[Phil]

I am flat addicted to ACBL Robot DOOPS. WD Uday and Fred.

Yesterday, I signed up for a tourney. I didn't recognize anyone on the list except a recent hall of famer. Interesting, I thought.

Here are five key bidding decisions. Get them right and maybe one day you'll be in the hall of fame too.


All MPs.

1. ♠KT ♥A732 ♦A743 ♣JT2

1♦ - 1♥
1♠ - ?


3. ♠A ♥AK ♦AJ873 ♣KQT86

1♦ - 1♥
3♣ - 3♠
?

3♠ is noted as 5+H's, 5+ S's (!); 4 card heart, 6+ points



7. ♠KJ63, ♥AKQ985, ♦5, ♣J8 (all vul);

1♥ - (pass) - 2♥ - (dbl);
?



9. ♠A9x ♥KQ876 ♦AKJ ♣A8

What is your opening bid? I'll give you the continuation in a few hours.



11. ♠QJT7x ♥K ♦Q9xxx ♣A8 (nv / nv)

1♠ - (pass) - 2♠ - (3♥)
?

[jdonn]

1. On this strength 2♦ is normal (remember he has a 12 count at most!) but the controls and shape are so good that I'll bid 3♦. Hopefully he won't pass on most hands with 6 diamonds and then I can reach 5♦.

3. 3NT anything else is obviously quite risky. Remember with Gib you might be unable to stop in 4NT if you bid 4♣.

7. 4♥ just like I would do in normal bridge. The spades are onside too. Won't always make but seems clearly with the odds.

9. I would upgrade IRL but 2NT with Gib because he bids toward game and slam extremely aggressively, both after 2NT openers and 2♣ openers.

11. Pass, he might bid game if I bid 3♠ (or if I pass!) The heart honor and bad diamonds point to defending anyway.

[Jlall]

Before I answer are these things best hand also or not? I've never played the MP ones.

[jdonn]

Yeah the ACBL MP robot 12 board duplicates are best hand, I assume that's the tourneys he meant. If it's not best hand I rescind my answers quickly.

[maggieb]

Agree with josh about everything except on hand 1, where I would just settle on 1N, since it's best hand.

[pooltuna]

1) 3♦
3) 6♥
7) 4♥
9) 2♣
11) pass

[Jlall]

jdonn, on Oct 12 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

Yeah the ACBL MP robot 12 board duplicates are best hand, I assume that's the tourneys he meant. If it's not best hand I rescind my answers quickly.

And speed is no longer a factor right since there's a set amount of hands so we don't necessarily have to hog?

[maggieb]

Jlall, on Oct 12 2009, 11:23 AM, said:

jdonn, on Oct 12 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

Yeah the ACBL MP robot 12 board duplicates are best hand, I assume that's the tourneys he meant. If it's not best hand I rescind my answers quickly.

And speed is no longer a factor right since there's a set amount of hands so we don't necessarily have to hog?

You have to hog anyway, GIB is a really bad declarer since:

1) He plays on a pretty fast setting and consequently takes some very anti-percentage lines sometimes.
2) He doesn't know it's matchpoints.
3) BY FAR THE BIGGEST REASON: GIB doesn't know how to exploit GIB's weird defensive tendencies. Also GIB defends terribly when you misdescribe your hand.

[Phil]

Best hand I assume unless I've had a mad rush of cards for the last 6 months playing these.

55 minutes for 12 boards. If you place your trust in Barry GIB then no need to hand hog. And time isn't much of a factor either.

[Jlall]

3. 3N

7. 4H

9. 2N

11. P

These all seemed really easy. 3,7,11 just seem like normal good bridge actions. The only one where I do something different live is board 9 where I would upgrade. With gib upgrading out of 2N is crazy though, it slam tries super aggressively etc over 2N. I am almost sure jdonn will agree when I go back and read his answers.

The only interesting one to me is board 1. Obviously I will NOT invite game if it's best hand MP, but I could bid 2D or 1N.

1N is gonna win if I get 120 vs 110 or 150 vs 130. 2D is gonna win if its 130 vs 120 or 110 vs 90.

Honestly I think it's close, and if everything else were equal (we were both declaring both contracts, gibs defended perfectly), I would choose 2D since I think it's slightly more likely to gain, but in this MP duplicate I'm gonna go for it. There's just huge upside to me declaring 1N, I am more likely to steal a trick and if I do it will be huge. So I'll go with 1N.

Hopefully my answers agree with the best robot race player in the world!

[Jlall]

maggieb, on Oct 12 2009, 11:26 AM, said:

Jlall, on Oct 12 2009, 11:23 AM, said:

jdonn, on Oct 12 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

Yeah the ACBL MP robot 12 board duplicates are best hand, I assume that's the tourneys he meant. If it's not best hand I rescind my answers quickly.

And speed is no longer a factor right since there's a set amount of hands so we don't necessarily have to hog?

You have to hog anyway, GIB is a really bad declarer since:

1) He plays on a pretty fast setting and consequently takes some very anti-percentage lines sometimes.
2) He doesn't know it's matchpoints.
3) BY FAR THE BIGGEST REASON: GIB doesn't know how to exploit GIB's weird defensive tendencies. Also GIB defends terribly when you misdescribe your hand.

Obv I'm better than gib but I think gib plays fine in general and I don't go out of my way to hog from it (just like in real life if I think I'm better than my pard but that my pard is confident). The main reason I hog in the robot race tourneys is because I'm way faster and speed is a huge issue, but I am generally confident in gibs declarer play that I'll only hog if I think it's quite close.

[jdonn]

Jlall, on Oct 12 2009, 11:23 AM, said:

jdonn, on Oct 12 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

Yeah the ACBL MP robot 12 board duplicates are best hand, I assume that's the tourneys he meant. If it's not best hand I rescind my answers quickly.

And speed is no longer a factor right since there's a set amount of hands so we don't necessarily have to hog?

Well you have 55 min for 12 boards, so no speed is not a factor. I usually play one, then go play another, and when I finish the second one I go back to the first one and watch the last players finish for 10 minutes to see how I did.

Btw I'm talked into 1NT on the first one. Mostly that if partner is balanced we are fine, if not he probably rebids 2♦ and then I'm going to simply bid 5♦ lol (would do less but he won't do the right thing anyway, and I think it's more with the odds than passing). I still want to choose an action that doesn't give up on game if he is 4-6, and 2♦ does since he will pass so I still don't like it.

[maggieb]

sorry misread

[jdonn]

quoted misread! =P

[gwnn]

jdonn ; emphasis mine said:

1. On this strength 2♦ is normal (remember he has a 12 count at most!)

Really? How does it work out for him then? I mean I don't doubt you but I just don't understand.

[Jlall]

gwnn, on Oct 12 2009, 12:08 PM, said:

jdonn ; emphasis mine said:

1. On this strength 2♦ is normal (remember he has a 12 count at most!)

Really? How does it work out for him then? I mean I don't doubt you but I just don't understand.

What do you mean? If it's best hand and you have 12, your partner (and each opp) can have at most 12.

[gwnn]

oh that's right lol, thanks

[ochinko]

I have forgotten what 4th suit meant with GIB, but even though we are not rich point wise I'll still try 2♣ pushing towards 3NT or invite a ♦ game if GIB denies a ♣ stopper.

All the other bids look like I stole them from Jlall, but I didn't cause I don't read the other answers before I make up my mind.

[HeavyDluxe]

Jlall, on Oct 12 2009, 11:29 AM, said:

These all seemed really easy. 3,7,11 just seem like normal good bridge actions. The only one where I do something different live is board 9 where I would upgrade...

And may explain why my answers lined up with the smart folks (though I'm still giddy about it)....

[Phil]

By the way on #9 if you open 2♣ pard bids 2N (8-11).