[Free]

You hold:

Scoring: IMP

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You start the auction, and it goes:
pass - pass - 1♣ - 1♥
pass - 2♥ - 2♠ - 3♦
pass - 3♥ - pass - pass
...

What kind of hand do you give your partner (strong reverse or competing)?
Do you bid something now? Is it close?

[paulg]

Partner has bid in an exposed position, so should have a good hand. It could be distributional but the lack of adventure from E/W suggest that he probably has a fair collection of high cards too.

I'll bid 3♠. As I would have raised earlier with four-card support partner knows that he can go back to 4♣ if necessary. At matchpoints a balancing double has some appeal on this auction.

Paul

[P_Marlowe]

Pass, wtp?

Ok, on the table I may bid on, but it is not
best, but this just shows, that I am not always
following my own beliefs.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[SchTsch]

Pass and lead a trump.

on ♥ lead and continuation 3♠ will get to 3-3 fit immediately, and for 4♣ we lack strength as partner would probably double 2♥ with a strong hand.

[mr1303]

Pass, but not a pass wtp. I would happily compete to 3C here, but I think the 4 level is a bit much, and this isn't the hand for a spade moisian.

[pbleighton]

Quote

Pass, but not a pass wtp. I would happily compete to 3C here, but I think the 4 level is a bit much, and this isn't the hand for a spade moisian.

Agree.

Peter

[ArtK78]

I pass. I am not so much worried that we can compete successfully. Rather, I am worried that the opps may bid 4♥ and we may not be able to beat it.

[bid_em_up]

4C is clear, imo, and its fairly close to 5C.

As far as I am concerned, 2S is a full reverse. Partner appears to have some 4-1-3-5 or 4-1-2-6 hand, in either case 4C is a must. We have the spade Q, Jxx of clubs (good support), and what appears to be a well placed diamond K. To blindly pass and show a broke hand is a severe disservice to partner.

I consider pass over 3♦ a mistake as well and would have bid 4C at that opportunity, so I wouldn't be facing this problem.

[pclayton]

bid_em_up, on Aug 30 2007, 06:54 AM, said:

4C is clear, imo, and its fairly close to 5C.

As far as I am concerned, 2S is a full reverse. Partner appears to have some 4-1-3-5 or 4-1-2-6 hand, in either case 4C is a must. We have the spade Q, Jxx of clubs (good support), and what appears to be a well placed diamond K. To blindly pass and show a broke hand is a severe disservice to partner.

I consider pass over 3♦ a mistake as well and would have bid 4C at that opportunity, so I wouldn't be facing this problem.

Pard does not have a 4135 - this pattern doubles 2♥. Pard is more likely to have a 4225 or a 4126. Even a 5xx6 is possible.

Doubling is out of the question at IMPs. Bidding 3♠ looks wrong on a likely Moysian and the long hand getting tapped (there's nothing useful to pitch on the 2nd or 3rd heart either). 4♣ looks like it has too many losers. So I'll hope we are in a plus position defending 3♥.

[mikeh]

pclayton, on Aug 30 2007, 10:47 AM, said:

bid_em_up, on Aug 30 2007, 06:54 AM, said:

4C is clear, imo, and its fairly close to 5C. 

As far as I am concerned, 2S is a full reverse.  Partner appears to have some 4-1-3-5 or 4-1-2-6 hand, in either case 4C is a must.  We have the spade Q, Jxx of clubs (good support), and what appears to be a well placed diamond K.  To blindly pass and show a broke hand is a severe disservice to partner.

I consider pass over 3♦ a mistake as well and would have bid 4C at that opportunity, so I wouldn't be facing this problem.

Pard does not have a 4135 - this pattern doubles 2♥. Pard is more likely to have a 4225 or a 4126. Even a 5xx6 is possible.

Doubling is out of the question at IMPs. Bidding 3♠ looks wrong on a likely Moysian and the long hand getting tapped (there's nothing useful to pitch on the 2nd or 3rd heart either). 4♣ looks like it has too many losers. So I'll hope we are in a plus position defending 3♥.

Agreed.

There remains a minority expert view that most 5=5 blacks should be opened 1♣. I do not belong to this school (altho a very good partner of mine does, and I play it with him, and I would be seriously worried with him). Assuming partner opens 1♠ on those hands, pass is clear...

One point that is probably obvious, but maybe not: I often say that I think a certain action is 'clear', but I (almost) never mean to imply that in my view that action is bound to be the best on the given hand. So I would not be the least surprised to read, later, that pass worked out poorly.

[bid_em_up]

Mike & Phil,

Do you agree or disagree that 2S is still a reverse?

[cherdano]

bid_em_up, on Aug 30 2007, 10:17 AM, said:

Mike & Phil,

Do you agree or disagree that 2S is still a reverse?

Disagree, of course you don't bid 2s on your own with trash, but the requirements are different - a reverse mostly needs a good hand, preferable good suits, but 2S definitely needs shape AND good suits. There are hands that bid 2S that would not reverse and there are hands that would reverse that might pass here (too much in hearts).

[Free]

Scoring: IMP

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I was North again. East bid 4♣, which made. At the other table our opponents made 3♥.

Does everyone agree with 2♠?

[han]

I think this is much closer than the posts so far suggest. Partner will almost always have 6 clubs on this auction (4-1-3-5 is a double and I really dislike 2S on 4-2-2-5 shape unless partner is quite strong and pure). The spade queen and club jack are working and the diamond king may be puling its weight. I think I might bid 4C.

[mike777]

Free, on Aug 30 2007, 12:06 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

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I was North again. East bid 4♣, which made. At the other table our opponents made 3♥.

Does everyone agree with 2♠?

I expected much more for 2s..I would have doubled 2h here.


on the actual auction over 3d I would have bid 3H since I expected much more for 2spades.

[skjaeran]

2♠ shows a distributional hand with good suits, but not reverse strenght IMO. It shows a hand that wants to compete, but not enough defence to stand a penalty pass by partner.

The actual hand is pretty much what I'd expect. It could of course be 5xx6 and a tad weaker.

The posted problem hand should be very fitting - the ♠Q and ♣J are huge cards. And the ♦K rates to be working; if partner is 64 he strongly rates to be 4-1-2-6. So I think I would try 4♣ at the table. (Of course I might be influenced by seeing the actual hand.)

[jdeegan]

I am a bidder. Pard has advertised 10+ black cards and a player. They have 9 hearts and a secondary fit in diamonds. Lotta total tricks on this hand. Problem is that pard may be 4-6, as was the actual case. Still, I have to bid 3♠ playing opposite myself, since I will sometimes open 1♣ with the right 5-5 and nearly always with 5-6. Pard should (I hope) place me on three card (only) support since I didn't come alive last round. A loud double might run me to 4♣.

[pclayton]

bid_em_up, on Aug 30 2007, 08:17 AM, said:

Mike & Phil,

Do you agree or disagree that 2S is still a reverse?

Yes.

A long, long time ago, in Anaheim I remember this auction at red on white:

RHO ...Me...LHO...Pard
---------Pass..Pass...1♦
1♠...Pass...2♣..2♥
3♠...Pass...4♠..Pass
Pass...?

I held ♠ATxx and a fee random Jacks and thought it might be a good idea to hit it.

...........dbl.....redbl..5♦

-1100.

Pard was operating on some 8 count.

In answer to your question, this auction IS a reverse.