[han]

A partner of a friend of mine had this hand in a teamgame in Nashville, what would you do?

AKxx
A10xxx
xxx
x

With everyone vulnerable, your RHO opens 1C. Would you overcall 1H or double?

Say you bid 1H, LHO passes and partner bids 3C which shows a mixed raise (say about 7-9 HCP with at least 4-card support). What now?

[helene_t]

dbl. I would sometimes bid 1♥ with this shape but this is a suit I don't want to bid if I have a good alternative.

[Halo]

Pass.

If I could bid 1H, I could bid 2C. I can't do either.

[gwnn]

1♥. 3♥. I really dislike a t/o X on a 5cM, and this doesn't really feel like a good hand for any other bid than 3♥ on 2nd round. For me they seem clear-cut, for others (?!?! better players?!?!), maybe they don't. Mind you, 3♦ on 2nd round should be a blame transfer bid, so it would really be useless.

[mike777]

Hannie, on Aug 1 2007, 03:18 PM, said:

A partner of a friend of mine had this hand in a teamgame in Nashville, what would you do?

AKxx
Axxxx
xxx
x

With everyone vulnerable, your RHO opens 1C. Would you overcall 1H or double?

Say you bid 1H, LHO passes and partner bids 3C which shows a mixed raise (say about 7-9 HCP with at least 4-card support). What now?

Agree with the bidding.

Now I just bid the Vul. game. Yes it may have no play.

[han]

I'm going to edit the hand, you also had the heart 10.

[Fluffy]

1♥, Always show 5 card major at the 1 level.

[ArtK78]

Close choice between 1H and double, but I tend to bid the 5 card major.

After a mixed raise by partner, I bid game. I consider this to be clear at IMPs.

[pclayton]

My style is a TOx with this pattern and an 11 count.

Over a mixed raise? This hand looks pure, and I'll make a game try.

[cherdano]

I like to just bid game over mixed raises with controls and a shapely hand, I don't want to tell them to lead a diamond.

[kenrexford]

1♥ for me. I can double later.

As to the next call. I seem have have a need for about four covers. The range of "about 7-9 HCP's" does not help me much, unfortunately. If this were what one partner of mine calls a "limix raise," meaning about 2 to 2 1/2 assured cards and a stiff, I'd assume a stiff spade and 2 1/2, which gets me really close. If "7-9" looks like "three cards and a doubleton," I'd bid game also.

This is why I hate HCP ranges without more understanding. What am I supposed to expect here? I have a rather pure hand -- Aces and spaces -- with seven losers by LTC, a minimum for what I would call an overcall. The non-minimum feel of this thing is merely the undervaluation of Aces.

If I sit here and imagine a likely "7-9" hand, perhaps ♦A, ♥K, and a side Jack? What's that do for me? I lose a heart, a club, and two diamonds, and I still need some shape in spades and a nice heart split. If I imagine ♥K, ♥Q, and ♠Q, or maybe the diamond Ace, then I lose two diamonds and a club, if all else works out well. Replace the diamond Ace or spade Queen with the diamond King, and I hate this contract.

[ulven]

1H, 3D.

[jdonn]

Even though I don't often double with a 5 card major, this certainly looks like the hand for it. Over the mixed raise I just don't know, I certainly don't think raising is obvious since (no matter what you call it) it will tend to be lighter than 7-9 in practice. Color me yellow but I'm on the fence. 3♦ seems pointless to me though, partner will be no better placed.

[cherdano]

jdonn, on Aug 1 2007, 07:06 PM, said:

Even though I don't often double with a 5 card major, this certainly looks like the hand for it. Over the mixed raise I just don't know, I certainly don't think raising is obvious since (no matter what you call it) it will tend to be lighter than 7-9 in practice. Color me yellow but I'm on the fence. 3♦ seems pointless to me though, partner will be no better placed.

Why should he be lighter in practice? If there was no weaker raise available I would understand, but here with bad hands partner can bid 3♥ or (Bergen^H^H^H god forbid) 2♥...

[Impact]

My controls are prime - and unless a 3D bid asked partner to promote shortage there it doesn't seem to help me much - so I think I bid 1H and then 4H on the same basis as Justin (and the possibility that if partner's shortage is S he holds a working control in D and maybe we can engineer something good...).

Actually the weak to intermediate hands with 4S & 5H (say 8/9-11/12) can be shown by using a 2D mini-flannery overcall against a natural 1C : you pay your money and take your chances if you will (just take any control and put it in the D suit and it becomes a takeout double for me, and without the specific agreement, I think 1H on a semi-decent carder as that is the only way to find 5-3 H fits realistically - and he can still bid 1S forcing in response to it).
regards

[whereagles]

dbl for me too.