[mike777]

"Bidding problem for you from recent MP game.

They are VUL, you are NOT:

3Hby LHO, Double by partner pass.

You hold: QTx,J9xx,10x,ATxx.

Your thoughts, please."

[whereagles]

Pass. Might make, but I prefer pass.

[kenrexford]

This makes too much. I'm bidding 3NT with the expectation that no one can double me. I expect that -150 might be our score, but I'll hope for -100.

[pclayton]

They opened a vul 3♥ on my left? Fair chance LHO has a solid suit and its possible RHO has two cards. -730 looks too likely.

Mark me down for a prosaic 4C.

[ArtK78]

Agree with 4♣. Best chance for a plus score.

[jdonn]

Pass! And then some. I guess it depends who LHO is but by that I mean I only don't pass if I know they are truly sound.

[pclayton]

Oh, just noticed its matchpoints.

Mark me down for a pass. +200 looks like a reasonable gamble.

[kenrexford]

I'm somewhat concerned about who my LHO is.

I'm more concerned about who my partner is. White on red, short hearts? I might laugh when I see his hand.

[skjaeran]

kenrexford, on Nov 1 2007, 10:37 PM, said:

I'm somewhat concerned about who my LHO is.

I'm more concerned about who my partner is. White on red, short hearts? I might laugh when I see his hand.

Pass then. You don't have to look at it displayed in all it's "beauty" as dummy.

[awm]

I find that this contract almost always makes when I pass here. Maybe this has something to do with my opponents preempt style or my partners' double style, but it seems like partner will often have singleton heart here (given my four and LHO's seven) and therefore doesn't need a lot of values to double. It's not unusual for partner to have three or even fewer defensive tricks on this auction, and my heart holding is likely to be picked up by declarer if at all possible. Opponents high cards outside the trump suit are probably behind partner.

Obviously it could be right to pass even if 3♥X usually makes if bidding on is even more likely to get us to a bad score, but there's no strong reason to think the auction is unusual and 4♣X-3 (-500) is still a better score than -730.

I would bid 3NT here, hoping to avoid the double. If partner has extras I could easily make, and if not it seems that -150 could be a good result on the board (if opponents don't find a double).

[jdonn]

awm, on Nov 1 2007, 06:16 PM, said:

I find that this contract almost always makes when I pass here. Maybe this has something to do with my opponents preempt style or my partners' double style, but it seems like partner will often have singleton heart here (given my four and LHO's seven) and therefore doesn't need a lot of values to double. It's not unusual for partner to have three or even fewer defensive tricks on this auction, and my heart holding is likely to be picked up by declarer if at all possible. Opponents high cards outside the trump suit are probably behind partner.

Obviously it could be right to pass even if 3♥X usually makes if bidding on is even more likely to get us to a bad score, but there's no strong reason to think the auction is unusual and 4♣X-3 (-500) is still a better score than -730.

I would bid 3NT here, hoping to avoid the double. If partner has extras I could easily make, and if not it seems that -150 could be a good result on the board (if opponents don't find a double).

If partner tends to have a singleton heart, your hearts can't be picked up if partner's is singleton A K Q T or dummy's is singleton A K Q T, not to mention all the other times they can't be picked up (dummy void, no quick dummy entry, unlikely but possible dummy something like QT doubleton.) The combination of all these chances (meaning everything combined except declarer AKQTxxx and dummy not void) is extremely high.

If partner has enough to make 3NT at all comfortable he will raise you even higher.

I truly think when you say 3♥X almost always makes when you pass here, it is some combination of bad doubles by your partner, bad luck, and bad memory. Really the only time I'm not confident is when partner is minimum and we have a big club fit, which in combination is pretty bad lucky since obviously he is more likely to be long in diamonds.

And on top of all that, it's MPs and they are vul? I really can't understand anything but pass.

[Codo]

I have the opposite experience to Adam. They nearly never make it.

I would even pass this at imps, at mps there is no alternative for me.
And I don´t need to know my lho, I just need to know my partner.

[Fluffy]

3NT, stopping opponent's suit with the jack is good. If partner doesn't have void I expect to make.