminate the opponents' ability to bid at the one-level, making it harder for them to find a 4-4 spade fit if they have one. Bidding 1NT will do this and double will not.
(4) Bidding 1NT allows the contract to play from my side, which may well be advantageous given my tenaces in three of four suits.

In any case, partner's hand was:

xxx
AQTx
Jxx
QTx

The field (for the most part) reached 2♥ on this pair of hands. We reached 2NT when partner made an invite over my 1NT call. Despite the fact that we actually have an 8-card heart fit (and most of the values, and the opponents do not have an 8-card spade fit) it's not actually clear to me that I'd rather play 2♥ than 2NT on this hand. Most of the time (given the bidding) I won't have to worry about five spade tricks cashing (either they will be 4-3 or the suit will block usually, LHO can barely have enough for KQxxx of spade and RHO won't have five). So if the diamond hook is on I'll have eight tricks, and hearts will virtually never make more than eight tricks (lose three spades, one club, and one diamond even if the finesse wins). Unfortunately the diamond finesse was off and I received a near-bottom for my troubles. But I was curious as to the thought process people have on this hand.

[Winstonm]

I double. As the double can be shaded with shape to as little as a 10-count, this poor shape double has to have compensating high cards. I don't promise more than 3-card support for the majors if I have compensating values or shape, i.e., a 3451 hand.

[dake50]

Is this 1C on 0-7C, 0-6D, 0-4H, 0-5S, 12-22hcp? Then giddy-up this auction!

[the hog]

cherdano, on Dec 26 2006, 12:20 AM, said:

pbleighton, on Dec 25 2006, 03:06 PM, said:

This hand is a good advertisement for overcalling with 4 card suits.  You have a clear 1H overcall, instead of a flawed double or a worse pass.

I am not sure it is an advertisement. Is ♥KJ52 really THE feature of the hand I want to show?
I pass, but I am much closer to doubling than overcalling 1♥.

I am very surprised by this comment. Wouldn't you like a H lead from partner?

AWM: 1NT is probably the worst possible bid you can make on this hand. Pd is passed, 1NT is an overstatement of strength, you have a 4333 shape. I would seriously rate 1NT as 0/10. It would be a slightly different story if pd had not passed initially, but even then, where is your source of tricks?

[kgr]

Jlall, on Dec 26 2006, 03:59 PM, said:

re 1N... I would agree that it seems like too much of an overbid with not much safety. With partner being a passed hand, getting Xed wouldn't be a shocker. I'm guessing my 1N overcalls are significantly sounder than yours though given your partners invite.

If the 2 and 3's would be 8,9, T's,; would you bid 1NT then?

[kenrexford]

You end up in a, perhaps, 12:5 favorite for best contract and it fails. Unfortunately, as added pain, partner has mirror distribution. You did that by overcalling favorable 1NT, a call based probably on your six cards that all seem favorably placed.

IMO, you made what I agree to be the right call and paid the percentage game price on this hand.

The next question, perhaps, is whether this hand is an example of when you should make what you believe (and I and others) to be the wrong field action, to avoid a top-or-bottom scenario. This is one thing that I hate about matchpoints. I am simply incapable of even deciding what a field bid will be most of the time, and then of assessing the pro's and con's of going what I believe to be anti-field. However, on this one, I doubt highly that the HCP-itis folks, and those who view judgment calls as masterminding when they disagree with or do not understand the judgment, will ever overcall 1NT on 14 when 4333. So, I'm fairly safe here guessing that 1NT is anti-field.

However, the next step seems to be weighing the results of the field action. I cannot imagine how doubling will likely yield better results in the long run. Perhaps there is a better chance here, because the colors make 2♠ competition unlikely, and often lucrative for us if faced.

There is a lot more to think about here, perhaps. I'd just keep bidding 1NT in this situation, with a hand like this, and expect tops more often than bottoms.