[Winstonm]

The a priori assumption proposed by Larry Cohen in The Law of Total Tricks is that partner is 4144 and proceed accordingly. This would give an estimate of 17 total tricks with the opponents' 9-card fit and our 8-card club fit. The flat hand would be a negative adjustment but would be cancelled out by the prime cards held and lack of wastage - ergo, 17 tricks would be the starting point.

The argument then is, according to Cohen, that if we can make 10 tricks in clubs then they should be able to make only 7 tricks in their best fit.

But Cohen in many examples has professed that he doesn't necessarily have the stomach for pass at imps in these auctions with these hands.

If we could know for sure the total tricks were 17, there would be a stronger case for pass. Not knowing this, both pass and bid hold risks.

I would tend to pass expecting a 1+ trick defeat, but would not be real happy about the choice and would not strongly fault a bid of 4C.

Blame the preemptor.

[Fluffy]

I wanted to make another post about what to do when partner cues 4♥ over 4♣, if 4♠ later would be cue or nat, because that is the problem my partner faced at the table, didn't see untill I was gonna post the hand, that he actually had another previous problem. I would had passed as well, but won't argue with success.

Partner's hand:

♠KQ103
♥A
♦Q9
♣AKQ1082

[han]

I bid 4C.

[whereagles]

Dbl was normal and so was pass. Sht happens. Preempts work.

[Codo]

I was on the minority, I had bid 4 ♣.
But I had never believed that pd can have this hand.
Double with a strong 4126 hand? Is this standard?
I had bid 5 Club at imps. Even if I find pd with Axxxxx,xxx,xxxx,- I may make it and if pd has diamonds, I won´t know what to do after a 4 or 5 Diamond bid from him.

[ArtK78]

Fluffy, on Sep 30 2007, 02:08 PM, said:

♠KQ103
♥A
♦Q9
♣AKQ1082

I am sure that if you gave this hand to a bidding panel, or posted it as a Forum question, double would get significant support. No doubt 4C would also get significant support.

However, change one card - change the ♥A to the ♦2:

---

Now, double would get nearly universal support. Do you like passing 3♥x now?

[FrancesHinden]

With the three people I play with most often:

- With one I would pass 3Hx all the time
- With one I would bid 4C all the time
- With one I might do one, might do the other, it would depend on the opponents, the event, the score....

It always helps to know partner's preferences, and what hands partner likes to double on.

Art is getting some flak for saying he doesn't want to bring back various disasters to team-mates, but I find it helps to know what partner (and team-mates, to a lesser extent) believes is correct because that leads to partnership harmony. If I'm not sure what the correct bid is, and I know partner feels strongly about it, then why not make partner happy?


By the way, I play

3H x P 4C
P 4H

as unambiguously agreeing clubs and 4S is a cue.

As we no longer double with a single-suiter, we play, say

3H x P 4C
P 4D

as showing a very strong 4252 or similar (4153, 3163, 4063) over which 4S is natural.

[whereagles]

Codo, on Oct 1 2007, 07:16 AM, said:

Double with a strong 4126 hand? Is this standard?

If you have the other major, yes, it's becoming more and more common.