[Fluffy]

The bidding goes...


4♥-pass-your turn

Scoring: IMP

---

[Free]

Do you play NAMYATS? If you do, Pass. If partner has an broken ♥ suit, you're screwed... If you don't, Pass and pray you don't have 2 overtricks. We're still NV vs V, and it's ♥, so it still might be a little light

With a singleton ♥ I'd probably bid 5♥ since it's all about trump tricks, but now it's even too dangerous to go to 5-level imo.

[Dwayne]

did you check the vulnerabilty before you posted?

Can partner have ♥KQT9xxxx plus a couple of other useless scattered cards for a 4♥ opener?

P-A-S-S, and respect his decision to open a shut-out.

next.

dwayne-erino.

[whereagles]

This one depends more on pard's style than technical merits. I know some players opposite which I could bid a direct 6, but others opposite which I'd pray 4 makes, LOL.

[skorchev]

5♥ looks fine for me - let's play slam if partner has good trumps ...


Stefan

[joker_gib]

Same for me : playing Namyats I pass and without Namyats I bid 5♥ asking partner for good trumps !

[inquiry]

At this vulnerabilty (them red, we not), my partnrers and I are very aggreesive with preempts. They are less likely to want to risk defending you doubled, you are less likely to get hurt too badly if they do double and beat you to death, because of the vulnerability.

I guess the best way to explain this threatment is 5-4-2-1 or 5-4-3-1. So what does this mean?

5 = not vul versus vul. Partner will be within five tricks of his preempt (5 tricks here)
4 = not vul versus vul, partner will be within four tricks of his preempt (6 tricks here)
3 = vul versus vul, partner will be within 3 tricks of his bid (7 tricks)
1 =we vul, they not vul, partner will be within one trick of his bid (9).

So if we were vul, I would be trying for slam (I have five tricks, partner promised 7), if we were vul, I would be going for grand slam (grand slam force in here). Not vul versus vul? I hope partner's estimate of five tricks is correct, he may lose more hearts than he planned.

As an aside, I am a ZAR bidder. So if partner holds seven hearts AKQxxxx the worse ZAR count he could have is 26. Not vul, he gladly open that 1H, so no way will I consider bidding on.

[Fluffy]

No namyats out there my friends, and partner is between 26-30 Years old from a cold country in the north of Europe .

[whereagles]

Then my pass will hit the table even before his 4H does

[Fluffy]

Somebody voted for other... wonder wich bid... missdirecting 5♦?

[laughter]

I guess a pass is right opposite an aggressive preemptor.
But even the most agressive one would just open 4H with:
xx-KQJ10xxx-xx-xx
And of course he will not consider Namyats with this hand.
So the Namyats argument doesn't hold much water.
If your style is to deliver reasonable trumps (suit quality of 10) for game bid, then a slam try (I prefer 5H) is quite justified.
Still, I think his hearts may be scary (this preempt is not for faint hearted), and I would pass and pray (hope not to make two overtricks).
Btw, if he plays 4H-1, it is time for him to go more conservative in the future.

[Flame]

My partner hold this hand yesterday and took us to 6c which went down.
Imo at this vul he should have just passed.

[Flame]

laughter, on Sep 10 2004, 01:48 PM, said:

I guess a pass is right opposite an aggressive preemptor.
But even the most agressive one would just open 4H with:
xx-KQJ10xxx-xx-xx
And of course he will not consider Namyats with this hand.
So the Namyats argument doesn't hold much water.
If your style is to deliver reasonable trumps (suit quality of 10) for game bid, then a slam try (I prefer 5H) is quite justified.
Still, I think his hearts may be scary (this preempt is not for faint hearted), and I would pass and pray (hope not to make two overtricks).
Btw, if he plays 4H-1, it is time for him to go more conservative in the future.

What about this hand ? is this a good slam ?

[the hog]

Bit late coming in on this, but I would argue that even if opener's H are as good as AQJT to 7 you are unlikely to make slam on a D lead as you have to set up the C for a D pitch. Opener really needs to have AK to some number to make this a good slam.

I think pass is a pretty clear call.

[inquiry]

Flame, on Sep 11 2004, 07:18 PM, said:

My partner hold this hand yesterday and took us to 6c which went down.
Imo at this vul he should have just passed.

And right you are. :-)

[Fluffy]

Here is the hand:

---

I passed hoping to make on a good day and the lead was ♦J, when the ♦Q held trick 1 I changed my mind to think Iunderbid this one.

The play continuned normally, ♥K won by East, and a ♣ switch.

My partner tried to ruff ♣ in and to draw trtumps but it was overruffed, next came ♦K, and by now the best he could achieve was 420, the complete hand:

---

[inquiry]

For people studying ZAR.. this would also be easy.. let's count south's hand....

19 hcp
8 control points
16 distributional points
------
total 43 points.. partner is expect to have 23 to 25 something like that...

43 + 25 = 68, enough for even a grand slam (67 needed), but wait....you have to take into account "fitting points" South is 3 trumps short.. that is minus nine points...

43-9= 34, and 34+25 = 59, this is no longer enough even for small slam (62 needed)... This isn't the way I would bid this hand of course.. if my partner was vul and they were not, I would be trying for grand slam.. I count tricks here, not poitns.. but thought I would share this mathematical approach with you...

[EricK]

inquiry, on Sep 27 2004, 02:06 PM, said:

For people studying ZAR.. this would also be easy.. let's count south's hand....

19 hcp
8 control points
16 distributional points
------
total 43 points.. partner is expect to have 23 to 25 something like that...

43 + 25 = 68, enough for even a grand slam (67 needed), but wait....you have to take into account "fitting points" South is 3 trumps short.. that is minus nine points...

43-9= 34, and 34+25 = 59, this is no longer enough even for small slam (62 needed)... This isn't the way I would bid this hand of course.. if my partner was vul and they were not, I would be trying for grand slam.. I count tricks here, not poitns.. but thought I would share this mathematical approach with you...

Why is South "3 trumps short"?

If North has a seven card suit, we don't need 3 to have a fit with him. And a 4♥ Pre-empt often has 8 cards in it.

Eric

[inquiry]

Well.. as far as playing the suit, I guess he is two trumps short... but having a void in partners suit does make the play much more difficult, so I subtract the full nine, always. And this is good too, becasue partner looking at eight will be adding points for his extra legnth.... so my subtracting will help make for his over-estimate.

Ben

[EricK]

inquiry, on Sep 27 2004, 04:12 PM, said:

Well.. as far as playing the suit, I guess he is two trumps short... but having a void in partners suit does make the play much more difficult, so I subtract the full nine, always. And this is good too, becasue partner looking at eight will be adding points for his extra legnth.... so my subtracting will help make for his over-estimate.

Ben

Fair enough.

I note that North is minimum for a 4♥ bid (as most play it), and even now 6♥ isn't terrible. Although it turns out to be with the actual distribution. But change a small diamond for a small heart and you would definitley want to be in the slam.

Eric