[vuroth]

Scoring: MP

Pass ?

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[TylerE]

I'd put it at about a Sarah Palin level....

I'd certainly never pass with that, clear 1♠.

[jdonn]

It buys you a one way ticket to crazyville.

[cloa513]

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

[ONEferBRID]

cloa513, on Aug 10 2010, 06:15 PM, said:

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

Agree

[mikeh]

I wouldn't pass and don't think I play with anyone who would, but that isn't enough to make me call passing 'crazy'. I think it's (very) bad..I think that it will work out poorly more often than it will work out well (altho many times it will break even).

But for a bid to be 'crazy' means it's looney....make the clubs AQ and now we'd in batshit country.

Normal....borderline....bad....hopeless....crazy..that's my continuum and this is at the bad point....tending towards hopeless but not there yet.

[mikeh]

cloa513, on Aug 10 2010, 06:15 PM, said:

Because of the poor quality outside suits and the vulnerability, 2♠ (if weak) is a better bid.

Now...this is closer to 'hopeless' on my continuum..... white v red we are thinking of preempting? Wow. I know we are in second seat, but the vulnerability is the most important factor....have you even seen what people preempt on at favourable over the past 20+ years??? I mean, make the clubs xx and most would open a weak 2 at favourable...the spades aren't hideous, after all.

[655321]

Passing is bad, but the adjective I would use to describe it is 'soft', which is a very different type of bad from 'crazy'.

[quiddity]

For Pass I would pick a different political figure than Palin, someone staunchly conservative but not a complete ditz.

Palin might bid 2♠.

[awm]

Both ♣KQ-tight and ♥Jxx are lousy holdings and not worth their high card points. This looks more like 2♠ than 1♠ to me.

Obviously if your agreement is that NV weak twos only go up to 8 hcp or something (with stronger hands including a six-card major opening one) that's a different story. But if you would ever open 2♠ NV on an eleven-count (or even a ten-count) I think it's right on this hand.

For example, I think ♠AJ98xx ♥xxx ♦xx ♣Ax is a better hand than this one (K+R evaluator rates them as equal). Maybe that's a one-level opening for some of you also given the vulnerability, but for me a weak two bid doesn't deny an outside trick, and a one-level opening on a close-to-balanced hand like this one promises more than 9 hcp.

[Mbodell]

For me 1♠ > 2♠ >> Pass but even Pass isn't totally crazy. I can think of crazier bids, not even counting canape opening jumps to slam.

[jukmoi]

Clear 1♠ for me. Wrong type of hand for weak two: too much defence as compared to offence.

[cherdanno]

jdonn, on Aug 10 2010, 06:11 PM, said:

It buys you a one way ticket to crazyville.

They have a sale?

[helene_t]

Agree with Sarah Palin.

[gwnn]

looking for excuses not to bid 1♠ will not win you the Bermuda Bowl

ugh! even favourable! my eyes! oh, the humanity!

[bluecalm]

I would like to play a style where it's 2♠ bid.
Unfortunately all my partners insist on playing weak twos as "small preempts" so I have to open 1♠ with them

Passing is very bad. Maybe not crazy, it just shows very poor bridge judgement or very poor methods.

[vuroth]

Pass worked brilliantly, but I had a feeling I was overthinking it. Thanks.

[NickRW]

Pass is not crazy, just soft as another poster has said.

Unlike with some other posters, I don't really look on weak twos as a some sort of 'must preempt' with any old 6 cards at favourable - to me they are for hands that aren't quite worth an opening 1 bid - and this hand to me, with its 6322 shape rather than 6331 - and the doubleton club not being worth all that you count for it is not really worth a 1 opener.

There are some, at favourable particularly, will look at a hand and say, 'this hand is too weak for a 1 level opener and too strong for a weak two'. Personally, while I understand the reasoning, cannot do otherwise than go wtf!

Nick

[ArtK78]

Agree with most of the sentiments expressed. Unless you play a very sound opening style or a very sound weak 2 bid style, opening 1♠ seems clear.

2♠ would be my next choice, but it is only a weak 2 bid if you play very sound weak 2 bids.

Some players have stated that a hand can be too weak for a one bid but too strong for a weak 2. I don't agree with that, but that is probably the best argument for a pass on these cards.

Is pass crazy? No. Eccentric? Yes.

[jdonn]

gwnn, on Aug 11 2010, 05:33 AM, said:

looking for excuses not to bid 1♠ will not win you the Bermuda Bowl

ugh! even favourable! my eyes! oh, the humanity!

Haven't you heard about that hand where Versace made a well timed pass of an 11 count with 6 decent spades at favorable, thus generating the swing to win the Bermuda Bowl? You haven't?