[Edmunte1]

Playing in a strong team match, you are South, and bidding goes:

Scoring: IMP

(1♠)-pass-(2♠)-?

---

Any plans?

[jjbrr]

3♣

[P_Marlowe]

3C.

I could be weaker for the bid, but that the bid that comes to mind
looking at the hand, and it is usually not the worst idea to bid, what
the hand tells to bid.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Jlall]

Just 3C, could miss a game but what are you gonna do really

[jjbrr]

Obviously the problem is if you prebalance aggressively 3♣ could be bid on anything from like 9 to 18 points. Partner has no idea what to do and it's dangerous to give a courtesy raise.

All the other alternatives look pretty awful on this hand though.

[Phil]

jjbrr, on Apr 2 2010, 03:23 PM, said:

Obviously the problem is if you prebalance aggressively 3♣ could be bid on anything from like 9 to 18 points. Partner has no idea what to do and it's dangerous to give a courtesy raise.

All the other alternatives look pretty awful on this hand though.

Gwnn's there's a great thread about a hand Josh and I played around 12-15 months ago that illustrated the perils of pre-balancing - at least on overcallers partner.

3♣ looks ok - I don't think 3N is far fetched.

[Jlall]

Why is this a peril of pre-balancing? Our hand is so good that we can expect partner to pretty much never game try even if we make game (eg the HA and the CQ). Even if you don't prebalance aggressively, I assume everyone would bid with like a 12 count and 6 clubs, or a 10 count and 7 clubs. This hand is still far better than any reasonable minimum that anyone could have, so the problem is always going to be there.

[jdonn]

I played a hand with Phil?

[gwnn]

I tried to find the thread, I remember it, it was some 8 or 9 count relatively balanced over (1S)-p-(2S)-3H and then we just raised partner to game and it was correct. Im out of shape these days, I can't find it. It was opened either by Echognome or phil I think.

[Echognome]

3♣ seems obvious. May have an interesting decision next round if it goes (3♠) back around to us. I think I would double then and hope not to hear a 4♦ call from partner.

I vaguely remember the thread Phil and Gwnn are talking about.

[mohitz]

gwnn, on Apr 3 2010, 03:17 AM, said:

I tried to find the thread, I remember it, it was some 8 or 9 count relatively balanced over (1S)-p-(2S)-3H and then we just raised partner to game and it was correct. Im out of shape these days, I can't find it. It was opened either by Echognome or phil I think.

http://forums.bridge...topic=27290&hl=

[the hog]

3C is the obvious call. 3NT is a bit of a long shot.

[gwnn]

great job mohitz

edit: now I see why I didn't find it, I wanted to look for a word that wasn't there

[pooltuna]

The_Hog, on Apr 2 2010, 11:41 PM, said:

3C is the obvious call. 3NT is a bit of a long shot.

my choice as well. The 3NT callers think they find

---

as often as they get

---

[Phil]

jdonn, on Apr 2 2010, 04:18 PM, said:

I played a hand with Phil?

Yes in a moment of weakness I accepted your invitation, but I cannot find the old thread

edit - good job Mohitz - at least my memory wasn't too far off on when it was played.

[Fluffy]

This looks like a great 3♣ then double hand. I don't prebalance so agresivelly when I am not a passed hand