[the hog]

inquiry, on Nov 9 2004, 11:55 AM, said:

Fake suit? AKx is a nice suit. Bidding 2D just shows where I live. As an aside, I don't mind "reversing" with a little extra value but not real revesing power. Make this hand...

S-AKxx H-AQ8xx  D-QTx C-x,

(that is switching the honors in the diamonds and spades), I would bid 2S, to show the concenration of honors. I happen think AKx is ok.

Ben

OK should have said 3 card suit. Even headed by AK we would not bid this - partner could splinter, agreeing Ds, or hit Kickback agreeing Ds or worse still come up with exclusion Bw. However if you have the agreements in place that these are not possible, then 2D is fine. My primary point was that anyone who treats this - the posted hand - as a reverse has no idea of hand evaluation, and I certainly stand by that.

Certainly agree with Junyi that you can't play 2/1 in a scratch partnership eg the sequence he quoted:
1S 2H 2S 4S
we play as a "picture bid". Will a scratch partner play this? I doubt it.

Further, the way we play we use a Mafia structure, so over sequences such as
1H 2C 2H 2S and
1H 2C 2H 2N
we have quite different meanings and continuations , both in a game forcing auction. However again, I wonder how many people play a Mafia structure, so I tailor my answers to straight 2/1. The concept of a reverse not showing extra values is very poor theoretically, so poor that I am amazed a bridge writer could even recommend it.

[pclayton]

Ron said: The concept of a reverse not showing extra values is very poor theoretically, so poor that I amazed a bridge writer could even recommend it.

___________________________________________________________

This was dogma over here with 2/1 for the first 15 years it was played. 2/1 was 100% game force and a rebid of 2 of the major promised 6. 2N was the 'catchall' bid.

[Chamaco]

inquiry, on Nov 9 2004, 01:55 AM, said:

Fake suit? AKx is a nice suit. Bidding 2D just shows where I live. As an aside, I don't mind "reversing" with a little extra value but not real revesing power. Make this hand...

S-AKxx H-AQ8xx  D-QTx C-x,

(that is switching the honors in the diamonds and spades), I would bid 2S, to show the concenration of honors.

Yes, the way I play, the "reverse" (after pard's 2/1 GF) is based on losers (max 5.5 losers) rather than hcp.
Moreover, the quality of the second suit must be *good* (2 of top 3 honors or 3 of top 5).

The first suit of opener may be constrained by the system, but showing a second suit above 2 of the major is never an obligation, even if you hold 16/17 hcp or so (since rebidding 2M does not deny extras), so you need a god quality of the suit to mention it.

Therefore, you may decide to reverse with a 13 count, e.g.:

x-QJTxx-KQJxx-Ax = 5 losers, good second suit
1H:2C
3D



And NOT reversing with a 16/17 count

Kxxx-AJTxx-AK-Jx

1H:2C
2H
no reason to bid a lousy 4 card spade suit: even with Qx in clubs (17 hcp) I'd still rebid 2H.
PS- On 2nd thought this hand may as well qualify for a 3NT bid- if you play 3NT= 15-17 balanced and 2NT = 12-14 or 18+ balanced
Switching the minors, with this hand
Kxxx-AJTxx-Jx-AK

1H:2C
?
Would now suggest against bidding NT (unstopped diamonds) and therefore either 2H rebid or raising to 3C would be correct.

[Chamaco]

The_Hog, on Nov 9 2004, 03:02 AM, said:

Further, the way we play we use a Mafia structure, ....

--- cut ---

However again, I wonder how many people play a Mafia structure, so I tailor my answers to straight 2/1.

--- cut ---

Ron,
can you recommend any good source for the serious student to read and see a decent number of examples of "MAFIA" sequences (besides Walsh sequences- already know that :-) ) ?

Mauro

"What do you think of these mafia murders?" "Mafia ? Mafia does not exist"
(Italian national broadcast news, Interview to some local sicilians - in the 1970s)