[ArcLight]

Playing 2/1, IMPs

Unfavorable
1. LHO opens 1♦, pass, RHO bids 1♥, ??

You hold:
♠ J x x
♥ A K x x
♦ x
♣ A K 9 8 x

Do you bid, if so, what? Any worries?

What if the auction goes:
1♦, pass, RHO bids 1♥, pass
2♦, pass, pass, ???


--------------

2. What do you do with this?

Scoring: IMP

West deals and opens 1♠ , pard doubles, RHO passes, what do you bid?

---

Any worries?

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3. IMPS, unfavorable - opps silent
Pard opens 1♠, you bid 1NT (forcing)
Pard rebids 3♦ (game force)

1♠ - 1NT
3♦ -?

What do you bid holding:
♠Q 7
♥J x x
♦Q T x x
♣J T x x


What would it take for you to look for a diamond game, instead of a spades game?

[hrothgar]

♦Question1:

I'm willing to bid 2♣ over 1♥

Question 2:

I'm going to pass.

I have some worries.

Setting 1♠ can be a pisser.
Partner's Heart honors might not carry much weight on defense.

However, they're red and we're white.

Question 3:

I would have passed over 1♠ (Yes, the 10s are nice)
As is, I am forced to bid 3♠

I have way too many slow tricks to consider 5m

[ArcLight]

Richard, in #2, if you pass, you are converting LHOs 1♠ to penalty, with him over you, and pard and RHO probably holding 1 spade each (or could be 2-0 or 0-2), allowing LHO to make his small trumps via ruffs. Maybe he's ruffing hearts?

[ralph23]

1. I'm overcalling 2♣. Yea, my suit's not that great, and we could get whacked and I'll catch partner with nada. But I'm bidding.

2. I won't pass. That's effectively saying that WE can make 1 spade, and that seems very very iffffy......

I'll bid some number of hearts and hope to play it as a cross ruff; partner may well have the ace of ♦. I don't think we can make 4 hearts but who knows? Partner may be void in ♠ and have all the large hearts.

3. 4♦. This seems natural. I don't think partner will jump shift with only AKxxx and AKxxx, although that is indeed a great hand.

This post has been edited by ralph23: 2007-August-10, 09:49

[ArcLight]

Under what circumstances does one need 6 cards to make an overcall at the 2 level, as opposed to 5 cards? In other words, when would an overcall on a 5 card suit be ill advised.

Beyond the obvious like a bad suit and a weak hand


In general, for an overcall at the 2 level in a minor, is 5 cards enough?
I thought you needed more for a minor or is that not true?
(I realize in this case you have a good hand and suit.)

[kenrexford]

Nothing to add on the first two.

On the third, the answer, of course, depends upon the meaning of 3♦. If this is a classic game force call, then it seems that I should bid 4♠. This is close, though.

The problem is that there is very little space to unwind the many possible holdings for Responder. Playing 2/1 GF, he might have three small and a minimum, if a simple raise is constructive. He might have a limit raise. He might have two-card support with quite a substantial call.

Notwithstanding the obvious value of the two critical queens and four-card support for the diamond suit (which could be fake, though), I just do not think that this is enough to justify dangling the meat in front of an obviously excited partner. If partner was really disciplined, then I might bid 3♠ and go negative throughout. I'd need Serious 3NT to be in place in this sequence, as well as Last Train.

I could imagine the following close to the auction:

3♠ (ugh!)
3NT (Serious)
4♦ (diamond card)
4♥ (LTTC)
4♠ (take a joke?)

If partner would pass when passing is right in this sequence, and only then, I suppose that 3♠ is OK.

[hrothgar]

ArcLight, on Aug 10 2007, 06:28 PM, said:

Richard, in #2, if you pass, you are converting LHOs 1♠ to penalty, with him over you, and pard and RHO probably holding 1 spade each (or could be 2-0 or 0-2), allowing LHO to make his small trumps via ruffs. Maybe he's ruffing hearts?

I'm not particularly worried whether or not the Spades are over me or under me. The distinction is (pretty much) academic given that 11 of the 13 Spades can be placed.

I'm not convinced that passing is right (particularly given my defense). However, it is what I'd chose at the table.

[jdonn]

1) 2♣. On 2♦ p p back to me I'll double, with the added bonus that I don't think partner will play me for 4 spades since I didn't double the first time, so this is how to get to 2♥ if it's right, or anything else (except 2♦ undoubled!)

2) 4♥ seems obvious. I really can't imagine anything else.

3) 3♠, same comment as on 2.

[kenrexford]

ArcLight, on Aug 10 2007, 09:07 AM, said:

What would it take for you to look for a diamond game, instead of a spades game?

Diamond slam, maybe.

Diamond game? I could imagine one scenario.

I bid 4♠ after 3♦, and two passes follow. The guy to my right pops his head up and chuckles. He then stands up places his right foot on his chair, grabs all of his red x's, slams them down on the table, leans his head back as far as he can, and screams out a blood-curdling "Double!" that trails off into an Altered-States-like howl.

I might then pull it to 5♦.

[pclayton]

1. 2♣. If I passed, I would balance with a double over 2♦. If I bid 2♣, I would still double 2♦.

2. 3♥. Do I have any worries? Hell ya! We have some work to do on this hand, and RHO is ready to overruff our spades in dummy on multiple occasions. Just looked - people are considering a pass here? I guess they like getting edplayed in trump about 3 times.

I think pard might not have a traditional patern for a TOx. RHO, who is short in spades, and presumably short in hearts, didn't take a call. I think pard might have an offshape x; either big single suiter or something else. I want to give pard a little slack as a result.

3. 3♠. I'm not offended playing 4♠ with these diamond fillers. 4♦ is wrong - 3N I could live with.

[markleon]

I'm agreeing with Phil except that I'm bidding 4♥ on 2. Partner will have to have some really lousy hearts for for RHO to overruff spades multiple times.

[SoTired]

1 - 2C - Not even close
2 - 4H - Double jump shows a weak distributional hand. A strong hand would bid 3H or 2S. Never penalty pass, because 1) spade suit not strong enough, 2) spade suit onside, 3) weak hand, 4) heart length, 5) even if 1S sets, unlikely to make up for 4H.
3 - I would be tempted to try 3N. - Too many quacks for 4S or 5D.

[Codo]

1. 2 ♣ wtp I may double 2 Diamond later, but I am not sure if that is right.

2. good problem. I would pass too. Not because I would hope that this is the best spot, but because I fear that pd may have a very strong unbalanced hand. If he has, 1 Spade X could well be the best place for us to be. And if he has a classical double, we still can survive.
If I bid 2 or 3 Hearts instead, I would undervalue the playing strength of my hand. And after a 4 Heart bid I would hate to play the hand (or table it as dummy) opposite a real strong onesuiter.

3. If 3 Heart is asking for stopper this would be easy. It is not, so I go with 3 Spade.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 #1 2C
#2 pass

#2 pass, given the vulnerability, I pass
fairly happily, playing 4H with lots of
spade loosers in my hand is not very
appealing

#3 3NT

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: @Justin - I understand, why 3NT makes you
sick, ... which kind of getting medicine do
you need to delete this information
permanetly from your memory?

[the hog]

1) 2C and yes it IS close. On a very bad day you go 3 off vulnerable and doubled - unlikely, but certainly possible when pd has nothing.

2) 3H seems obvious here.

3) 3S

[skjaeran]

1. I don't have to like it, but I'll overcall 2♣. I'll reopen with a double over 2♦ whether I overcalled or not.

2. 4♥.

3. 3♠. What else could I reasonably do???

[han]

Obviously 3S on #3, but I don't believe that jlall literally puked.

4H on #2, not at all convinced that I will make it but as it is a complete gamble, I might as well include the game bonus in the gamble. This one seems fairly clear to me.

2C on 1. When you have this strong a hand you should for excuses to bid. AKxxx is not great but a good enough excuse. Ron is right that you might get hit for a number, but you might also easily make game (in several strains) so it doesn't seem that close to me.

[hoolie]

I will just comment on hand which is in a quandary between passing
the takeout double of 1S or maybe bidding 4 hearts. If they are playing
5 card majors it seems they will get 5 trump tricks and the ace of diamonds
if their side has it which is only 200, but if you get a bad heart split and
partner has his promised 4 hearts, you should make 4 hearts, though
it could be close if spades are 5-1-1-6, they have the diamond ace and
there is a trump promotion on the second round of spades. Well, I think
4H is too quick and maybe partner has one of those hand which he doubles
and then bids in his own suit with only 2/3 hearts. There are some hcp
missing from this auction so far, either opener has a good hand or your
partner has extra values. So bid two hearts which actually promises very
little and then await developments. If you bid 4 hearts and partner has
a big hand you will likely get to high and lose some serious imps. If you
get passed out at 2 hearts (unlikely) and make 3 that is 140 vs 200 and
you take the safer but not sorrier 2 imp loss. But imagne what happens
if partner bids 3 of your minor void over 2 hearts, what is your rebid?
It is better to be cautious on these type hands.