[pclayton]

♠T9xx ♥Jx ♦Jxx ♣AK9x

all vul, IMPs

(1♠) - pass - (2♠) - 3♥ -
(pass) - ?

Sorry, not a lot of agreements here about what constitutes a pre-balance.

If you know the hand, stfu.

[Gerben42]

Don't know this hand but many like it. Pass, I guess.

[han]

I don't know the hand, I pass.

[kfay]

Do EEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!! Too many ways this can make.

[the hog]

First thought pass, but as we haven't discussed obar bids, and we are vul I am going for it. 4H.

[jchiu]

4♥, game try.

[benlessard]

I think its a pass. With 1 or half a loser will just blast to 4H hoping i can provide 1 trick. With slight more than 1 loser he will X and bid 3H to strongly invite me to 4H.

[helene_t]

Pass, surprised some want to bid on this.

[the hog]

helene_t, on Sep 8 2008, 04:06 PM, said:

Pass, surprised some want to bid on this.

x
AKTxxx
Axx
Qxx

Where do you want to be?

[mcphee]

As game may make, I raise and hope this is that day. Partner likely has a 6 bagger, I hold the AK of C and I expect game to have a chance to make. What am I afraid of? One thing I am unconcerned about is hearing 4S which IMHO has almost zero chance.

Bid game, either hope it makes or they misdefend.

[andy_h]

Think I'm going to raise to game on this one.

[jdonn]

I was the other hand. I think holding this one I would have done the thing that doesn't work, but this hand was so instructive for me that I am sure from now on I will do what did work on this sort of hand.

[pclayton]

jdonn, on Sep 8 2008, 07:33 AM, said:

I was the other hand. I think holding this one I would have done the thing that doesn't work, but this hand was so instructive for me that I am sure from now on I will do what did work on this sort of hand.

Yeah, I don't want to spill the beans on this one either.

I will continue to poll, but I'm getting some support from some good players on what I didn't do.

Suffice it say, this was a learning experience for me too.

[paulg]

My initial reaction is to raise. I realise this is going to work especially poorly when partner has a 5-card suit (x AKQxx KQxx xxx) but it will probably have play when he has six.

p

[brianshark]

Looking at this hand, my first impression was that it was a rubbish 9-loser hand with little support and pass was clear. But the more I look at it and the more I draw up typical hands for partner to hold, the more I'm realising that game could well be on. You're holding of ♠T9xx on this auction is golden because it means that you and pard have very little wasted strength in ♠s and all your HCP are working. Plus, pard is never going to bid 4 unilaterally on an awful lot of decent to very good hands that make game pretty good.

So put me down for 4♥.

[mikeh]

I think you have to raise on this, and I say that knowing full well that we may be turning +140 into -100 or (even worse) -100 into -500. Partner doesn't need the world's fair here, but he does need a good 6+ suit and he has a stiff (probably not a void) spade.

I don't think the opps are going to bid 4♠ if I bid game, altho (were they to do so) it would make me happier about my choice.

Now, if partner and I had a specific agreement that he can bid 3♥ on nothing more than a good suit and short spades, I'd pass. But I used to pass these hands in these auctions and have partner bemoan that what did I expect him to do? Bid game all by himself?

For those thinking that he could double and then invite via 3♥, please tell me how you persuade opener to NEVER bid over your double

[jtfanclub]

It's IMPs, we're vulnerable...I need it to work what, 1/3 of the time?

[xcurt]

jtfanclub, on Sep 8 2008, 03:50 PM, said:

It's IMPs, we're vulnerable...I need it to work what, 1/3 of the time?

Aaah this number again. Well you're getting 10:6 odds assuming your only possible results are 9 or 10 tricks undoubled. So you need 37.5% given that:

• you're playing an infinitely long match
  
• you don't assign any value to giving your opponents the cube

Personally, in the absence of any information about partner or the opponents, I think this is very close and I don't have strong feelings about it. I guess that means I disagree with jdonn that there's a clearly right action.

[effervesce]

I raise to 4. Yes, it may turn a positive into a negative (or a negative into a big negative)-but 4♥ may make, they may decide to bid 4♠.... Partner should have a very good heart suit for a vul 3 level overcall.

[pclayton]

Josh held: ♠x ♥AKT9xx ♦KQ98 ♣xx.

I passed and we chalked up +200 vul.

Usually pard will have a six card suit on this bidding, If pard has the tendency to pre-balance on the same pattern, but without the ♦KQ say, game is hopeless. But the above hand is certainly within range for a 3♥ call.

Most good players I have shown this to boost to 4. This is one of those cases where you need to eat an occasional 6 IMPs to avoid losing 10.