[TylerE]

Scoring: IMP

(1♣) - p - (1♠) - 2♥
p - ???

---

Note: Opps unknown but appear to be pretty decent. Partner is a well known forum poster.

Well, how DO you get out of this?

[mike777]

2S

Partner bid 2H vul in a live auction.

I would just fall back on that old standbye....cuebid or double with tough bidding problems. My expectation is I am going to force to game in either 3nt or 4H.

btw prefer to overcall 1d of 1c but in any event...

[jdeegan]

4♥.

Partner rates to have either ♥AKJxxx and one outside card or six hearts missing one honor plus two outside cards. Hmmm..... both produce ten tricks in hearts. Even five ♥ AKJ and two club cards behind the bidder produce ten tricks in hearts. Pard might even have the ♦ J.

So, why screw around? Just bid it. Opponents may slide into 4♠ on this auction, hehe.

[han]

4H.

[whereagles]

2NT wtp??? so simple it's even amazing.

[jdeegan]

whereagles, on Dec 21 2007, 09:05 PM, said:

2NT wtp??? so simple it's even amazing.

Club stop?, we don' need no stinkin' club stop

[matmat]

2N or 3D for me. we may very well have 10 tricks in hearts, but opps might take the first four or five

[fifee]

I like 2♠. If opps have bid 2 suits, then cuebidding one of them would show a stopper in the suit that I cued and interest in game for me. Qx is not the best trump support but how many times do we have the textbook hand for a specific bid?

[jdonn]

2♠, I don't see the rush to bid 4♥. Why can't we belong in 3NT? I wouldn't actually mind 3♦ except partner might be endplayed in the bidding with clubs covered but nothing in spades.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

2S, the alternative being pass, and this alternative
is certainly not a bad one.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

jdeegan, on Dec 21 2007, 08:45 PM, said:

4♥.

Partner rates to have either ♥AKJxxx and one outside card or six hearts missing one honor plus two outside cards.  Hmmm..... both produce ten tricks in hearts.  Even five ♥ AKJ and two club cards behind the bidder produce ten tricks in hearts.  Pard might even have the ♦ J.

So, why screw around? Just bid it.  Opponents may slide into 4♠ on this auction, hehe.

Most of the time 2H is based on a weak two type hand,
so if you catch partner with AKJxxx and out you may
catch him with a max.

A simple check, what partner can hold, is provided by the
point count, 40HCP are in the deck, they opened and
answered on the one level, i.e. it is fairly safe to assume
they have 20HCP between them, and I hold 12HCP, what
is left?
And you may even lower the expected point count for the
opponenents a littel bit, although it is not a good idea to
assume they always have dead min. values for their bids.
And if you do, you see, that partner needs no wastage to
make 4H a good bet.
If you invite and ask him, he will bid 4H, if he holds this hand.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

Jlall, on Dec 22 2007, 03:19 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Dec 22 2007, 03:11 AM, said:

A simple check, what partner can hold, is provided by the
point count, 40HCP are in the deck, they opened and
answered on the one level, i.e. it is fairly safe to assume
they have 20HCP between them, and I hold 12HCP, what
is left?

No one can never ask me why I respond with crappy hands ever again. You guys would be surprised how many people think this way.

Marlowe bridge is a changing game, I cannot believe you assume that partner has overcalled vulnerable in sandwich seat with a weak 2 and that the opponents opening and response shows 20 points. Maybe in 1920 this was close to true, but people can open now with 11 points (!) and respond with three points!

How about the fact that partner stuck his neck out and showed at least an opening hand with a good suit and we should trust him.

Hi,

true they may open with 11 and may respond with 3,
but how likely is it, that this happened at the same deal.
More likely is, they opened with 15 and responded with
3 or the other way round, the sum is still the same.
It is an approximation, nothing more, but also nothing less.

I guess, you pass with AKJxxx and a 6-4 shape?
If partner has nothing you will make 5 tricks, 800 vs. 600 is
nothing to cheer about, but also not the end of the world,
but every trick partner provides lets you break even, and they
have still game on, and sometimes you even make.

I am not saying, that you should not invite, I am just saying,
that depending on partnership agreements and style, one
should not be surprised, if one catches partner on a weak
two type hand.

People mentioned possible hands partner could hold, and those
hands were always pure, with no wastage, and this is dangerous.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: And your argument, that we are vulnerable holds
true also for the opponents, not that it did matter for my
argumentation.

[foo]

Jlall, on Dec 22 2007, 03:19 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Dec 22 2007, 03:11 AM, said:

A simple check, what partner can hold, is provided by the
point count, 40HCP are in the deck, they opened and
answered on the one level, i.e. it is fairly safe to assume
they have 20HCP between them, and I hold 12HCP, what
is left?

No one can never ask me why I respond with crappy hands ever again. You guys would be surprised how many people think this way.

Marlowe bridge is a changing game, I cannot believe you assume that partner has overcalled vulnerable in sandwich seat with a weak 2 and that the opponents opening and response shows 20 points. Maybe in 1920 this was close to true, but people can open now with 11 points (!) and respond with three points!

How about the fact that partner stuck his neck out and showed at least an opening hand with a good suit and we should trust him.

Partnerships that make a habit of opening indifferent 11 counts and responding with 3 counts are partnerships that are bucking the odds and gambling on not getting bad scores.

Also, this sort of habit puts pressure on the partnership on every board. There is always that worry regarding "Just how good is partner for his bid =this= time"?

The old "a club", vs "one club", vs "I'll start with a club" 'convention' and other sorts of UI can help field the huge variance in hand types behind the calls, but that's not the way Bridge should be played...

[rogerclee]

foo, on Dec 22 2007, 08:56 AM, said:

Jlall, on Dec 22 2007, 03:19 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Dec 22 2007, 03:11 AM, said:

A simple check, what partner can hold, is provided by the
point count, 40HCP are in the deck, they opened and
answered on the one level, i.e. it is fairly safe to assume
they have 20HCP between them, and I hold 12HCP, what
is left?

No one can never ask me why I respond with crappy hands ever again. You guys would be surprised how many people think this way.

Marlowe bridge is a changing game, I cannot believe you assume that partner has overcalled vulnerable in sandwich seat with a weak 2 and that the opponents opening and response shows 20 points. Maybe in 1920 this was close to true, but people can open now with 11 points (!) and respond with three points!

How about the fact that partner stuck his neck out and showed at least an opening hand with a good suit and we should trust him.

Partnerships that make a habit of opening indifferent 11 counts and responding with 3 counts are partnerships that are bucking the odds and gambling on not getting bad scores.

Also, this sort of habit puts pressure on the partnership on every board. There is always that worry regarding "Just how good is partner for his bid =this= time"?

The old "a club", vs "one club", vs "I'll start with a club" 'convention' and other sorts of UI can help field the huge variance in hand types behind the calls, but that's not the way Bridge should be played...

If you don't respond 1S to 1m on KTxxxx x xxx xxx, we're not playing the same game.

[foo]

rogerclee, on Dec 22 2007, 10:20 AM, said:

If you don't respond 1m-1S on KTxxxx x xxx xxx, we're not playing the same game.

You are right. We are not playing the same game.
KTxxxx_x_xxx_xxx looks like 1m-2S! WJS to me.

[Apollo81]

This is a completely normal 2♠ bid, which shows a stopper since there are two opponent suits. 3NT could easily be the right contract, even if partner has 6+ hearts.

Pass is probably the worst call <= 4♥ (well maybe 4c is worse)

[ArtK78]

I do not know what my opponents are doing, but I always believe my partner.

He bid at the two level opposite a passed partner into a live auction vul at IMPs. He has a good hand.

I would never dream of passing. I bid 2♠. Second choice - 4♥, but since 3NT could easily be the right contract, 2♠ is better.