[luis]

pclayton, on Jul 14 2004, 08:08 PM, said:

luis, on Jul 14 2004, 06:51 PM, said:

I can understand 3♠ and 3NT as well as 2♣ and pass. All of them logic bids that may or may not be the right decision under the circunstances.
What I really can't understand is 3♣, a bid that in 90% of the books is used to show a 13-15 hand with a good club suit.

Example:
xx, AQx, Kx, KQJxxx

Reopening is not a situation where a good player can intend to guess what a bid means, it's a situation where you must know what you play and most partnerships play a jump in a new suit as 13-15 with a good suit.

Luis.

Bidding 3N (or 3♠) on a hand where we are potentially wide open in three suits does not seem to be a apt description of this hand. If 3♣ really that much of an overbid?

3N is excellent opposite this - and a lot of similar hands:

Qxxx
Kxx
Axx
xxx.

Automatic over a 3♣ balance. Over a 2♣ balance, I suppose you might play it right there.

5♣ or 6♣ looks good opposite:

xxxx
AKxx
AQx
xx

You might get to 5♣ opposite this, but the balancer will need to make a very strong move on the next round, after a 2♣ reopening.

I guess I don't understand the passers comments on this one, sorry. I'm not smart enough to not balance the opponents into game; I tend to be agressive with balancing and accept the occasional strange result of the opponents unearthing their buried 10 card fit. I've learned to not make the ensuing spite double though

You are only thinking about halh the board: your hand and pd's hand. The problem of 3♣ as Richard and others pointed out is that if they bid you can find pd doubling a game or partscore that makes. If your plan is to bid 3♣ and then every time that pd doubles something pull to some number of clubs then ok but I think that's risky and that's why I think a 3♣ bid can be a problem.

Luis.

[Free]

It all depends on the agreements of the bid. If you play it 12-15 I wouldn't use 3♣. However, I don't know what the standard treatments are in this situation ...

[whereagles]

Standard agreements are that 3♣ shows a fair 6+ card suit and moderate values. Exact ranges and suit lenght/quality vary a bit, but it's usually an intermediate hand. Not too strong (dbl first), not too weak (pass or bid 2♣ only). I think most people around the world play it like this or similar.