[SchTsch]

I am analysing these two simple hands and would like to collect as much data as I can.

Scoring: IMP

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West opens 3♠, pass, pass to you.

Scoring: IMP

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Partner opens 3♣, rho bids 3NT.

Can you please do the following:
Choose your bid and give a short explanation why.
Rate other bids you think are plausible for this hands. (on 0-10 scale)
Rate your bridge aggressiveness. (on 0-10 scale)

Thank you.

[dellache]

1. 3NT=10, 4D=7, Pass=5.
2. Pass=10, DBL=8.
3. My BA=5 (average).

[Codo]

1. 4 Diamond, I doubt partner has Txx or better. And I still do not play NLM.
3 Nt is a gamble but I trust my vul. opps to hold Akxxxx often enough.

So 4 Diamond 7, 3 NT 6 everything else 0

2. pass 10 X 6 4 Club 3 rest 0
I hope to beat them on pure power, but my hopes are not high enough to double. At first sight I liked 4 club, but they should make 4 red suit and one trump trick, so the win scenario is -500 opps -600, but maybe we have to compare -500 with +100, so I prefer to defend.

3. I am fairly aggressive, but on BBF standard I have at most a 3.

[SchTsch]

Codo, on Nov 3 2009, 09:10 AM, said:

2. pass 10 X 6 4 Club 3 rest 0
I hope to beat them on pure power, but my hopes are not high enough to double. At first sight I liked 4 club, but they should make 4 red suit and one trump trick, so the win scenario is -500 opps -600, but maybe we have to compare -500 with +100, so I prefer to defend.

They are not vulnerable on the second one.

[miguelm]

1-

Two options only as I can think anyone would bid anything else the 3N or 4/5D, nor would Double or Pass.
I rate them 3N = 10 ; 4D = 7 ; 5D = 3
Partner rates to have something and all I need him to hold in spades is 10xx.
Plus, it's Imps so I should give game a try especially vuln.
5D is the one I like less because I need a lot to make 5D, and I am sure MY pd will raise (or do whatever is appropriate) if he has that "a lot".

2 -
I (and so is my pd) tend to be very sound with my 3 level minor suit preempts, especially in 1st seat.
I will happily pass and defend.
Don't consider anything else but I might rate Double and 4C for statistics purposes
Pass = 10 ; Double = 3 ; 4C = 1

[pooltuna]

SchTsch, on Nov 3 2009, 07:38 AM, said:

I am analysing these two simple hands and would like to collect as much data as I can.

Scoring: IMP

---

West opens 3♠, pass, pass to you.

Scoring: IMP

---

Partner opens 3♣, rho bids 3NT.

Can you please do the following:
Choose your bid and give a short explanation why.
Rate other bids you think are plausible for this hands. (on 0-10 scale)
Rate your bridge aggressiveness. (on 0-10 scale)

Thank you.

1) 4♦ I would have considered 3NT but am deterred by my QJ♠ doubleton after all the preemptor normally has something in his suit when red. I'd be inclined to try 3NT with 2 small ♠

2) Don't have enough system information for a good answer but for safety I would bid 4♣ I expect partner to be able to take 7 tricks opposite trash and I have 3 second choice would be a riskier 5♣=3

aggressiveness=6.5

[Phil]

1. 3N at IMPs after mulling it over. Frequently LHO doesn't lead a spade honor here, or we might catch partner with K, Txx or something useful.

2. Double is strangely appealing to me as a semi-bluff. RHO probably does not have a spade stopper and might be bidding on one or two club stops, a few diamonds and the heart tops. I don't know if we can set 3N, but I have an escape valve to 4♣ if this gets turned back. More than likely, RHO will run to 4 or 5 diamonds which I think I can beat the latter.

Around here I'm a 1 or a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, but I like the opportunities on both of these boards, so I don't think these are indicative of my overall aggressiveness. In real life I think I'm pretty much down the middle.

[aguahombre]

I really like Phil's (Hemet's) double, and for his reasons, on number two. Doubtful I can run spades for a whole four tricks, but maybe declarer doesn't know and thinks I can run six of them. Maybe I play too much poker, though.

[scrote]

1. 3nt -10 Most likely game and the long term winner IMO. They won't always lead a top spade.
4d- 5. It's what I've got but meh
other

2. Pass-10 Good chance it will go down, happy to defend.
dbl- 4. Agressive, looking to get them for a penalty and thus double them in 4D if they run. Only if I needed some IMps.
other

[Fluffy]

1 is a clear 3NT. The contract you wanna play must be bid by someone.

2 is a lot harder, I hate this kind of hands, it depends on partner and opponents and my table feelings.

My best guess is 4♣. I rate double 7, pass 3. MY agressiveness at this level is 8/10.

[nigel_k]

1. 3NT=10, 4D=7, 5D=2
2. Dbl=10, Pass=8, 4C=3

My bridge aggressiveness 9/10

[Jlall]

I don't think 3N is as great as people are making it out to be on the first board. QJ is better than Qx since you have a stopper opp Txx or 9xx and stiff ten on right, but I think Qx is a better holding in general because:

1) When we have the jack, our vulnerable LHO is way more likely to have the AK than when we don't (he might have KJTxxxx, AJTxxxx, but without the jack the suit is much weaker).

2) If LHO did lead the ace he might not be able to read the situation when we have Qx and play low, but with QJ tight the jig is up.

3) Depends on LHO, but some are more likely to bang one down with AKxxxxx than AKJxxxx (I think the better the LHO the more true this is). With the latter you really don't wanna lead it and have partner have a stiff and can't lead one through now, but with the former it doesn't really matter and you get to see dummy before shifting.

Depends on LHO but most I would play for AK for a vul preempt if missing QJ, and I would play for most to bang it down on opening lead since they are missing the jack. That makes 3N a pretty poor bid.

[dellache]

Jlall, on Nov 3 2009, 10:44 PM, said:

2) If LHO did lead the ace he might not be able to read the situation when we have Qx and play low, but with QJ tight the jig is up.

The jig is not definitely up, even if the situation is admitedly much worse than before.

Suppose that in reality, the North South hand were, West having 7312 :

---

Now a Heart return probably kills this, but South routinely tries the effect of the ♠J. I'm not saying this is likely, I'm just saying against a good declarer, West will *sometimes* have to guess if the ♠J is an honest card, or if it's a card destined to discourage a killing shift.

And now what if the actual hand, even if I took my 5 secs to play the 1st card from dummy, East goes fidgety with his Tx ? Director please ?

[Jlall]

lol ok you picked a "textbook" example of a hand where you can make a good falsecard. This doesn't come up that often when you are playing in real life.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 5D, we play 4D as a 2-suiter, so this bid is out
#2 X, we play very sound preempts in the given pos. / at the given vulnerability

Tough to judge, I am not as agressive as my p, but the consensus was,
that my p is insane, and say also imply, that I am close enough to qualify for
a visit by a mind doctor.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[georgeac]

I suck at bridge.

1. 5♦

2. Pass

3. I am usually fairly agressive so 6/10

[SchTsch]

Thank you for your answers.
Now few more questions:

One player bid as follows on these two boards:

1. PASS

2. 4♣

How would you rate bridge aggressiveness of this player? Can you find it consistent?

[Trinidad]

SchTsch, on Nov 3 2009, 01:38 PM, said:

I am analysing these two simple hands and would like to collect as much data as I can.

Scoring: IMP

♠	AKQx
♥	Qxxxx
♦	xx
♣	xx

 

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Partner opens 3♣, rho bids 3NT.

Pass: 10
I don't think that 3NT makes.

Double: 6
If I think that 3NT makes exactly or goes down a bundle I double. The aim is not to convert +50 into +100. That doesn't pay at IMPs. The aim is to either convert +250 into +1100 or to convert -400 into -130 (or even +50). I might gain lots of points and risk 150 only (for turning a -400 into -550 when 3NT makes). Unfortunately, I decided that 3NT probably doesn't make. But if I would have estimated that 3NT would make or go down a bundle, this would be my tactic.

I would call my level of aggression normal.

Rik

[Trinidad]

SchTsch, on Nov 5 2009, 10:39 AM, said:

Thank you for your answers.
Now few more questions:

One player bid as follows on these two boards:

1. PASS

2. 4♣

How would you rate bridge aggressiveness of this player? Can you find it consistent?

I think that is (could be) consistent.

In case 2, the player thought that 3NT would make and he saved in 4♣. He didn't think about doubling, since he thought that you can only double when the contract goes down. (A very common idea.)

I think both bids are 'normal'. They say very little about the players level of aggression. Did you make these bids and were you called a terrible overbidder? That wouldn't be justified, IMO.

Rik

[Codo]

I can see no realtionship to aggressiveness.
Say he is very aggressiv, but so is his partner, so he knows that there is no game avaible in Nr. 1 but he tries to increase the pot in Nr. 2.

Say he is not aggressiv, so he is afraid nothing will make in Nr 1 and 4 club is an insurance in Nr 2.